Essay Outline

Main Topic Area

There is presence of digital divide in Singapore between citizens who are visually handicapped citizens and those who are not.

Main Problem Identified

Most digital technologies prevalently used nowadays are not designed to be suitable for the visually handicapped. Due to that, the visually handicapped are not as tech-savvy as compared to the rest. Furthermore, having basic IT knowledge is gradually becoming an essential criterion in Singapore’s working industry. Thus, this leads to the visually handicapped to have lower marketability in the employment market than other Singaporeans.

Existing Solution

To narrow down the digital divide, Singapore’s Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports built a pan-disability IT training centre in 2008. The centre aims to close up the digital gap for Singaporean with physical disabilities, including the visually handicapped. The centre takes on unique and effective approaches, such as personalizing each course to suit individual student needs, in educating the handicapped regarding usage of digital technology. However, there is little enrolment at the centre as it is not widely advertised to reach a larger audience in the country.

Proposed Thesis

As usage of IT becomes more prevalent in business, Singaporean employers are expecting their potential employees to possess basic IT knowledge, in which the visually handicapped will lose out in terms of marketability because they are not as tech-savvy as compared to the able-bodied, so the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports should strive to reach out to more of the visually handicapped population and invite them to sign up with the pan-disability IT training centre so as to increase their employability.