Persons with disabilities face a number of everyday challenges Malta, challenges which the government and authorities can do more to help overcome.

Ensuring that all citizens live dignified lives must always be a priority, and an interview with Agenzija Sapport’s CEO Oliver Scicluna in The Malta Independent on Sunday shows that there is more that could be done.

He said that he would rate the quality of life of a person with a disability in Malta as being only five out of 10. This number is far too low.

“We have done a lot as a country, and in some areas we have excelled over other countries, but there are certain areas where we still need to excel in," Scicluna said.

Here are just a few of the issues.

Despite the law that was passed a few years ago to ensure the job market was more inclusive, Scicluna said that there are a large number of persons with mostly intellectual disabilities who find it hard to enter the working world.

The law in question had introduced a requirement for companies employing more than 20 persons to have 2% of its workforce consisting of persons with disabilities, and with companies failing to reach this quota being subject to a €2,400 contribution.

Despite this law, he said that there are even some persons with disabilities who still find it difficult to find a job after taking courses. "The largest existing problem is that companies in Malta have a fear of the unknown," Scicluna said, together with the lack of support for them to be able to accommodate persons with disabilities in their workplace.

But this is a challenge that can be overcome with the right policies and support. Scicluna has a recommendation – workers who focus on disability job coaching and make direct contact with companies when employing a person with disability. He spoke of job carving (for instance customising duties for people with disabilities) which job coaches can do with the companies. This could help companies identify roles more easily, and thus open up more job opportunities.

Yet another problem relates to inflation. He said that certain equipment for persons with disabilities have soared in price, and despite the subsidies, many persons with disabilities still cannot afford them. In this respect, the government would do well to identify such products and offer more support than it currently does. As an example, Scicluna had mentioned electronic automatic wheelchairs. Perhaps the government could allocate more funds to help purchase such equipment.

Another issue he mentioned was the poor state of pavements in Malta. It is a problem that is there for all to see. There are many areas where pavements are either too small, or in too bad a shape for anyone with mobility issues to use. It creates a barrier for people with mobility difficulties which. In a number of areas this could be solved by widening pavements where possible, and ensuring that they are flat, well maintained and not cluttered.

Everyone should have easy access to town centres from their home, and if there are infrastructural issues due to poor planning that are causing problems, then it is up to the local councils, government and authorities to figure out solutions.

Scicluna also spoke about the concept of de-institutionalisation, which he said is very difficult to implement. He said that his agency is working to offer choices. There are persons who have the potential to live alone, with some more support - such as having personal assistance, Scicluna said, mentioning a reform to be implemented this year which would offer personal assistants to people with disabilities and increase autonomy over the choice of who will assist him/her/them. Ideas like this could help ensure more options for those who need support to live more independently.