This former lawyer writes inclusive children’s books so kids of different abilities can enjoy the same stories

Together with two women, Lee Seow Ser creates books with features such as braille, tactile pictures and dyslexia-friendly text. Their initiative, To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love, uses books and events to foster understanding of people with disabilities and special needs.

Former lawyer Lee Seow Ser co-founded To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love – the ground-up initiative’s inclusive children’s books comprise titles with braille, tactile pictures and dyslexia-friendly text. (Photo: Lee Seow Ser)

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Lee Seow Ser was on a sabbatical from her legal career in 2014 when she fell ill and needed surgery and treatment. It was a “major turning point” in her life, she said, one that led her to take “a leap of faith” and leave her job.

“I had a deep yearning to fulfil other life aspirations,” Lee said.

Lee had been writing as a hobby while in legal practice. She volunteered with National Parks Board (NParks), taking photos and writing about Singapore’s parks. When literary festivals came around, she would take leave to attend them – “to treat myself to a ‘mental spa’ to stimulate my creative juices”.

While on sabbatical, she had lunch with her friend Hidayah Amin, founder of Helang Books , a local independent publishing house.

Lee asked her: Why don’t bookstores in Singapore carry books for persons with vision loss?

Lee didn’t have any personal connection with visually impaired people . However, she felt that, in a world shaped by visuals, “sight is a key sensory function and being able to experience the colours of this world is a privilege”.

“As someone who likes to write, I thought it both my duty and desire to render the content of what I write in a format accessible to those who wish to read but cannot do so with their eyes,” she added.

Lee Seow Ser (centre) co-founded To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love in 2015 with Hidayah Amin (left) and Tan Ai Khim (right). (Photo: Lee Seow Ser)

After researching braille books, the two women decided to transcribe Hidayah’s award-winning children’s book The Mango Tree into braille . It tells the story of a girl with a connection to the title tree, touching on family relationships and an appreciation for nature.

“We spent some of our own money to engage the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) to transcribe the text into braille and to produce the braille book,” the 53-year-old said.

“We also took the innovative step of including a tactile cover image of the mango tree and its fruits so that blind children can feel the picture for themselves.”

After its successful launch, Tan Ai Khim, an adjunct arts and design lecturer, reached out to them on social media. In 2015, Lee, Hidayah and Tan co-founded a ground-up initiative known as To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love, or SIR for short.

“We are three women who work from home, taking care of our respective families as caregivers and undertaking purposeful work,” Lee told CNA Women.

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INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS

SIR has produced two book series that focus on inclusivity and accessibility: Little Kids, Big Ideas and I Am Unique. The books are written by Lee, Hidayah and other writers.

These are donated to beneficiaries or public libraries, or used as educational resources in SIR’s programmes. They are also on sale at select bookstores, literary festivals and gift markets.

Little Kids, Big Ideas retells Asian stories and folktales imbued with good values. The protagonists are young children from different ethnic backgrounds, to reflect Singapore’s multiracial, multi-ethnic and multicultural society.

All the books in this series use dyslexia-friendly text alongside braille, as well as tactile pictures.

Lee said the idea is that, regardless of learning abilities, children can all read the same book, hence making these “socially inclusive reads”.

Hang Nadim And Garfish, which Tan Ai Khim illustrated, is about a quick-thinking Malay boy who saves Singapura, and Siti Wan Kembang And The Deer is about a kind Malay girl who becomes the queen of Kelantan.

Sima Guang And The Giant Jar is a tale about a brave Chinese boy saving his friend’s life. This book earned recognition as a 2017 IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Outstanding Book for Young People with Disabilities.

The books have been translated into Chinese and Malay in bilingual (non-tactile) editions, with the support of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism.

The final book in the series is in the works.

TRUE STORIES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The I Am Unique series is also for children but these bilingual picture books – in either English and Chinese, or English and Malay – tell stories of real persons with special needs and disabilities, from autism to Down syndrome, motor neurone disease and cerebral palsy. Two of them – on glaucoma/blindness and deafblindness – are also available in braille.

Seven books have been published so far, with the next one, on thalassaemia – an inherited blood disorder – out in late September.

Lee said that being involved in SIR has led her to make friends with many people who are blind or with disabilities. One of them is Tan Siew Ling .

Lee wrote a book about her – My Name Is Siew Ling. I am Deafblind. – which was launched in June 2026. It tells how she lost her sight as a child, then her hearing as an adult, but lives a full life despite her challenges.

Lee (right) and Tan Siew Ling (left), the protagonist of My Name is Siew Ling. I am Deafblind., at an event at Punggol Library in July 2026; in Mandarin, “lobster” has the same sound as “deafblind”. (Photo: Lee Seow Ser)

“One of the events that touched me deeply was when Siew Ling and I went to East Coast Park. It was very profound to have sat there on the beach and experienced the sunrise together, despite her not being able to see the light hues nor hear the waves.

“I am heartened to be able to capture this simple yet profound scene in her book, as I thought it important for me to try and convey that experience to readers and encourage readers to have more empathy,” she added.

FROM LEGAL ADVOCATE TO COMMUNITY ADVOCATE

Lee took a further step into social entrepreneurship in 2024, studying for a six-month specialist diploma in social entrepreneurship at the Dr Richard KM Eu - SIM Social Entrepreneurship Centre.

She wanted to learn about social entrepreneurship and grow SIR using that model. She also felt it would develop her as a community advocate – the course helped her understand the social sector space and exposed her to new networks for collaboration.

“Frankly, it was not easy to go back to school at 51, stepping out of my comfort zone, and finding myself exhausted doing back-to-back assignments, like my teenage sons were doing at school,” she confessed.

After 15 years as a lawyer, a health scare gave Lee the impetus to leave legal practice to have more ownership of her time. (Photo: Lee Seow Ser)

In the past 10 years, Lee said she has “pivoted from being a legal advocate to a community advocate”. And she is proud of what SIR has achieved.

“We have amassed a critical volume of inclusive creative local works, produced by a Singaporean team,” she said. “We have grown beyond mere production of book titles to offer well-curated, interactive and meaningful programmes that are human-centric, purposeful, interesting and educational.”

Lee oversees these initiatives, which bring people together for meaningful conversations and foster better understanding of people with special needs and disabilities.

For example, at an event at Punggol Library in July, attendees learnt from Lee and Tan Siew Ling how the deafblind community communicates. In August, a rock-climbing-cum-book-sharing session at an indoor climbing gym featured a climb by the latter, as well as a question-and-answer and meet-and-greet session.

“This is how I hope to do my bit, to build a more caring and inclusive Singapore,” said Lee.

SIR’s books are published by Helang Books, a small local independent publishing house founded by Hidayah Amin (right). (Photo: Lee Seow Ser)

All this work has not gone unnoticed. In May 2025, SIR was inducted into the Kindred Spirit Circle as a Groundup Movement member by the Singapore Kindness Movement, which celebrates people or organisations that promote a kinder, more gracious society.

What keeps her going is knowing she has helped spread awareness of the special needs community. She recalled Tan Siew Ling telling her how a friend texted her after the book launch, thanking her for signing a copy for her three children, and introducing them to deafblindness.

“The friend remarked, ‘When my daughter read the part about the sunshine on your cheek and salt in the air, she said Siew Ling has a more developed sense of touch and smell than us’,” said Lee.

“Positive feedback like this moves me deeply; it encourages me to continue to create and do my best to advocate,” she added. “More importantly, it affirms that storybooks are a valuable resource to educate the young and the general public.”

CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg .

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李秀瑟与两位女性共同创作书籍，这些书籍采用盲文、触觉图片和适合阅读障碍人士阅读的文字等特色。她们发起的“To SIR（Socially Inclusive Reads）With Love”项目，旨在通过书籍和活动，增进人们对残障人士和有特殊需求人士的理解。

前律师李秀瑟与人共同创立了“To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love”——这项自下而上的倡议旨在出版包容性儿童书籍，其中包括带有盲文、触觉图片和适合阅读障碍人士阅读的文字的书籍。（图片：李秀瑟）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

李秀瑟在2014年休假期间，因病需要接受手术和治疗。她说，这是她人生中的一个“重大转折点”，促使她“孤注一掷”，辞去了工作。

李说：“我一直渴望实现其他人生目标。”

李女士在从事法律工作期间一直把写作作为业余爱好。她曾在国家公园局做志愿者，拍摄照片并撰写有关新加坡公园的文章。每当有文学节举办时，她都会请假参加——“给自己做个‘精神水疗’，激发我的创作灵感”。

在休假期间，她与朋友 Hidayah Amin 共进午餐，Hidayah Amin 是当地独立出版社 Helang Books 的创始人。

李问她：为什么新加坡的书店不卖给视障人士看的书？

李女士与视障人士并无任何私人交集。然而，她认为，在一个由视觉主导的世界里，“视觉是一种关键的感官功能，能够体验这个世界的色彩是一种特权”。

她补充说：“作为一个喜欢写作的人，我认为我有责任也有愿望，将我写的内容以一种方便那些想阅读但眼睛无法阅读的人阅读的形式呈现出来。”

李秀瑟（中）于2015年与希达雅·阿明（左）和陈爱琴（右）共同创立了“To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love”项目。（照片：李秀瑟）

在研究了盲文书籍之后，这两位女士决定将希达亚的获奖儿童读物《芒果树》转录成盲文。这本书讲述了一个女孩与书名中的芒果树之间的故事，触及了家庭关系和对自然的欣赏。

这位 53 岁的男子说：“我们自掏腰包，聘请新加坡视障人士协会 (SAVH) 将文本转录成盲文，并制作了盲文书籍。”

“我们还采取了创新性的做法，在封面上添加了芒果树及其果实的触觉图像，以便盲童可以亲自触摸图像。”

项目成功启动后，兼职艺术与设计讲师陈爱琴（Tan Ai Khim）通过社交媒体联系了他们。2015年，李、希达雅和陈共同创立了一个名为“To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) With Love”（简称SIR）的草根倡议。

“我们是三位在家工作的女性，既要照顾各自的家庭，又要从事有意义的工作，”李告诉 CNA Women。

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包容性强且易于理解的儿童书籍

SIR 出版了两套关注包容性和无障碍性的丛书：《小小孩子，大大创意》和《我独一无二》。这两套丛书由 Lee、Hidayah 和其他作家共同创作。

这些书籍会捐赠给受益机构或公共图书馆，或用作SIR项目中的教育资源。它们也会在部分书店、文学节和礼品市集上出售。

《小小年纪，大大梦想》以充满正能量的亚洲故事和民间传说为蓝本，重新演绎经典故事。故事的主人公是来自不同种族背景的儿童，以此反映新加坡多元种族、多元民族和多元文化的社会。

本系列所有书籍均采用适合阅读障碍者的文字，并配有盲文和触觉图片。

李表示，这样做的目的是让所有孩子，无论学习能力如何，都能阅读同一本书，从而使这些书籍具有“社会包容性”。

《Hang Nadim And Garfish》（由 Tan Ai Khim 绘制插图）讲述的是一个机智的马来男孩拯救新加坡的故事；《Siti Wan Kembang And The Deer》讲述的是一个善良的马来女孩成为吉兰丹女王的故事。

《司马光与大罐子》讲述了一个勇敢的中国男孩救朋友性命的故事。这本书荣获2017年国际儿童读物联盟（IBBY）颁发的“残障儿童优秀读物”奖。

在李光耀双语基金会的支持下，这些书籍已被翻译成中文和马来文，并出版了双语（非触觉）版本。

该系列的最后一本书正在创作中。

残疾人士的真实故事

“我独一无二”系列也是面向儿童的，这些双语图画书——有英文和中文两种版本，也有英文和马来文两种版本——讲述了患有特殊需求和残疾的真实人物的故事，包括自闭症、唐氏综合征、运动神经元疾病和脑瘫等。其中两本——分别讲述青光眼/失明和聋盲——还提供盲文版本。

目前已出版七本书，下一本是关于地中海贫血症（一种遗传性血液疾病）的，将于九月下旬出版。

李女士表示，参与SIR的活动让她结识了许多盲人或残疾人士，其中一位就是陈秀玲。

李女士写了一本关于她的书——《我的名字叫秀玲，我是个聋盲人》，该书于2026年6月出版。书中讲述了她童年时期失明，成年后又失去听力，但尽管面临诸多挑战，她依然过着充实的生活。

李秀瑟（右）和《我的名字叫秀玲，我是聋盲人》的主人公陈秀玲（左）于2026年7月在榜鹅图书馆出席活动；在普通话中，“龙虾”与“聋盲人”发音相同。（摄影：李秀瑟）

“最让我感动的一件事是，我和秀玲一起去了东海岸公园。虽然她既看不到光线，也听不到海浪声，但我们一起坐在沙滩上欣赏日出，这感觉非常深刻。”

“我很高兴能够捕捉到她书中这个简单而深刻的场景，因为我认为尝试将这种体验传达给读者，并鼓励读者更有同理心，对我来说很重要，”她补充道。

从法律倡导者到社区倡导者

2024 年，李进一步投身社会创业领域，在 Richard KM Eu 博士 - SIM 社会创业中心攻读为期六个月的社会创业专业文凭。

她想学习社会创业，并运用这种模式发展SIR。她也认为这门课程能帮助她成为一名社区倡导者——它帮助她了解社会领域，并让她接触到新的合作网络。

“坦白说，51岁重返校园并不容易，要走出舒适区，还要像我的十几岁的儿子们在学校那样，连续不断地完成作业，这让我筋疲力尽，”她坦言道。

在做了15年律师后，一次健康危机促使李秀瑟离开法律行业，以便更好地掌控自己的时间。（照片：李秀瑟）

李女士表示，过去十年间，她“从一名法律倡导者转变为一名社区倡导者”。她为SIR所取得的成就感到自豪。

她表示：“我们已经积累了大量由新加坡团队创作的、具有包容性的本土创意作品。我们不再仅仅局限于出版书籍，而是提供精心策划、互动性强、意义深刻的项目，这些项目以人为本、目标明确、趣味盎然且富有教育意义。”

李负责监督这些举措，这些举措旨在让人们聚在一起进行有意义的对话，并增进对有特殊需求和残疾人士的了解。

例如，在7月份榜鹅图书馆举办的一场活动中，参与者们从李和陈秀玲那里了解了聋盲人士是如何交流的。8月份，在一家室内攀岩馆举办的攀岩与读书分享会上，陈秀玲进行了攀岩表演，并安排了问答和见面交流环节。

李显龙说：“我希望通过这种方式尽自己的一份力，建设一个更加关爱和包容的新加坡。”

SIR的书籍由Helang Books出版，这是一家由Hidayah Amin（右）创立的小型本地独立出版社。（摄影：Lee Seow Ser）

所有这些努力都没有被忽视。2025年5月，新加坡仁爱运动将SIR纳入“志同道合之友圈”，成为“基层运动”的成员。该运动旨在表彰那些致力于促进社会更加友善和和谐的个人或组织。

支撑她继续前行的动力是，她知道自己帮助提高了人们对特殊需求群体的认识。她回忆起谭秀玲告诉她，新书发布会后，一位朋友给她发短信，感谢她为自己的三个孩子签名，并让他们了解了聋盲症。

李说：“朋友评论道：‘当我的女儿读到关于阳光洒在脸颊上和空气中咸咸的气味的那部分时，她说萧玲的触觉和嗅觉比我们更发达。’”

“这样的积极反馈让我深受感动；它鼓励我继续创作，并尽我所能地去倡导，”她补充道。“更重要的是，它肯定了故事书是教育青少年和公众的宝贵资源。”

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