Independent living for the disabled

The Eden Foundation yesterday inaugurated a community and inclusion unit which will serve as a stepping stone for persons with disabilities to one day leave the shelter of their home and live independently.

The unit is operating from a house in Mithna ta' Karaffa Street, Luqa.

The house was handed to the foundation by Housing Authority chairman Marisa Micallef Leyson at a hugely subsidised rate. It was inaugurated by Social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

Programme co-ordinator Jesmond Debono said that the programme involves 14 persons over 18 years.

"Over the past year we have seen this group come out of their shell and start believing in themselves," Mr Debono said.

These 14 people are Eden's clients whose options for work in the community are limited, but who can still be trained to have a good quality of life by participating in community life.

They have been split into two groups of seven with each group attending the Luqa unit on alternate days.

Every individual will be assigned to different tasks accordingly. So if they are preparing dinner, one may be better at chopping the food while the other may excel at cooking.

Mr Debono said that though they would not be sleeping over at the unit, both groups were expected to become involved in Luqa's community life and take part in village festivities.

Eden's founder Josie Muscat said that when the foundation opened its doors 10 years ago to the day, such educational services and training were unheard of.

Dr Muscat said that Eden's vision and philosophy was solidly based on education and it was not a place for recreation, rest or respite.

"We had our successes and our failures. The secret of Eden's success was to have the courage to change when and where it failed to achieve its set goals," he said.

Eden worked to educate and train its clients by continuing to give them the tools necessary to stand proud and tall on both feet.

We strongly believe that now we have started the last lap of our journey which will lead our students to independent living, this house and others which will follow, will serve our students to become an integral part of society," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Gonzi said it was a great satisfaction to witness such major changes in the field of persons with disabilities.

"We have moved away from the sheltered mentality to an approach which respects and recognises the rights of each and every individual to participate in society. Eden has been the driving force in such initiatives," he said.

Dr Gonzi also praised the Housing Authority which, he said, had adopted a wider role to help such organisations.