Eight-year-old announcer takes over SMRT platforms for autism awareness

Commuters on SMRT’s rail network may have noticed a different voice on station platforms from 10 to 12 April. The voice belongs to eight-year-old Muhammad Khalif Bin Muhammad Khair Abdillah, a student from Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School who is on the autism spectrum.

In support of World Autism Awareness Month, SMRT Trains has partnered Rainbow Centre Singapore on a special “Voices campaign”, featuring platform announcements recorded by Khalif.

The announcements, which shared how commuters can help support more inclusive journeys, played about once every hour from 7am to 11pm across the Circle Line, North–South and East–West Lines, Thomson–East Coast Line and Bukit Panjang LRT. 

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The collaboration builds on an existing partnership between SMRT and Rainbow Centre to create more inclusive public transport experiences. In 2023, both organisations co-created MILES Park, a learning space where students with diverse needs can build essential mobility and transport skills in a safe, realistic setting.

At MILES Park, students practise real-world commuting tasks, such as topping up EZ-Link cards, navigating ticketing machines, boarding and alighting safely, and finding their way around public transport with confidence.

In a video released by Rainbow Centre, Khalif brings viewers along as he explores some of his favourite spots at MILES Park, before stepping up to record the announcement now heard in stations islandwide.

Rainbow Centre said Khalif’s participation in the "Voices campaign" reflects a shared commitment with SMRT to nurture more inclusive communities, both in schools and across Singapore’s transport network. By featuring Khalif’s voice, the campaign aims to encourage commuters to be more aware of and supportive towards autistic individuals and others with diverse needs in public spaces.

Since the announcement went live, SMRT has reported warm responses and thoughtful comments from members of the public. The transport operator thanked commuters “for listening, and for helping make our stations a more welcoming space for all”.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

The SMRT–Rainbow Centre collaboration comes on the heels of other community-driven efforts to celebrate disability inclusion in public spaces. In March, the Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) marked its 30th anniversary with a record-breaking public activation centred on mismatched socks, as it rallied community support and raised funds for its programmes.

Held on 28 March 2026 at the Suntec Singapore Tower 1 and 2 atrium, the event brought together more than 500 participants, including families, schools, community partners and members of the public, in a successful Singapore Book of Records attempt for the largest gathering of people wearing mismatched socks. The initiative formed the centrepiece of DSA’s World Down Syndrome Day carnival, which ran from 23 to 29 March at Suntec Singapore, and tapped the globally recognised symbol of mismatched socks, representing chromosomes, to celebrate diversity and the uniqueness of individuals with Down syndrome.

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