Moving Beyond the art-as-service paradigm: The evolution of arts and disability in Singapore

While there has been increasing support for arts and disability in Singapore, funders and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) tend to regard the arts as a service that achieves therapeutic outcomes for clients, or social goals such as community bonding. They adopt an instrumental attitude that treats the arts as just one community asset out of many others which they can mobilise to serve their target beneficiaries. However, viewing the arts solely as a service neglects its expressive value, aesthetic power, and emancipatory potential. Such an approach fails to acknowledge how disability arts can enrich the broader arts scene with diverse perspectives, creating culture, and redefining the identities of disability communities. When nurtured, disability arts can be a powerful way of exploring meaningful and authentic social inclusion while combatting prejudice towards people with disabilities.