The first herb and spice garden with special access for wheelchair users was opened in Bishan Saturday,17 Nov 2007.
Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Bishan estate Mr Wong Kan Seng topped the soil at the Herb and Spice Garden.
The garden, located at the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled, was built with technical expertise from National Parks Board with a special feature.
“People in wheelchairs have to access the plants at a slightly higher level. That’s why these planters are raised.for them to get right up close, and their hands can tend the plants,” NParks’ streetscape director Simon Longman explained.
The Home is the first organisation to receive a S$30,000 grant from a new fund set up by the Central Singapore Community Development Council. Another garden will be built at a nearby primary school.
National Parks Board has helped build 250 community gardens so far, and there are plans to add 50 more next year.
Singapore has the world recognised reputation of being a garden city and this will definetely help to keep up this image. Furthermore, by making this garden wheelchair-friendly, this shows that Singapore is trying to imrove its society by caring for the less-fortunate such as the disabled.
If there are plans to add 50 more gardens by next year, we can expect to have an garden in every single neighbourhood estate and that would greatly benefit the residents as they would have one more palce to go for recreational activities.
