This report describes the authors’ research project ‘Telepresence Stage’, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) ‘COVID-19 Rapid Response’ scheme. The project aims to develop effective and affordable new approaches to connect performers from their separate homes and place them within virtual sets online where they can rehearse and perform together.
The recent attention towards cultural preservation and heritage studies has positioned design to redefine cultural experiences in the contemporary context. Against this backdrop, design is marked by an ability to transform and revitalise cultural practices to change and alter perceptions, generate and disseminate knowledge, and create new value through the curation of experience.
Quality education and lifelong learning is highly valued in Singapore. With improved disability support for learners with special educational needs and disabilities, increasing numbers complete their secondary schooling and wish to continue into post-secondary education. Countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) have a more extended history of legislation to protect the rights of people with disabilities, inclusive education at tertiary level and a more extensive research base.
This case study draws on the original doctoral thesis entitled, “Learners With Special Educational Needs Reflecting on Their First Year at University.” The study of the historical background, recent developments, and issues of concern was a collective case study of special needs students studying at Singapore universities.
While conducting research for my doctoral thesis entitled “Learners With Special Educational Needs Reflecting on Their First Year at University,”I explored the historical background, recent developments, and issues of concern for students with special educational needs and disabilities studying at university in Singapore. Documentary evidence included the collection of historical and present-day local policy documents, parliamentary debates taken from Hansard (the traditional name given to transcriptions of parliamentary debates), and information from university websites.
Many countries keep official records of parliamentary debates. In the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Singapore, these transcriptions are referred to as Hansard, providing a rich resource for researchers exploring the historical and contextual background of governmental policy and legislation. This case study draws on the original doctoral thesis exploring the experiences and issues of concern of students with special educational needs and disabilities reflecting on their first year at university in Singapore.
Singapore has undergone a gradual shift towards a social model of inclusive education since the Compulsory Education Act came into force in 2003 (Republic of Singapore, 2000). With the aim of supporting disabled students, the Singapore government has increasingly provided resources and facilities in schools (Ministry of Education Singapore, 2018), resulting in larger numbers of these students continuing to tertiary education. Eleven individual interviews were conducted with students with invisible disabilities studying at different universities across Singapore.
A team from LASALLE College of the Arts received honours at a dance competition held in Yokohama, Japan.
Overcoming multiple cultural, language and injury challenges, two final year students from LASALLE’s School of Dance and Theatre, Jocelyn Tay and Natasha Koo, not only succeeded in performing a Malay dance in Japan, they also captivated the judges enough to be picked to represent Asia at a prestigious dance competition in Spain.
