Young adults with disabilities deserve housing to live with dignity

On Aug. 21, I wrote to my local newspaper here in Singapore about a gap in housing policy that affects younger adults with severe disabilities.

I’m one of those younger adults: I’m 29 and have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive condition that leaves me fully dependent on caregivers and reliant on a BiPAP ventilator around the clock. When I turn 30 next month, I’ll begin receiving monthly assistance from a national insurance program for long-term care, which affirms that people like me need lifelong support from early adulthood. Yet housing policy hasn’t reflected the same understanding.

Singapore has taken steps to support older adults through apartments designed with accessibility, emergency response, and community services in mind. These homes are an important step toward aging with dignity, and my parents and grandmother may one day benefit. However, reserving these apartments for those over 65 excludes younger adults with disabilities.

In a reply to my letter, a representative of the government’s Ministry of Health highlighted such pilot programs as supported rental housing and additional services for those who remain at home. These are welcome developments, yet they don’t reach adults under 35 who have higher support needs and want the chance to live beyond the family home.

What independence for Duchenne might look like

For people with Duchenne, independence does not mean living without assistance. It means the chance to share a home with a partner, to receive care in a space that’s truly ours, and to be part of community life.

For me, that includes planning a future with my partner, Amanda, who lives with a vision impairment. Like many couples, we hope to create a household together. Our dream is not to turn away from family, but to be recognized as adults with our own place in the world.

This call for action is not about younger folks with disabilities competing for a finite amount of assistance with older adults, who will always require robust housing support. Both of these communities deserve help. I simply hope that the same understanding that’s ensuring long-term care coverage from age 30 can, in time, also guide housing for that same group.

Duchenne shortens our lives, which makes the years we do have especially precious. Living those years with dignity, choice, and belonging matters deeply.

For someone like me, dignified living is not just about a roof overhead. It’s about being acknowledged as an adult with the same hopes as anyone else: to love, to build a home with a partner, and to belong in the community.

If housing options eventually open to younger people with severe disabilities, it’ll affirm that our dreams are valued. That possibility gives me hope, and it’s a hope I’ll continue to carry forward in partnership with policymakers and community voices alike.

Note: Muscular Dystrophy News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Muscular Dystrophy News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to muscular dystrophy.