A clear policy was needed for what should happen to younger disabled persons when their carers, usually parents, passed away.

Speaking in Parliament on the Disability Bill, Labour MP Carmelo Abela paid tribute to the project started by Dun Anġ Seychell in response to the concerns of parents in this sense. From the original single house Fondazzjoni Nazaret had evolved to three houses, allowing ber-eaved people with disabilities a sort of family care in the community.

The point about the Bill was that it should go further in societal life for the disabled. In her introduction Family Minister Dolores Cristina had said that these amendments were urgently needed, but no urgency had been seen in the past four years. The process had started in 2003, but the legislation had only been enacted in 2010.

The slogan “Nothing about us without us” was meant to show the need for wider consultation with disabled persons on aspects that specifically concerned them. Mr Abela said mentality had come a long way from the times when disabled family members were kept hidden away.

The granting of an invalidity pension to the disabled helped them to be as independent as possible and participate in society while receiving the greater attention they needed. They were not failing to give their contribution to society.

The convention covered a wide range of aspects, some of which Malta already considered as basic for able-bodied people but not so basic for the disabled. The situation was much worse in developing countries.

Besides being good for people in all walks of life, participation in culture, entertainment, sports and other sectors was even better for the disabled in their quest to integrate into society. Participation in sports was a catalyst that held ramifications far beyond social and economic factors, but Malta still needed to work to instil a sporting culture even in able-bodied people.

Mr Abela said the issue of trust funds could help the plight of the disabled, because people were still not convinced. A few years ago the Spiteri Report had dwelt on inclusive education for the disabled in specialised centres. It had also proposed the setting up of a parliamentary committee to delve further into the issues involved, but the government had not agreed with the proposal.

It would be salutary to have a certain sense of competition among organisations involved in the disability sector. Perhaps the KNPD could help push harder for more such associations to mushroom.

Mr Abela said there should be an in-depth analysis at a national level on inclusive education. Was Malta getting the right results, or could better ones be achieved for the resources allocated? Did today’s assessment boards have adequate resources to follow up on improvements in individuals’ situation?

The economic aspect was important for the disabled. The government must consider their different needs when deciding on taxes.

Employment, too, gave disabled persons the self-esteem that helped them to give their contribution to society. But how widespread was observation of the legislation that two per cent of all employment should be offered to disabled persons?

How regularly was the Employment & Training Corporation enhancing its training for, and offering employment to, disabled people? Was enough improvement being seen at adult training centres to keep up with their needs?

Malta should think about the gender issue with regard to disabled women having greater disadvantages than disabled men. A World Bank report said that every minute 30 women, amounting to several millions, were being disabled at work. Did Malta have the same reality as the rest of the world, Mr Abela asked.