A job for my uncle with disabilities

I am looking for a job. Not for me, but for my uncle with disabilities.

But first, I need to tell you what avenues we have tried and explain why I'm still using social media as a means. Of course we'll keep on trying, even if nothing works through this, though I thought it'd still be a worthwhile effort. Though at the end of the day, if you are a business owner, somebody who knows somebody or some other avenue who can provide him with some home-based work, or have suggestions to give, we would be delighted. Afterall, more heads are better than one! We're not playing the sympathy card here, just matter-of-factly looking for work.

We initially tried Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD). Part of the process required us to get a doctor's certification that my uncle is able to work. All the doctor had to do was fill in this form by SPD. On a check-up session at KKH, I got my father to hand the form to the doctor. However, according to my father, the doctor did not want to fill in the form. It's too far back for me to remember what was the reason given by the doctor. A social worker friend told me it may be because either the doctor did not want to, or was not able to, certify that my uncle can work, maybe because they were not sure. Having gone all the way to the hospital and ending up with this, I have no idea which other doctor to go to, so I decided to try out another organization.

A post on my Facebook wall got a couple of replies from my friends (one of whom is a social worker, the other an occupational therapist), who suggested Bizlink and Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA). So off I went to contact Bizlink. Bizlink's staff very kindly answered my many questions and scheduled a time for my uncle go down for a basic assessment of his skills. Thankfully, no letter from the doctor was required. There were jobs available, either that or a sheltered workshop option, both of which we seriously considered.

After a number of calls and discussion, it was clear that we could not make use of either services simply because my uncle was not highly mobile on his own outside of home and he required somebody familiar to be by his side in case he passed out due to low blood sugar levels. There are many details but basically, as everybody in the family is working, nobody could transport him around nor stay by him while he settled into his job. We asked if it was possible to find a simple job which he can do from home instead for a start while he builds up his mobility, but there weren't any such leads available to them yet. Bizlink has been helpful though, offering alternatives and various job opportunities, but it always came down to the fact stated above. We finally agreed that at this point in time, my uncle cannot take up the jobs that Bizlink is offering, until the day that he is more independently mobile outside of home.

At this point you may say that we aren't trying hard enough, that arrangements can be made so that we can bring him to the sheltered workshop. I don't know if we're trying hard enough and maybe we are not, but I think we're trying and I'm fine with that. Even my uncle who was happy to let things be as they are, is trying to be more mobile at home (finally practicing with his prosthetic leg today! Really! He makes me feel so frustrated sometimes!).

So currently, I am contacting HWA and am waiting for their reply. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to try out social media as a means, right?

Anyway, the point of this is to find out if there are any business owners, companies or somebody who knows somebody else who could offer simple home-based work for my uncle. If you could help to ask around or to pass this around, it'd be great.

Here's more information if anybody is so inclined:
He has a fully functional upper body, but has low vision. To give you a gauge, he can pack small things the size of pills into small clear plastic bags and tape them close with scotch tape after I've sorted out the different types of medicines into piles for him to take from, with minimal errors. It's just a little tedious for him. He tries to read the papers with reading glasses. He washes the dishes at home and does the laundry.

1. We're looking at things like packing, pasting, cutting, etc.
2. It doesn't even have to be a constant job, as and when there is stuff to be done is fine. 
3. It HAS to be something that can be done at home. One of the family members can pick up the required things and receive instructions from the office during office hours (usually in late afternoon) or on weekends (if you guys are even open!). We'd be grateful if the time of pick-up can be negotiated though, because all of us work, sometimes at different timings. 
4. Enough time has to be given for him to finish the work.
5. We do expect him to be paid and the pay can be negotiated. I don't believe in him doing free work just because he has disabilities.

Think of it as hiring a part-timer, just that he's working from home and require a longer amount of time. If you do have any leads, do contact me at ng.wan.jing[at]gmail.com

I'm thinking that if it's difficult to find work for him to do at home, we'll work on creating a job for him, which is actually partly why I set up Crave A Book, so that he can do some of the admin like wrapping of books and other stuff which I'll conjure up on the way!

Thank you for reading!