Lack of accessibility remains the greatest source of the 1,074 complaints lodged by disabled people claiming a breach of rights since the equality law came into force 11 years ago, according to a report.
People with disabilities complained because the Ta’ Qali National Stadium, the Valletta Passport Office and the public toilets at the Valletta Waterfront were not accessible.
These were among the issues tackled and solved by the National Commission for Persons with Disability from a barrage of complaints made to various government departments, churches, health centres, hotels, shops, banks and public areas.
The terrible state of some roads and pavements also hindered wheelchair users, or those who had to use a walking stick, from getting around independently, commission chairman Joe Camilleri said. Progress was usually slow when dealing with accessibility issues since the solution often lay in constructing something and this took time, he said.
Mr Camilleri was speaking during a press conference organised to highlight the situation since the Equal Opportunities Act came info force in 2000.
The law aims to provide equal prospects for the disabled in a number of areas of social life.
Marianne Debono, who manages the commission’s legal section, explained how complaints were processed and investigated.
She stressed the need to better enforce the law as companies and individuals often ignored the deadline given to them to reply to a complaint or comply to changes recommended by the commission.
KNPD executive director Anne-Marie Callus said out of the 1,074 complaints filed since 2000, 430, or 40 per cent, concerned lack of accessibility.
This was followed by complaints about services (23 per cent), education (21 per cent), and employment (11 per cent).
While only three per cent of complaints concerned housing, she said this was mainly because disabled people often lived with their family.
The bulk of complaints, 32 per cent, were filed against the government, followed by 25 per cent against private companies, 14 per cent against parastatal organisations, 14 per cent the church and 12 per cent local councils.
Mr Camilleri said one complaint concerned disabled person, who was not allowed by Air Malta to check in online. The situation remained unresolved.
Complaints involving issues at work included the need for specialised equipment to function efficiently, need for flexible working hours and bullying of people with intellectual disabilities.