When his grades slipped from almost all As to Us (ungraded) in primary school, Mr Bryan Teo felt disappointed in himself, unsure of why he was failing despite studying hard.
Mr Teo was later diagnosed with dyslexia, which mainly involves difficulties with word recognition, connecting sounds and letters, and spelling, but can also impact memory, organisation, time management and communication. This makes lessons difficult to follow.
“I really needed more time to digest (the information),” recalled Mr Teo, 24, who struggled to keep up with note-taking in school.
His introverted personality also made it difficult for him to voice his difficulties.
“It was very hard for me to share my condition because people would judge me,” said Mr Teo, a diploma graduate in information technology from TP who is currently serving National Service.
But he gradually came out of his shell in polytechnic – not only through regular group work in class, but also with support from his
co-curricular activity, SENvocates.
SEN refers to special educational needs.
The student interest group is dedicated to advocating for people with disabilities or special educational needs.
Temasek Polytechnic alumnus Bryan Teo attending The Hidden Stories: Unveiling Invisible disAbilities, a community engagement initiative by SENvocates, at Punggol Regional Library on Oct 5, 2025.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Started in 2021, the group has grown to 130 members, comprising students with and without disabilities, though it does not disclose the exact breakdown.
The group was set up by Mr Winston Wong, then a TP staff member, who has severe to profound hearing loss.
Now a Diversity and Inclusion Lead at social enterprise Inclus, Mr Wong said he wanted a space where TP students with disabilities and special educational needs can be open about themselves and their conditions. He observed that these students could be ostracised or bullied for their differences.
“I feel that a lot of the students prefer to hide, they want to blend in,” he said.
