Better services for disabled persons and higher tolerance are believed to be the reasons behind an increase in the number of people on the disability register.

The number has more than tripled in eight years, going up to 11,673 last year from 3,330 in 1994, the National Commission Persons with Disability's annual report, which was launched yesterday, shows.

According to commission chairman Joe Camilleri, limited services in the past failed to encourage people to register their disability.

Moreover, a change in perception of disability means more people are prepared to be listed on the register because they are less afraid of stigma.

However, the number of people applying for a special identity card went down by 19 per cent between 2008 and last year, mainly because it is no longer necessary to hold for access disability services. Almost 1,000 special identity cards were withdrawn last year.

Applications for a blue badge, which allows people to park their car on special parking spots, have gone down by a third between 2008 and 2009, with just over 1,000 people applying for it last year.

The commission's former executive director, Fred Bezzina, said this was probably due to more stringent procedures to approve a blue badge, which curbed the number of frivolous applications.

There was also a reduction in applications for special aid, with 245 people benefitting last year, 19 per cent less than in 2008.

Last year the commission vetted 766 development applications for accessibility, more than half of which had to be seen more than once before they were approved. This was described by Mr Camilleri as a "big waste of resources", especially since 52 applications had to be examined more than three times.

In a bid to help people with a disability choose special equipment they require, the commission will be opening a special centre later this year.

The €1.5 million Independent Living Centre, in Ħal Far, will be a one-stop-shop where equipment can be seen and tested before it is bought. The centre is expected to open later this year.

Speaking during the launch of the report, Family Minister Dolores Cristina said the government wanted to redesign the disability benefits but added these should not stop people from going out to work.

She said work in the coming years had to reflect the principles of equal opportunity, adding that respect for diversity still did not come as second nature.

Mrs Cristina said disabled persons should not be pitied because, although they tended to be more vulnerable, there were those who managed to overcome their limitations. However, education remained the key and the reform in special schools was targeted at helping disabled persons become more independent.

But Mrs Cristina said employers were still not convinced of the contribution these people could give because of fear of the unknown. "We need to work to overcome this, because this leaves us with people on the disability register," she said.

The minister said transport was one of the difficulties students attending post-secondary and tertiary education institutions encountered and a working group was looking at requests for personalised transport. However, this was a big investment and could only be given to those who really needed it.

Referring to parents' concern about who would take care of their disabled children when they were no longer able to do so, Mrs Cristina said it was imperative to focus on new centres for independent living.

Salient figures

• 304 people benefitted from an exemption on car duty and road licence.

• There were 22 appeals for reserved parking, but 68 per cent were not accepted.

• Almost 500 disabled people were given back VAT paid on equipment and computers; 10 per cent more than in 2008.

• Users of the resources centre went down by almost half, possibly because young people preferred to use the internet for research.