In a forum letter, Disabled People's Association Advocacy Executive Alvan Yap lauded SMU's initiative to support students with disabilities. He noted that the association had received anecdotal accounts from disabled students at some institutions of their struggles with accessibility, communication and social support. Alvan added that their difficulties are not caused by their disabilities per se but in getting access to appropriate help, and are aggravated by the fragmented, ad hoc nature of existing support systems. This is in contrast to those who studied overseas and had given feedback on how they had benefited from the comprehensive range of free services provided by the institutions' dedicated disability departments.