A rhetoric of inclusion and increased social spending within a global context of austerity cuts has dominated disability policies in Singapore today. However, there is a lack of academic works that take a critical disability studies view towards the analysis of disability in Singapore. This work aims to address this gap by adopting a critical social model-led analysis of disability policies in Singapore. The article examines the rhetoric of inclusion, how disability is defined and its implementation through various policies in Singapore. It will examine the underpinnings of disability in Singapore today and its impact on the lives of disabled people.

Indian political participation in Singapore goes far back into the city’s colonial history. However, it was cast in sharp relief following Japan’s defeat in World War II. Although the Indian National Army (INA) had failed to liberate India with Japan’s help, the struggle for India’s independence unleashed a burst of insurgent energy among Indians in Singapore and Malaya. That radicalism proved to be resilient when it planted its roots in local soil. Singapore Indians turned their attention away from their role in India’s independence to the anti-colonial struggle against the British returning to their own region