Many Dawns: A Brief History of Services for Individuals With Intellectual Disability

MANY DAWNS is about the continuing journey of individuals and organisations in Singapore to improve the quality of life intellectually disabled people (IDPs) in Singapore. It recounts key historical events relating to service provision, capture something of the spirit of the Voluntary Welfare Organisations' movement over the last 50 years, and deepen public's understanding of the meaning of intellectual disability to IDPs, service providers, caregivers and society. Contents: The main text is crafted in a story form comparing the quality of life, availability of resources, employment oportunities and society's inclusion and perception of IDPs with that of 50 years ago. It recounts individuals', professionals', govern-ment's, clubs' and corporations' many voluntary and monetary contributions to provide services. It also unfolds the development of areas like sports, structured and specialised education, professional support, international collaborations, regional developments, researches, leadingto heightened awareness and increased service provision. Windows throughout the book provide facts on the different types of intellectual disability such as Rett Syndrome, Fragile-X Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Cri du Chat Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Autism, and definition of what is intellectual disability. On the other end of the spectrum is an understanding of what IQ Score means and Gardner's Theory on Multiple Intelligence to put the whole concept of 'intelligence' in perspective. The legal issues relating to persons with intellectual disability in Singapore are explained. New development and services such as 'What is AssistiveTechnology', the Use of IT in Special Education, Caregivers Support Groups, are highlightMary Cherian is the author of 'Many Dawns: A Brief History of Services for Individuals With Intellectual Disability' with ISBN 9789812382948 and ISBN 9812382941.