Job opportunities, accessibility and the desire to be independent were common themes when The Sunday Times of Malta interviewed people with disabilities. Twelve shared their stories with Claudia Calleja and Sarah Carabott, and showed readers their abilities beyond their disability. We once again pay tribute to these inspirational people.
December 2012
Dorianne Callus and her husband Keith were born profoundly deaf. Once they got married, becoming parents was a natural step. Aware of their spoken language limitations, they started sending Jamie, now three, to playschool early so he would be exposed to speech, given that he can hear.
“We can do anything except hear,” Ms Callus said. The couple spoke about the importance of recognising Maltese sign language as an official language to encourage its use, ensuring deaf children are diagnosed early and tested before leaving hospital and addressing the shortage of sign language interpreters.
January 2013
Joseph Stafrace lost his sight when he was seven following a retina detachment in both eyes. But he was determined to ensure this would not stand in the way of his dreams – one of them being diving.
“I did it to deliver a message that, in life, there is nothing you can’t do,” he said.
Mr Stafrace, who is supported by his guide dog Macy, served as president of the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation and president of the Me2 Cooperative, which gives work experience to people with disabilities.
He later became a support worker with Aġenzija Support. He encouraged more blind people to apply for a guide dog and called for society to stop being an obstacle to the blind.
February
Aaron Fenech has Down’s Syndrome…and he also has a creative flair. He came up with his own form of art made of a series of tiny colourful lines drawn with a ruler.
His parents, Rita and Pio, spoke about the long waiting lists they had to face to send their son to an adult training centre after he turned 18.
As parents, their dream is to see Aaron settled and more independent. Down’s Syndrome is the most common known cause of intellectual disability.
Every year, between seven and eight children with Down’s Syndrome are born in Malta. People who have the condition often find problems finding jobs.
March
Rita and Kevin Vella, a married couple who both have muscular dystrophy, were awarded the National Order of Merit for promoting the rights of people with a disability a year ago.
Ms Vella recounted how, as a young girl, she thought she would never be able to get married because of her condition – a degenerative muscle disease. When the couple started dating they initially kept it secret as they felt society would not understand they wanted more from their relationship. With the right support, the couple are now married.
They are actively involved in promoting the rights of people with disabilities and Ms Vella is a member of the international Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.
April
Gozitan financial lawyer Kevin Cutajar lost his sight when he was 13 – but this is just a small detail about the young politician.
With the support of his family and friends he studied law and attended university in Malta, which meant he lived in Malta during his studies, like most Gozitan students.
He now works in a law firm in Malta, contested the March general elections, and is an MEP candidate under the PN ticket for the May elections.
“I decided to take a particular attitude towards life – not to put limits, and take things with a sense of adventure and see what I manage to accomplish according to my capabilities,” he said. For him, the political world was a platform to help others who might not have had the support he did.
May
Noel Aquilina has spina bifida, and when he was born, the doctor told his parents to treasure his twin sister but forget about him.
His mission in life has been proving that doctor wrong, and he built himself a life filled with adventure. He took part in several marathons, including hand-cycling, paragliding and canoeing challenges.
Apart from his passion for sports, he plays the piano for leisure as he feels he can express himself through music.
He has been involved in disability NGO Breaking Limits and gives motivational speeches in schools.
“Life is an adventure and you have to create opportunities for yourself in everything,” he said.
June
Lisa Borg does not like it when people use upsetting words directed at her just because she has an intellectual disability.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like that word – ‘handicapped’. It’s better if you say disability,” she said. She is one of the lucky few people with intellectual disabilities to find a job and has been working at a St Julian’s hotel’s laundry for over 16 years.
Lisa forms part of disability committees within the National Commission Persons with Disability and within NGO Flimkien Naslu.
She likes sports and took part in the Paralympics when she was a teenager. She also has a passion for crafts – she makes cards and also knows how to do glass painting and silk painting.
July
In 2003, Vickie Gauci, then 37, was getting out of a car when a coach drove around the bend. The side door of its baggage compartment sprung open and sliced her spine in half. The split-second accident put her into a wheelchair for life – but this did not restrict her movement.
From Sicily to Switzerland, Spain to Slovakia, Vickie has been all over Europe, travelling three times a year on holiday and job assignments. Despite the hurdles she faces – such as lack of wheelchair accessibility in hotels and inaccessible shops – she is determined to keep travelling.
She coordinates the Disability Studies Unit at the University of Malta, and is reading a PhD on how assistive technology helps disabled people at work.
August
Linda Williams lives with her 96-year-old father Eddie and she loves to see him happy. But despite the fact that he loves going out, this is often an issue due to the lack of disabled parking spots.
“My dad loves to go to karaoke. But we can never find a place where to park. It is a huge issue. Something must be done,” she said.
All too often, parking spaces are either already taken up by blue sticker holders or, worse, by cars that do not display the badge, Ms Williams said.
She had spent three years in a wheelchair when she was in her 30s following a horse riding accident. The experience shaped her life as it deepened her understanding of disability and turned her into a crusader for the cause.
September
Alastair Farrugia is a young software developer who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago.
Accepting the condition was not easy. He tries to do many of the things he did before he developed the symptoms, including walking every day to keep fit.
Dr Farrugia, who obtained a PhD in mathematics in 2003, has been working at Crimsonwing for some seven years. The company supported him and made some alterations by installing ramps, grip bars and a chair to take him to the ground floor in case of emergency.
When it comes to going outdoors, Dr Farrugia has bigger hurdles to overcome, such as inaccessible pavements and lack of parking spaces for disabled people close to his destination.
October
Mary Rose Attard started losing her eyesight when she was in her early teens after being diagnosed with glaucoma, resulting from damage to the optic nerve.
She worked hard to learn guitar, and this became a symbol that she could do anything she wanted.
Today she leads the choir of the Good Shepherd church, in Victoria, Gozo, and is married with a daughter in her 20s.
In 2008, she was appointed to head the Gozo Disability Services’ coordinator’s office set up by the Gozo Ministry.
Ms Attard believes that one of the main problems faced by disabled people in Gozo is lack of employment opportunities and of opportunities after leaving school at the age of 16.
November
A month ago, Isabel Bonello turned 24 and celebrated her first day of work at the National Commission Persons with Disability.
She has an intellectual disability and is very aware that she is very lucky to have found a job she likes.
Ms Bonello went to a mainstream government school and was happy but, between Year 4 and Form 5, she was bullied.
“They laughed at me, they tried to make fun of me. They picked on me,” she says. “I always stayed alone.”
But with the support of the KNPD, when she turned 20, she started attending Mcast and is now in her second year of a basic computers course. She is also a committee member of the NGO Flimkien Naslu.