People can encounter surprising challenging experiences during their lives. Visual impairment is a challenge, especially if the affected people are inadequately trained and supported to manage this experience.
One of the general challenges existing in Malta is perhaps lack of adequate education focusing on the issue of disability. There is almost practically nothing that hammers home the idea that one should focus on the person, not the impairment. The ages-old attitudinal barriers, such as stereotyping, and lack of acceptance are still prevalent. Even the jargon used, like "handicapped", "l-immankati", "l-għomja", denote lack of education among the public in Malta concerning this issue.
Attitudinal barriers imply other disabling obstacles, such as physical accessibility, lack of job opportunities, which, in turn, would lead to the exclusion of this minority groups from the mainstream society. As a result, their quality of life would be adversely affected.
What is required to tackle this issue affirmatively are campaigns, such as short ads on the media that promote the idea that one should focus on the person not on the impairment. Laws safeguarding and promoting the inclusion of this minority in mainstream society must be enacted and adequately enforced.
Another problem is that most buildings, let alone the pavements, are not "visually-impaired friendly". Signs in Braille or in any other format that assist visually-impaired people are almost non-existent. Buildings, for the most part, seem still designed with non-disabled people in mind. Though strides ahead have been made in rectifying the issue, most buildings are still "non-visually-impaired"-friendly.
The pavements, like the roads, are still somewhat regarded as a joke, even for non-disabled people. There are pavements that even non-disabled people consider "unsuitable" for them, let alone for people with visual impairment. The regulations and other guidelines are there but they are not properly implemented.
Mobility and independence living is another issue for this minority group. Malta is still lagging behind other countries in providing training and support to mobility and independence living. However, it seems that in the near future there will be a sort of mobility and orientation courses for the visually-impaired people. I believe the course should have the following criteria in order to be successful:
Training should be individually-based, which should take into account the person's educational background, other disabilities and so forth.
Provide a wide range of mobility, ranging from use of walking sticks and guide dogs to operating various household equipments.
Training visually-impaired people how to live confidently. They should be imbued with the spirit that living with visual impairment is not an insurmountable barrier. Focus should be made particularly on young visually-impaired people. Non-formal education should play an important role here, through which such young people are provided with the skills needed to be better included in the mainstream workforce and in society.
I also believe that youth and community workers could play a crucial role through training courses and projects stimulating inclusion of visually-impaired people in mainstream society, especially the young.
Transport is another key issue. Public transport should be organised to be more "visually-impaired"-friendly. A number of changes is required, ranging from training of bus drivers on how to interact with visually-impaired people, to vending machines that visually-impaired people can use with ease, and bus stop signs that are in a format that can be read by such people. Transport should also be more efficient and more user-friendly so as to better meet the demand for it.
I believe that the best way to address the needs of visually-impaired persons is to set up a specialised centre that offers a wide range of services and facilities to them. It is high time to think of long-term and more lasting solutions. The scope of this centre should be to promote inclusion of this minority among mainstream society by supporting this minority in reaching their full potential, which will improve their quality of life.
The centre would offer facilities and services either on its own or in collaboration with other entities. It should include - but not limited to - various job training and professional courses and a proper library that has books in formats accessible to this minority. This proposed centre should also lobby for improved rights to the benefit of this minority.