SINGAPORE - This year's National Day Singapore Together packs will include one designed by a pair of seven-year-old twin brothers.
Their design titled "Eat, Play, Repeat" features imagery of things Qays Naushad Hambril and Rizq Nawfal Hambril love doing together, like eating chicken rice and playing with building blocks. Rizq is a cerebral palsy patient with minimal verbal ability.
Their mother Nur Hidayah Shahrudin, 33, said: "Rizq would often help Qays clean up the Lego blocks and Qays would ask Rizq what he would like to do, so the artwork is a symbol of their bond."
The boys were invited by staff from Superhero Me, a non-profit inclusive arts group that works with different social service agencies.
The twins have been attending the group's workshops since 2017. Their parents wanted them to socialise with children of different abilities.
Qays, a pupil from Fuhua primary school, is overjoyed that their piece was picked. "I feel excited and happy at the same time," he said. His brother attends the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) School.
Twenty designs by artists with disabilities from seven different social service agencies were used for NDP collaterals such as the Singapore Together Pack design and the Our Heart for Singapore card.
This is part of the partnership between the NDP2020 Exco and SG Enable, a government-established agency which provides services for the disabled.
Ten of the 20 pack designs were also made by Primary 5 pupils.
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For the brothers, their design allows them to express themselves as "same same but different", as twins with different personalities but united by common interests.
Mr Adam Ho, spokesman for SG Enable, said the collaboration is an opportunity to present stories of the artists' abilities, dreams and hopes, and their love for Singapore.
It also brings attention to the i'mable initiative, which highlights and celebrates the abilities of persons with special needs.
"With the artworks used as designs for the Singapore Together Pack, it gives the public a chance to see from the unique perspective of each individual artist with disability and realise that what they love about Singapore and their hopes for the nation are similar as the rest of us.
He added that the hope is that people in Singapore will "take positive action for persons with disabilities and ultimately join SG Enable as we work towards our vision of an inclusive society and enabled lives".
Correction note: In an earlier version of the article, we said the different artworks will be included in the Singapore Together Packs. This is in inaccurate. They are instead incorporated into the design of the packs.
