Members of parliament tonight concluded a debate on a proposal put forward by the government to allow persons with disability to form part of boards and authorities. The house unanimously approved the bill.
Parliamentary secretary Justyne Caruana said that persons with a disability should be involved in the lifelong learning commission, allowing the education system to be more flexible and more considerate of people with different abilities.
Having the opportunity to lead an independent life is vital for people with a disability; however to do so, they must also be given the chance to have a stable job. Today, persons with a disability will still benefit from their special pension scheme, even if they are employed. Furthermore, employers need to employ a 2% quota of employees with special needs. Companies which fail to meet the legally mandated quota will have to pay €2,300 for every person with disability they should have employed. The money will go towards the National Fund for Integration of People with a Disability.
The Public Broadcasting Services also has the responsibility to ensure that certain issues are being discussed, and to ensure that programmes are accessible by those with a hearing impairment.
On another note, women suffering from a disability are four times more likely to suffer from domestic violence, and therefore persons with a disability should have a representative on the board working against such violence.
Turning to transport, Dr Caruana said that the secretariat receives many complaints regarding accessibility shortcomings, and these need to be properly addressed.
Minister for Family and Social Solideraty Michael Farrugia noted that Gozo will be benefiting directly from a particular and special allocation to employ 80 people with disability. He noted that before the 1970s, persons with a disability were kept indoors. Along the years, a number of positive measures and legislations were drafted, however, some of these were never truly implemented.
The minister noted that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) come across several applications which were stopped by the KNPD (Kunsill Nazzjonali Ghal Persuni B’Disabilita). The authority is now working to reduce such grey areas.
Dr Farrugia expressed his disappointment at the fact that successes achieved by athletes with a disability are rarely mentioned in the media.
Opposition supports proposal
The opposition is supporting the proposal put forward by the secretariat. However, PN spokesperson Robert Cutajar noted that in 2013, the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) only managed to find employment for 23 persons with a disability, out of 4,805 attempts. Currently, around 11,000 persons with disability are registering for work.
Mr Cutajar proposed that the amendment should be extended to ensure that parents of persons with a disability also form part of government boards. These, will be able to provide significant input.
The PN spokesperson noted that a number of persons with disability already form part of government boards and commissions; however, this is far from enough. Last year, the Nationalist Party launched Forum for Equal Opportunities, allowing persons with disability are able to put forward suggestions to the party.
Shadow Minister for Social Policy Paula Mifsud Bonnici, reminded that the European Union makes it clear that persons with disability have the same rights as others – the right to fully participate in and contribute to society. She said that the quota of board members with a disability should not be limited to only one, adding that the mentality of ensuring quotas simply because it is imposed is not right.
PN MP Stephen Spiteri said that one should talk about these’s persons abilities, rather than their disabilities. “We should allow everyone to truly develop their potential,” he said. Persons with a disability, he said, should be involved in each phase of policy drafting.