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MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) is a voluntary welfare organisation based in Singapore, that provides services for persons with moderate to severe intellectual disability. They run four special education schools three sheltered workshops, five day activity centres, a multi-service residential facility called MINDSville@Napiri which offers therapy and residential care, home-based care services and a caregivers’ support centre. To date, MINDS serves about 2,300 clients in the 14 facilities located island-wide and has received strong support from various funding bodies, the community, corporations and individuals. It is their vision to grow and become a world-class VWO that advances the development, well-being and aspirations of persons with intellectual disability and their integration back into society. Founded in 1962, MINDS is among one of the oldest and largest charities in Singapore, with a staff strength of over 600 employees serving 2,300 over beneficiaries. Two other organisations, the Association for Persons with Special Needs (formerly the Association for the Educationally Subnormal) and Special Olympics Singapore, originated as MINDS projects. ==History== The Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) was founded in May 1962 under the name of Singapore Association for Retarded Children (SARC). A group of philanthropists saw the need to provide equal opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities to receive education and later, to be integrated as contributing and responsible citizens in Singapore. The Singapore Rotary Club gave the first donation to pilot the project under the Singapore Children’s Society and the first ‘Chin Pu’ (meaning progress) school was set up in a single room in Towner Road with 26 children. ‘Chin Pu’ centres mushroomed around the Island in whatever premises that were available – churches, disused schools, etc. In 1985, SARC was renamed MINDS to encompass the services provided not only for children, but adults and the aged persons with intellectual disability. 〔"(Country Report 1980 (Singapore) )", Group Training Course on Intellectual Disabilities.〕〔"(Special Education Timeline )", St Gabriel's Secondary Special Needs Centre. Archived from (the original ) on 29 October 2011.〕 Beginning with only two teachers and 26 students in a single classroom in Towner Road,〔Vivi Zainol, "Serving the intellectually disabled", ''The Straits Times'', 27 August 2005.〕〔April Chong, "Special school in Sengkang opens", ''The Straits Times'', 18 July 2009.〕 the new association rapidly expanded over the 1960s, building special schools at Margaret Drive and Jurong, a sheltered workshop at Geylang, a residential home at Tampines as well as their main administration centre, Lee Kong Chian Centre.〔〔 SARC started a subcommittee for services for those with less severe intellectual disabilities in 1971 and a youth volunteering group the year after;〔〔"(MINDS Youth Group – Celebrating 35 Years of Volunteerism )", Group Training Course on Intellectual Disabilities.〕 the subcommittee was split into an independent organisation, the Association for the Educationally Subnormal (AESN), in 1976.〔Mardiana Abu Bakar, "Minds over matter", ''The Straits Times'', 17 June 1993.〕 In 1983 SARC launched the first early intervention programme in Singapore, prompting other organisations to follow suit〔 and set up an adjunct subcommittee that became Special Olympics Singapore.〔"(About Us )", Special Olympics Singapore. Archived from (the original ) on 9 August 2013.〕 Since the term "retarded" had acquired negative connotations and the organisation had started services for adults, SARC changed their name to the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) in 1985.〔"Minds to help disabled grow with the times", ''The Straits Times'', 12 June 1985.〕 In 1987, the organisation benefitted by being primarily funded from The Community Chest of Singapore,〔 and in 1993 MINDS became the largest voluntary welfare organisation in Singapore, with AESN in second place.〔 Relocation of the MINDS special schools, from premises of closed-down primary schools to new buildings with customised facilities, began in 1998.〔"A school to put Minds pupils at ease", ''The Straits Times'', 25 September 1998.〕 The association started their first social enterprise, a car washing service along Pasir Panjang Road, in 2001.〔Lee Hui Chieh, "Intellectually disabled wash cars for wages.", ''The Straits Times'', 4 September 2001.〕 Their residential homes and training centres were merged into the MINDSville@Napiri centre, which opened in 2007,〔"Trusteeship scheme for kids with intellectual disability taking shape", Channel NewsAsia, 14 April 2007.〕 and the relocation programme was completed two years later.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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