Linda Prebhash started out as a mainstream school teacher for a few years before further pursuing her studies in Special Education. Upon returning to Singapore, she started teaching in the Association For Persons With Special Needs before moved to Rainbow Centre Singapore. She has been in the Special Education sector now for more than 30 years in various capacities. She has also served as a volunteer with Special Olympics Singapore for more than 30 years and is currently the Honorary Secretary and Sports Director.
KrASIA (Kr): How did you get involved with Special Olympics Singapore (SOSG)?
Linda Prebhash (LP): It’s been more than 30 years since I’ve been involved in Special Olympics. I’m a sports-minded person, and I see the benefits of engaging in sports. I also have a passion to serve the community with special needs. It was a natural process to bring the two passions together.
Kr: What have been the highlights for SOSG since you started?
LP: We’ve been growing the number of sports included. We have been strengthening the skill sets of our coaches and volunteers. We have also moved into a unified platform, which means that we are trying to match our athletes with partners. They play and compete together. That’s one of the newer initiatives of SOSG.
Additionally, the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore and SOSG have partnered up for an initiative called Play Inclusive for four years now. Our special athletes are attached to mainstream schools, and they train together across four different sports. In their training, there must be a minimum of eight sessions, with an eventual platform to compete. This has taken off very well. With the covid-19 lockdown measures last year, we had to switch to virtual sessions. This year, we’re hoping for a blend of virtual and face-to-face sessions.
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