letter for Mr Mah (Wen Jun)

Pasir Ris Secondary School
390 Tampines Street 21
Singapore 529400

21 July 2008

Mr Mah Bow Tan
The Minister of National Development,
Member of Tampines GRC

Dear Minister Mah

Feedback and suggestions to improve the playgrounds in Tampines

The playgrounds in Tampines are very creative and colorful, perfect for attracting small children. However, I think there is still room for improvement. The playgrounds are quite unhygienic, and after I had done research for my project, I found out that almost all the playgrounds in Tampines cannot be played by disabled children.

For my project, I had done research on Down syndrome, and found out that people with this chromosomal disorder have a lower than average cognitive ability, often ranging from mild to moderate learning disabilities. It might also cause the person with this disorder to have hearing problems, heart disease, Intestinal abnormalities, and eye problems. They also need to have a balanced diet, with a balanced amount of nutrients for their body. They are very prone to diseases, and get sick easily. They also have skeletal problems, not allowing them to stand straight.

I think we should have my playground (designed for children with Down syndrome) built in Tampines, so that the children in Tampines can enjoy it regardless of disability. My playground is made with materials which are soft, to ensure the safety of the children. Our playground has very little flight of stairs, as children with Down syndrome should not climb stairs because of heart disease. Railings will also be made to allow them to cling on as they have skeletal problems. Our playground will also have paintings of cartoon characters or fairy tale characters to attract their attention.

Playgrounds in Tampines are very dusty, and not suitable for disabled people to play them. I suggest that the playgrounds in Tampines to be safer, and can be played by children with or without Down syndrome. We can also build more playgrounds in Tampines for the children. It will be happy sight to see the various children (disabled or not) to have a fun time playing in the play ground. We should think of people whom are disabled, and not just the normal children.

Yours Truly

Heng Wen Jun
Student
Pasir Ris Secondary School