text: movement for the intellectually disabled of singapore minds ( movement for the intellectually disabled of singapore ) is a voluntary welfare organisation based in singapore , that provides services for the intellectually disabled . they run four special schools and a centre called mindsville napiri which offers therapy and residential care . other minds services include sheltered workshops , social enterprises , weekly activities , and trust fund management . founded in 1962 , minds is among the largest charities in singapore , with a staff of 420 helping 2400 beneficiaries . minds generates yearly expenses of 21 million singapore dollars , as of 2005 . two other organisations , the association for persons with special needs ( formerly the association for the educationally ) and special olympics singapore , originated as minds projects . history in 1960 , the singapore children 's society initiated several educational and training programmes for intellectually disabled children , leading to the formation of the singapore association for retarded children ( sarc ) in 1962 . beginning with only two teachers and 26 students in a single classroom in towner road , the new association rapidly expanded over the 1960s , building special schools at margaret drive and jurong , a sheltered workshop at geylang , a residential home at tampines as well as their main administration centre , lee kong chian centre . sarc started a subcommittee for services for those with less severe intellectual disabilities in 1971 and a youth volunteering group the year after ; the subcommittee was split into an independent organisation , the association for the educationally ( ) , in 1976 . in 1983 sarc launched the first early intervention programme in singapore , prompting other organisations to follow suit and set up an adjunct subcommittee that became special olympics singapore . since the term " retarded " had acquired negative connotations and the organisation had started services for adults , sarc changed their name to the movement for the intellectually disabled of singapore ( minds ) in 1985 . in 1987 , the organisation benefitted by being primarily funded from the community chest of singapore , and in 1993 minds became the largest voluntary welfare organisation in singapore , with in second place . relocation of the minds special schools , from premises of closed - down primary schools to new buildings with customised facilities , began in 1998 . the association started their first social enterprise , a car washing service along pasir panjang road , in 2001 . their residential homes and training centres were merged into the mindsville napiri centre , which opened in 2007 , and the relocation programme was completed two years later . activities minds runs four special schools for intellectually disabled students aged 4 to 18 , who are taught various life skills , such as personal grooming and money management . they are also taken on outings to learn how to handle common tasks , such as buying groceries and taking public transport . students undergo physiotherapy , pre - vocational training , as well as basic instruction in some mainstream academic subjects , including languages , mathematics , art , and science . to help the intellectually disabled gain employment , minds trains them for simple sorting and packing jobs at sheltered workshops , then negotiates contracts with potential employers : for example , some were hired by singapore airlines to recycle headsets . the organisation also manages several social enterprises , including a thrift shop , a car washing service , a food catering company , and a performing arts troupe , that increase employment opportunities for the intellectually disabled . under the minds trusteeship scheme , parents of the intellectually disabled can deposit their savings into a trust account , safeguarded by the public trustee , and after they die , minds ensures the money is used to fund caregiving of the beneficiary . other minds services , including counselling , behaviour therapy and rehabilitation , are concentrated at their integrated service centre called mindsville napiri . the centre contains a nursing home for adults with high support needs , another home for intellectually disabled children from broken families , and a hostel , which provides flexible accommodation options for clients who need less - intensive care . in addition , volunteers from the minds youth group conduct weekly educational , social , and recreational activities , such as swimming classes and singing sessions , for around 170 intellectually disabled people . management minds is one of the oldest and largest voluntary welfare organisations in singapore , with 420 staff , 2400 beneficiaries , and yearly expenses of s $ 21 million singapore dollars . their primary source of funding is the community chest of singapore , with programme fees , their social enterprises , corporate sponsorships and public donations making up their secondary sources . the organisation is headed by president conrad campos and ceo keh eng song , who lead a 15 - member executive committee with four subcommittees that meet monthly to discuss problems and plan new programmes . minds has won several awards , including the 2001 president 's social service award from the national council of social service and the 2010 singapore health award ( gold ) by the health promotion board .