NDP 2026: Persons with disabilities contingent

SINGAPORE – The first-ever contingent comprising entirely of persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be joining the National Day Parade in 2026, in a reflection of Singapore’s growing inclusivity.

Led by former para-athlete Yap Qian Yin, 16 participants from the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) will join a sea of marching civilians at the National Stadium to mark Singapore’s 61st year of independence.

SDSC’s NDP contingent participants will include people with physical disabilities and individuals with autism.

Wheelchair users will use ramps to access the stage, while organisers are trying out the use of guide dogs to assist visually impaired individuals.

Holding areas and quiet rooms at the National Stadium, where NDP 2026 will be held, are also available for those who need a calmer environment, as part of measures to ensure PWD participants are well-supported.

Yap, 35, who won gold for Singapore in parasailing at the 2014 Asian Para Games and 2015 ASEAN Para Games, said the inaugural contingent marks PWDs moving beyond being audience or performance members of the NDP.

“We are able to… participate in the contingent segment, to march together with the rest of the contingents,” said Yap. “(It) really symbolises a purposeful (and) meaningful Singapore, moving forward as an inclusive society.”

Yap Qian Yin, who won gold for Singapore in parasailing at the 2014 Asian Para Games and 2015 ASEAN Para Games, will lead the the Singapore Disability Sports Council contingent. — Yap Qian Yin, who won gold for Singapore in parasailing at the 2014 Asian Para Games and 2015 ASEAN Para Games, will lead the Singapore Disability Sports Council contingent.

ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

Speaking to the media on June 25 at the National Stadium, the chairman of NDP’s parade and ceremony committee, Colonel Anthony Lau of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), said the inclusion of the PWD contingent this year is meaningful.

“It reflects the spirit of going beyond self, reinforcing the idea that Singapore’s security and progress are contributed by everybody across the different segments (of) society,” said Lau.

The SDSC contingent begins training on June 27, a few weeks after the civilian contingents started practice.

Yap, who works as a finance functional consultant at a software systems company, was initially concerned about NDP’s long training hours as her muscles tense up while sitting on a wheelchair.

Thankfully, the organisers will give the SDSC contingent members longer breaks so they can stretch and rest, she said.

Joining the NDP has been a dream for Yap since she attended a National Education show in Primary 5 – five years before she was paralysed below the waist due to a leukaemia relapse.

“What I really want for Singapore to see on TV… is not our physical disability,” said Yap. “It is rather that as one Singapore, be it our skin colour (or) culture, the different aspects of us don’t really stop us from coming together to rejoice and celebrate for Singapore.”

NDP 2026 is notable not just for its diversity, but also its scale.

The 26 civilian contingents with over 1,200 participants will mark the largest civilian parade participation in NDP in more than a decade.

Spectators will also get to see the uniformed youth and civilian contingents up close, as they weave through the spectator stands of the National Stadium during the parade.

Lau said: “Our spectators are no longer just watching the parade from afar, and at that instant, become part of our parade and part of our celebrations.

“Similarly, for our participants, seeing all Singaporeans cheering them on up close and personally, their experience will be an equally unique and engaging one.”

Among the civilian contingents are a mother-and-son duo, Siti Radziah Zainal Abidin, 45, and Ari Wafiy Muhammad Mahfudz, 14.

Radziah, a homemaker, volunteered to be part of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) contingent after receiving an e-mail inviting NTUC members to join the parade.

Subsequently, Ari, a student from Orchid Park Secondary School, was selected to be part of the National Cadet Corps (Sea) contingent, putting him on the same stage as his mother.

Among the civilian contingents are mother-and-son duo, Siti Radziah Zainal Abidin and Ari Wafiy Muhammad Mahfudz.

ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

They diligently attend rehearsals every Saturday at Seletar Camp, and continue practising at home together in front of a mirror, correcting each other’s form.

Ari said of his mother: “I am proud that she is here in NDP too. I didn’t know she would step out of her comfort zone, because she is a housewife and spends most of her time at home.”

The parade was last held at the National Stadium in 2016, with the 2026 edition marking 50 years since it was first held at the old National Stadium.

About 42,000 people will be able to catch the NDP, almost double that of the capacity of the Padang, where festivities were held the past few years.

Over 2,000 participants will take part in the parade. The six guard-of-honour contingents include the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)’s Digital and Intelligence Service and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which fielded its first such contingent in 2025.

The presidential gun salute and state flag flypast will be conducted at Kallang Basin for the first time.

Crowd favourites such as the mobile column, Red Lions and aerial display will not make an appearance, but spectators can still catch traditional parade elements such as the feu de joie, French for “fire of joy”, and combined military band.

NDP 2026 will be led by parade commander Caleb Chia, 43, of the RSAF, and parade regimental sergeant major Low Kay Kee, 44, a master warrant officer from the army.

NDP 2026 will be led by parade commander Caleb Chia, a military expert 6 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

It is a full-circle moment for Military Expert 6 Chia, who joined his first NDP two decades ago as part of the SAF colours party, also at the National Stadium.

“Twenty years ago, I was carrying the weight of my formation colour, and this year I will be carrying the responsibility of commanding and leading the parade,” said Chia, adding that he felt grateful for his new role.

One of the most inspiring things about NDP is the people, said Chia, who had asked some participants of the parade why they chose to return year after year.

“Some say, ‘Sir, because I am Singaporean’, some say, ‘Because I love Singapore’, and others say, ‘Because I want to do my little part for this Singapore that I love.’ And to me, that is what NDP is all about,” he said.

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