A vote for equal opportunities

The National Commission for Persons with a Disability and all the various organisations working in this sector continuously strive to ensure effective equal opportunities for persons with a disability. As was recently pointed out, the main hurdles to be tackled are both environmental and attitudinal.

There are the physical hurdles of full accessibility and there are the unseen hurdles brought about by ill-advised, even if well-meaning, attitudes and approaches. This is what persons with disabilities themselves face and this is the reality that their families - parents and siblings particularly - and those involved in one way or another in their care have to contend with on a daily basis.

More often than not, even with all the goodwill in the world, we fall into the trap of seeking to discuss and debate what needs to be done and the best way to do it in the partial or total absence of those directly involved themselves. Before talking about disabilities, we need to listen more to those who know most about it, precisely because they are the ones living its consequences every single day of their lives. Everything else should be built around this approach.

The 10 areas of action that are being proposed by the European Disability Forum have been officially presented to MEP candidates at a recent meeting organised by the commission. These 10 points require much reflection and demand much action.

These are the right to equal access for voting and participation in electoral campaigns; a European Parliament for all; the swift ratification and the implementation of the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities; a comprehensive pact setting disability objectives and targets at EU level; the right to participate in the EU decision-making process and to mainstream disability rights across all areas of EU and national policies; the right to equal access and opportunities in education; the right to equal treatment in employment; the right to social protection, social security and a decent income; the right to live independently in the community and make one's own choices in life and the right to access goods and services, public transport, public infrastructure, communication and information tools.

These 10 points are so much more than a mouthful and very significantly termed as the "top 10 demands to make disability discrimination history".

One of the principal realities that I have witnessed and learnt throughout all these years that I have been directly involved in this sector is that, at this juncture, more than ever, the main thrust of all our energies and efforts in this field should be directed at mainstreaming and not at continued categorisation.

This is what these 10 points are all about. It is not any more a matter of having "the disabled" categorised and boxed up in a section of our national mentality marked "special needs". This is an approach of the past, which, I fear, has been set aside in form but often times not very much in substance.

This is where the European dimension can help and can lead us to improve and develop.

We have the advantage of a good legal framework. We need to now fully make the quantum leap.

I strongly and sincerely appeal to whoever of the candidates, coming from whichever political spectrum, is elected to serve as an MEP for the coming five years to keep this in mind from now on and to firmly contribute towards more mainstreaming and less categorisation of this sector and to work towards the achievement of these goals.

This will be a huge step in favour of the dignity of all persons with a disability. This will be a marked drive towards maximising potential at whatever level it manifests itself and towards the development of independent living for the benefit of those directly concerned and the peace of mind of their immediate family.

This will be a clear vote also for true equal opportunities.

Dr Perici Calascione will be contesting Saturday's MEP election on behalf of the Nationalist Party.