Ask anyone to think of an example of lack of accessibility that persons with disabilities have to deal with. Nine out of 10 will picture a wheelchair user facing a flight of steps with a bewildered look on his/her face. Even the media almost always uses this situation whenever they want to highlight any shortcomings with regard to persons with disabilities as if it were the only important concern being faced by those with an impairment. Accessibility has much wider implications.
... there ought to be five disabled MPs sitting in Parliament and about 38 acting as local councillors...- Laurence Borg
There are both physical and social accessibility concerns that need to be addressed and which have been given little priority, especially by the public sector.
Physical accessibility affects mainly people with mobility or visual impairment. Much has been said and written about this, including environmental, transportation, communication and architectural issues. Some improvement has been registered since the Access for all Design Guidelines were first published by the National Commission Persons with Disability (KNPD).
These guidelines aim to assist and regulate the design of internal and external features of all sorts of public buildings, roads, pavements and places of leisure and social interaction to minimise disabling barriers. However, in many cases, these guidelines are flagrantly ignored by both public and private contractors such as in the construction of pavements, kerbs and transport and beach facilities.
The limitations of many mobility impaired persons can today be overcome by the use of modern assistive technologies such as remote-controlled hoists and lifts, sensor technologies and care robots.
Assistive technology can also open the road for people with disabilities to access learning, communication and socialisation. Access to information and communication difficulties can be controlled by means of touch screens, video conferencing, GPS, smart phones and web accessibility devices. Unfortunately, most of these items are very expensive and not within reach of many unless some aid is forthcoming from the state. The elimination of physical barriers will naturally lead to the second aspect of accessibility, that of social inclusion. This includes integration in social and community life, self-determination and participation in policy making.
Social barriers can have a devastating effect on whoever has some kind of disability but is of special concern to intellectually disabled persons who, presently, more than others lack opportunities to partake in and benefit from continued education, employment, sport activities and other social and economic issues.
Of particular importance is the lack of accessible employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in the open labour market. This is an issue that needs to be addressed by resorting to legal enforcement, if necessary. The compulsory employment of two disabled persons per 100 employees is, after all, part of our labour laws but, for some reason, it is not being enforced.
Lack of accessibility to further and life-long education is having a very negative effect on persons with disabilities. The number of people with disabilities attending post-secondary and tertiary education is indeed very low and very little has been done to address this issue.
Compulsory entry requirements, which are not within reach of persons with disabilities due to their physical and/or intellectual limitations, may be the reason for this. However, it is to be understood that nothing should be allowed to impede them from their right to further education. On the contrary, concessions and incentives should be given due consideration by the education authorities.
Due to lack of academic qualifications, persons with disabilities are being under-represented in all walks of life. Lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem and risk of poverty make it difficult for persons with a disability to partake in policymaking. This is very conspicuous in the political sector.
About eight per cent of the population of Malta have a long-term disability. To be representative of this number, there ought to be five disabled MPs sitting in Parliament and about 38 acting as local councillors, which is far from being the case.
Disabled MPs would bring valuable expertise and experience to help in shaping policies. The lack of their presence in decision-making bodies reinforces the invisibility of people with disabilities and gives them a sense of passive recipients of services and social protection rather than subjects who have rights, are capable of making decisions and being active and productive members of society.
The Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability would like to suggest that political parties should include in their electoral programmes a commitment to introduce extra support, incentives and opportunities for disabled persons to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials. Such a proposal will surely meet the support of thousands of persons involved in the disability sector.
For Malta to fully ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, as has been the case in almost all member countries of the EU, and make it a reality, we have to make sure that persons with disabilities are provided with an accessible and barrier-free environment that makes it possible for them to benefit from the country’s resources on an equal basis with others.
We hope that, in the near future, the thorough implementation of the convention will not only enforce the obligation to uphold their rights but also bring about a change of attitude towards persons with disabilities.
The federation welcomes any effort that is being made towards the ratification of the UN convention. It is ready to give its full support towards the success of its implementation and is open to any eventual consultation exercise that may be required during the process.
The author is PRO of the Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability.