Harpreet Singh meets with disability advocate in Punggol, left in awe by his story

Harpreet Singh shares meeting with disability advocate whose life story inspired him, invites him to WP Walk/Run event

Workers’ Party (WP) member Harpreet Singh recounted about how he caught up with disability advocate Humphries Warren Sheldon on Tuesday (8 Sept).

Mr Sheldon, who has a disability caused by an incurable condition, awed Mr Singh with his life story.

Harpreet Singh previously met disability advocate in Enabling Village

Mr Singh said on Facebook that he had a “fun and lovely catch up” at the Oasis Terraces with Mr Sheldon, a Punggol resident.

They had previously first met months ago at the Enabling Village, a community space in Bukit Merah focused on helping people with disabilities.

Mr Singh found Mr Sheldon funny and articulate, and they hit it off.

The latter poured his heart out about his life to Mr Singh, who said he was left in awe.

Incurable condition resulted in divorces and bankruptcy

Mr Sheldon was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological condition that causes nerve damage and progressively results in weakening muscles.

He suffered both a physical and mental toll over the years due to the incurable disease.

Mr Sheldon once described himself as having a “PhD in failure“, including two divorces, losing his job, and going bankrupt and homeless.

He even considered suicide but was pulled back from the brink, metaphorically, by a friend.

“You can show the world your plight, or you can choose to show the world your might,” she told him.

Sheldon turned life around, helps people with disabilities and caregivers

Despite his chronic pain and requiring a wheelchair, Mr Sheldon turned things around.

He now works as a dedicated advocate for people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and their caregivers.

Among other things, he provides para-counselling, champions inclusive employment, and offers peer support.

“Some meetings just leave you uplifted and that first meeting with Sheldon was one of them!” Mr Singh said.

Disability advocate to show Harpreet Singh how Punggol can be more accessible

In their meeting on 8 Sept, Mr Sheldon promised to show Mr Singh around Punggol while in his personal mobility device (PMD) in two weeks’ time.

He intended to highlight the challenges of moving around as a person with disabilities and what infrastructural changes needed to be made.

In turn, Mr Singh invited Mr Sheldon to WP’s monthly Punggol Walk / Run event on 26 Sept. Mr Singh wrote:

He joked that he would keep within the speed limit.

Also read: ‘Just like me’: Young boy with disability in US overjoyed after seeing model in wheelchair on store ad

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Featured image adapted from Harpreet Singh Nehal on Facebook and Singapore Silent Heroes.