Jasmine has cerebral palsy in her left arm but she will let you know that she is still a strong woman. Why? Because she doesn’t give up no matter what people may say. She may be a little slower inthe use of her limbs, but she still eventually gets the job done. Despite the slurs she has heard, including “pai kah” which means disabled in Hokkien dialect, Jasmine is even more determined to prove her worth.

But it isn’t all bad. Jasmine always had her family and friends by her side to offer her words of encouragement and advice. She has also met a lot of great people who motivated and supported her in her journey towards being independent.

Jasmine was hired under the HP ENABLED (ENhancing ABilities and LEveraging Disabilities) Program and is currently working at HP Singapore (Private)Limited in Ink Supplies Operations and her dream is to “become a successful career woman”. This, she hopes, can inspire others with disabilities to find their own talents and use them in the workforce. She said one of the greatest misconceptions people have about those with disabilities is that the community cannot join the work force or contribute to society. But that is untrue, and Jasmine said it was important that employers see this and are supportive. Jasmine is extremely thankful to her employers, who are fully supportive and whom she describes as “funny and great”.

Jasmine would like more people with disabilities to also find meaningful work and she would love to work with her classmates as well as more people with disabilities. She said what inspires her is this mantra: “Don’t give up and believe in yourself, you can do it with confidence.”

Jasmine is thankful for all the support given to her by SG Enable and she hopes the organisation can help place more people with disabilities into jobs with supportive and accepting employers. If possible, she would also love to be part of the SG Enable team to give back to the disability community. To others with disabilities, she said: “Don’t give up. You can make it. Work hard to achieve the dreams/goals which you want and will get it.”

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