Juan Ameen
Accessibility is biggest problem for people with disability
The Fleur-de-Lys parish church is one of the few that is accessible. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
Access to government buildings remains the biggest problem people with a disability face and in fact was at the centre of 55 per cent of complaints filed last year with the National Commission For Persons With A Disability.
Complaints over lack of accessibility in government departments filed with the commission in 2009 increased by 20 per cent over the previous year, according to the commission's annual report on the implementation of the Equal Opportunities Act that was released yesterday.
There were 55 per cent of the complaints filed with regard to government buildings, while another 44 per cent were filed against buildings owned by the private sector, commission chairman Joseph Camilleri said.
Although accessibility to parish churches improved, Mr Camilleri said more work had to be done on Gozitan churches, which were still inaccessible. In fact, 13 per cent of the complaints filed last year involved the Church.
In dealing with complaints, the commission used legal procedures as a last resort, preferring to discuss the problems around a table, Mr Camilleri said.
For example, last year, the commission reached an agreement with the Education Division over the administration of medicines to schoolchildren with a disability. A complaint was filed by parents who had to take leave from work because teachers refused to give children the treatment.
Through the agreement, the children were given the medicines by a nursing organisation, MMDNA, which meant parents did not have to leave work, Mr Camilleri explained.
Between 2008 and 2009, the commission worked on 285 complaints - 113 were pending from 2008 and 172 were new. There was an increase of 75 per cent of complaints over the previous year, amounting to 74 complaints.
Mr Camilleri said the commission received an average of 97 complaints a year. The huge increase was probably because people with a disability were becoming more aware of their rights.
He called for more enforcement when new buildings were being constructed.
"Although the plans submitted by the planning authority would be approved by the commission, these were not always followed during construction and the building would then become inaccessible," he said.
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Joe Camilleri
Feb 16th 2010, 17:20
Two points of clarification. First of all, for the record, I am not 'Dr. Camilleri', but Mr. Camilleri. I have no wish to display myself in 'borrowed robes'.
Secondly and more importantly I have to point out that anyone who knows me and KNPD (as Mr. Grech does) is aware that we agree wholeheartedly that accessibility alone is not the most important obstacle that we disabled people have to confront.
The article was referring to the findings in KNPD's Annual Report on the workings of its Equal Opportunities Compliance Unit. It is unfortunate that the appearing as it did at the beginning of the article, accessibility seemed to be the principal concern of KNPD. Which it most emphatically is not.Mr. Grech should know full well that social exclusion, access to the job market and to services are registered as among the most serious problems many disabled people face.
It is precisely for these reasons that education, employment and community services take up the vast majority of KNPD's work and time. Rubbish? Mr. Grech you should know better.
Godfrey Camilleri
Feb 16th 2010, 12:26
I fully agree with Mr Philip Grech. The problems he mentions are more important than that of accessibility. Dr Joe Camilleri should know better.
P. Calleja Casha
Feb 16th 2010, 11:45
I live in Tarxien where the local parrochial authorities have decided to remove an access ramp at the Resurrection Church because aesthetically it is not so pleasing! This took place over a year ago. Nothing was done to replace it. But in the mean time the church was given a ‘facelift’ with new tiles installed on the parvis. So, whoever needs to go into the church and is using a wheelchair, pram or pushchair needs to first go into the church grounds (cemetery) through a particular gate, then go round the whole church yard so they may access it from one door only where the step is low enough so as not to be of much hinderance. Also parts of the cemetery have remained inaccessible making it impossible for a wheelchair user to visit the grave of beloved ones departed. Well, I say, is this the way the Church embraces diversity? I think not!
Philip Grech
Feb 16th 2010, 11:21
"Access to government buildings remains the biggest problem people with a disability face" - absolute rubbish.
Going to Govt buildings may well be the most reported complaint the Commission registered. However accessing Maltese society, jobs, and services are by far the biggest problems persons with disability face day in day out. What about poverty and social exclusion? The disabled pension is guaranteed to be below the poverty line and ensures dependence on hand-outs and charity.
If these issues are not registered as 'problems' with the Commission, then I think we have yet another bigger problem...