[Term 1] Teenage and Social Issues: Trust Fund for Disabled

Title: 1,000 families likely to sign up for trust fund to support their disabled children
Author: Theresa Tan
Publisher: The Straits Times Singapore
Date: February 24th, 2008

This article talks about a new Trust Fund that is set up to support disabled children when their parents die. A Trust company will be set up to handle the funds, and the money will be held by the Public Trustee's office. This is to address the concerns of parents with disabled children, as they are worried as to who will provide for their disabled children when they leave this world.

In my opinion, this Trust Fund is a very good idea, as it alleviates the worries of many parents with disabled children, especially those in low and middle class income groups. This is due to the fact that disabled (or, should I say, handicapped) children can hardly provide for themselves when they grow up, due to their handicaps. Thus, they will need some form of monetary help to eke out a living, and this help will likely come from their parents.

However, do note that there are many exceptions to this, as I've seen many people with handicaps being successful in life. An example would be Dr William Tan, a neurosurgeon and a athlete.

Let's get back to the topic: what happens when their parents die? Their fortunes will, of course, be willed to the child, but especially for those in low to middle class income groups, this will likely not be enough to sustain the handicapped person for their whole life. Also, since handicapped people generally need significantly more money than normal people to sustain themselves (due to purchasing of items/services that are specifically suited for their handicaps), the money will definitely not last long.

But with this Trust Fund, these handicapped people will have a reliable source of income for them to survive on, and even though it may not be much, they can supplement it with their own income, which may not be enough on its own. With this, they can go on with their lives, and will not depend on others to fund their daily needs. In my opinion, this has a great impact on these handicapped people, as being independent will boost their dignities.

Thus, I think that this Trust Fund is a great idea, and I applaud the government for this. However, I believe the government can do more for these people by encouraging more employers to hire handicapped workers, maybe through some benefits like tax rebates, etc. With this, more handicapped people will be able to find jobs, and thus will be able to support themselves

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