By Valarie Tan & Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 13 July 2008 2118 hrs
SINGAPORE: Four Singaporeans have become the country's first group of people with disabilities to attempt scuba diving.
One might not be able to tell at once that they are people with special needs, especially since they seem to have taken to diving like fishes to water.
"It's something I've always wanted to do. Under the sea, I felt the freedom, just (like) an able-bodied, because everyone is equal under the sea," said Choo Poh Choon, a physically disabled diving student.
These individuals, who are from groups like the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped and the Association for the Deaf, prefer to be known as "handi-capable" individuals and are training for their PADI Open Water certification.
"I feel empowered, enriched and educated as well," added Jeffrey Soh, a visually handicapped student.
"It applies to my family members as well, because now they understand that being visually handicapped doesn't mean you're limited. You still can do things as what other people can do," he said.
Their diving course is part of an effort to encourage more people with disabilities to engage in sports and recreational activities.
In a separate charity drive, entitled "A Nation in Concert", to be staged at the Victoria Theatre on October 11 & 12, over 100 people with disabilities will take to the stage alongside several other professional volunteer artistes.
The concert seeks to provide a platform for all people to showcase their talents and abilities.
Proceeds from ticket sales will be channelled to four beneficiaries - the Handicaps Welfare Association, the Association for Persons with Special Needs, the Singapore Association for the Deaf and the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped.
- CNA/os
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| Four learn to scuba-dive to prepare for marine-themed charity musical | ||
| By Grace Chua | ||
But unlike most underwater aficionados, the 27-year-old has spent the past seven years in a wheelchair - the result of an accident during national service which left him paralysed from the waist down. 'When my parents heard I was going to dive, they said: 'Are you sure?' 'But they're not surprised any more after all the things I've done,' said Mr Choo, who has also tried his hand at basketball and tennis. He is working towards his Padi Open Water dive certificate along with three other disabled Singaporeans. Each has a different disability: Geeta Varatharaja, 22, is partially deaf, 21-year-old Jeffrey Soh is partially blind, while Hay Qing Hui, 16, is a special-needs student. Meanwhile, the four will be taking part in a marine-themed charity musical called A Nation In Concert, scheduled for October. 'We wanted to give them the experience of being in the ocean, so that they'll be able to express it better when they perform,' said concert organiser Alvin Lim. The musical, which will be held at Victoria Theatre in October, features more than a hundred disabled performers alongside able-bodied professional artists like Timothy Nga and Pierre Goh. Tickets will go on sale next month. The concert benefits four charities: Handicaps Welfare Association, the Association for Persons with Special Needs, the Singapore Association for the Deaf and the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. A Nation In Concert performances were also held in 2005 and 2006. Scuba classes for the disabled performers are being conducted by dive centre Ocean Ambassador, which is also sponsoring their gear. International diving association Padi said on its website that people with physical challenges regularly earn the Open Water certificate. The four have medical approval to take the course. 'Disabled divers have no fear - they've already gone through the worst time in their life. Diving is just another challenge for them to overcome their physical limits,' said Ocean Ambassador academic director Eugene Yeo. For Mr Choo, scuba-diving also pushes the boundaries on social limits. 'In the water, I feel like a normal person. Everyone is equal and I don't need a wheelchair,' he said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 残障人士也能出海潜水吗？本地4名残障人士有望实现这个梦想。 27岁的朱宝存因为7年前的一起意外，从此无法行走，但他今天却能够重回游泳池，学习向往已久的潜水运动。 除了宝存，另外三名有视觉、听觉障碍，和智障人士，在A Nation In Concert和『海洋大使潜水中心』的安排下，到欧南中学学习潜水。 把氧气筒放下水，再进入泳池，带上眼罩和蛙鞋，4名残障人士开始学习潜水的基本功。 已经多年没有到泳池的朱宝存说，能够再次接触水，让他感到很兴奋。 宝存的双脚不能动弹，对他来说，最大的挑战是体力和保持平衡。
"只要他们肯学，我们做得到的他们也做得到。对我来讲他们的意志力比我们更强，所以学潜水对他们来讲不是很大的问题。" | ||
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