Some disabled people still rem-ember those days when their parents hid them away so the rest of the world would not see they were “handicapped”.
Charity-based service has evolved to one that is rights-based
That mentality was once a norm in Maltese society but things started to change slowly and took a huge leap forward when Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi set up Id-Dar Tal-Providenza in 1967, taking in children with a range of disabilities.
“He used to call us his angels and we used to call him Daddy,” one man with an intellectual disability recalled, as he shared his memories in a DVD outlining the way disability services have evolved in Malta.
The DVD was launched yesterday to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and as part of the events held to mark the 25th anniversary from the founding of the National Commission Persons with Disability (KNPD).
Commission chairman Joseph Camilleri explained that the DVD was divided into two parts – the first traced the beginning of disability services and the second focused on the present and future of the sector.
Over the years, disability services evolved from a charity-based type of service to one that was rights-based, he said.
The documentary-style DVD, aired yesterday for the first time, showed that the first official structure to support disabled people was opened after World War II with the setting up of Catholic Action.
One of the milestones in the sector was the opening of Id-Dar Tal-Providenza, which allowed disabled people to be treated with dignity and not hidden away in homes or hospitals.
In 1974 the disability pension was introduced and in 1987 the KNPD was set up. Another important date was 2000 when the Equal Opportunities Act came into force, offering legal protection to disabled people.
In 2007 Malta signed the UN Convention on the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, which was ratified last October.
The DVD, to be aired on local television stations, also gives the experiences of several disabled people who have integrated in society and are contributing through their work and creativity.