By his teenage years, he had gone from questioning why he was different to wondering how he could make a difference.
Refusing to “please, mind the gap”
Public transport seemed the best place to start because, “if Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) don’t have the right transport, they can’t do many things.”
Back in 2003, when Navin began reaching out to MOT, it was a struggle getting to school. His parents weren’t always free to ferry him, and although he could take a taxi, the cost of recurrent rides began to add up.
He took his chances on public transport. Those were the days before wheelchair-accessible buses. Without ramps, he had to hold on to the bus door as his helper loaded his rollator on board. The MRT was no easier.
“The wheel of the rollator tended to get stuck in the gap, so you needed agility to carry it across the platform… it’s not easy with a crowd” he explains. Before each train ride, Navin would approach the Passenger Service Centre for a staff member’s help. The staff member would assist him to board the train, especially during peak hours, and inform the arriving station so they, too, could send someone to assist him alight.
“I was hoping the situation would improve when, it suddenly hit me that I’m looking for change, waiting for change—but what am I doing to make it happen?” he said.
Giving PWDs a voice
So began his engagement with MOT, LTA, and public transport operators where Navin and his friends advocated for making our transport system more accessible to PWDs.
In 2006, Singapore’s first wheelchair bus hit the roads. Navin continued to share his feedback in focus groups to give ideas and trial new technology for a universally-accessible system.
For example, in 2017, when automatic ramps were mooted as a solution to speed up the bus boarding process, it was Navin and his team who pointed out that the ramp might be too high or steep for PWDs to navigate, and drivers would still need to physically assist.
Trials proved them right, which is why, Navin says: “It’s very important that anything planned for persons with disabilities must include PWDs’ views . You will not get the essence of what it is like to move in a wheelchair until you have actually sat in one!”
Navin’s rallying cry for accessibility has been heard across numerous focus groups conducted by LTA. His voice, together with the united efforts of the PWD community, has enabled LTA to improve the transport system and infrastructure for PWDs in Singapore.
From 2020, all public buses are wheelchair accessible. All MRT and LRT stations are also barrier-free. This is progress that Navin feels is “remarkable” and the public agrees. In recognition of his work in championing for inclusivity, he was awarded the 2022 Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards (GCTEA) in Dec 2022.