Enabling Lives Festival 2025 also celebrated the Enabling Village‘s 10th Anniversary! Explore the new Vista extension, home to the i’mable Collective Space and more inclusive amenities around the Village.
On 6 Dec 2025, the fifth Enabling Lives Festival kicked off at its main hub, the Enabling Village, an inclusive community space at Lengkok Bahru. It is a signature event organised by SG Enable to champion disability inclusion and celebrate the inclusive community. For more details, visit the Enabling Lives Festival website.
The Enabling Village was in Open House mode to celebrate its 10th Anniversary, with free programmes and activities at almost every space. Here’s what I got to see and experience during my visit:
Silent Studio 2.0, a unique photoshoot experience set within a studio pop-up at the Enabling Village. Led by Deaf photographer Isabelle Lim (@whatissyshoots), the programme invites attendees to uncover the nuances of non-speaking interaction.
I previewed the first iteration of Silent Studio at the Singapore Night Festival 2025, and now at the Enabling Village, I had the opportunity to experience Issy’s full process, and also have my photograph taken.
As a photographer, it was definitely interesting to observe the session, because it relied on visual cues. For my own session, I could somehow “hear” what Issy was saying to me, even with her most subtle gestures. The shoot concluded with a printed keepsake, which forms a record of the experience.
The i’mable Collective Market featured over 40 booths showcasing unique, handcrafted creations. This offered a joyful shopping experience, as every purchase directly supported the livelihoods and talents of persons with disabilities, social enterprises, and caregiver-led businesses.
One of my favourite stalls is Junlefont, which offered a diverse collection of goods at the market featuring Junle’s iconic calligraphy works.
While at the festival, I had a chance to explore the expanded Enabling Village, with a new four-storey extension, the Vista block. It is designed to further integrate services and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
The i’mable Collective Space can be found on the second level – this combines a retail store, gallery, studio, and a cosy café, providing a hub for creatives with disabilities to showcase their work and connect with the community.
This space is operated by weareSuper, the inclusive design agency of Supermama.
Postboy Coffee cafe is the first thing you’ll see, especially with this eye-catching Postcard station.
Here you can buy a postcard (S$5 on its own, or S$4 with a drink) and send it to your future self, by dropping it in any of the 12 mailboxes. Choose from various designs created by creatives with disabilities.
Across the cafe is a workshop space. During the Enabling Lives Festival, Supermama’s Porcelain Bento Workshop was held here, and you could create your own customised porcelain piece using the decals available.
Another highlight for most visitors would be the i’mable Collective Store, which is also Singapore’s largest inclusive gifting store, bringing together over 30 brands and artists.
On display is the the inaugural collection of weareSuper – Supermama’s iconic plates and mugs given a new twist with designs co-created with persons with disabilities.
From clothes to bags and daily accessories, many kinds of visually attractive goods are available, making this a great spot to shop for meaningful gifts that supports the community.
There’s also Pear Books, a curated bookstore focused on titles related to inclusivity, disability, and wellness.
The adjacent Gallery space is running its debut exhibition Design Social – a showcase of accessibility-focused projects and art works from more than 20 creatives with disabilities.
The rest of the floor houses other facilities such as weareSuper’s Studio, Hullabaloo, Foreword Coffee Roastery & Academy, along with Hyper Projects, which had a few exquisite kitsugi pieces on display, such as the one below.
This is Supermama’s ONE Singapore 2024 plate – restored and held together using a skeletal lattice structure that is made of gold-plated 3D-printed resin.
The Enabling Village’s commitment to accessibility extends to recreation and lifestyle.
Take a dip at Little Splashes Aquatics, Singapore’s first fully inclusive heated indoor pool. Thoughtfully designed with two access ramps for wheelchairs (that can go into the water!), this is the first private indoor swimming school for persons with disabilities (PWDs), which will also continue to offer its usual infant, toddler, and children’s programmes.
For a relaxing break, stop by Bailey & Patch pet café, a popular neighbourhood chill-out spot that will soon expand its services to offer pet grooming carried out by persons with disabilities, adding another layer of inclusive employment to the Village’s ecosystem.
These additions join other new tenants like The Eyecare Village by Eyeviser, the first inclusive primary eyecare centre in Singapore, equipped with accessible equipment and spaces to cater to persons with disabilities and other underserved communities.
Visit the Enabling Village
20 Lengkok Bahru, Singapore 159053
The Village is open from 7AM to 10:30PM daily, but opening hours for tenants may vary.
It’s a leisurely 5-min stroll below a sheltered walkway from Red Hill MRT station. Shuttle bus service is also provided.
For more information about the Enabling Village, visit the official website.
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