Very often, people take every day tasks and activities for granted. For instance, most people take it for granted that they can read and write, have access to education and obtain academic qualifications, find a job, participate in sports, have access to buildings, shops, recreational places, transport facilities and participate fully and equally in all aspects of life.

But for around 80 million persons in Europe who have a disability, such tasks can be extremely challenging because of the existing barriers, both physical (such as the inaccessibility of buildings) and in terms of people’s attitudes towards them.

Persons with disabilities are entitled to the full respect of their human dignity, right to equal treatment, independent living and full participation in society. Enabling persons with disabilities to enjoy these rights is the main purpose of the European Union’s new 10-year strategy entitled ‘European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe’, an ambitious document adopted by the European Commission last November. This strategy clearly reflects the commitment of the EU in the disability field, especially since the EU’s ratification of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a legally binding Human Rights treaty. This Convention sets out minimum standards for protecting and safeguarding a full range of civil, political, social, and economic rights for persons with disabilities.

The new strategy identifies eight areas of action: Accessibility, participation, equality, employment, education and training, social protection, health, and the EU’s external action. It outlines how the EU and national governments can tackle existing obstacles and empower persons with disabilities to enjoy their full rights in society and benefit fully from participating in society and in the European economy, notably through the EU’s Single Market and the possibilities it offers to move freely from one Member State to another to study, work and live. This participation will not only enhance their quality of life but also contribute towards achieving the goals of the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy which aims at creating smart, sustainable and inclusive social and economic growth.

The EU’s disability strategy was discussed during the last meeting of the Core Group of the Malta-EU Steering and Action Committee (MEUSAC) as well as during an open consultation session organised on 9 February by MEUSAC, the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family and the National Commission for Persons with Disability. Participants acknowledged the considerable efforts of the Maltese authorities to counter the barriers facing people with a disability, but claimed that there is clearly room for improvement, in particular by providing suitable access for those with disabilities. They argued that it is the government’s responsibility to take appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure that persons with disabilities can access, on an equal basis with others, buildings and premises, transportation, information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and other facilities and services open or provided to the public.

Those present also argued that better legislation to promote and protect the rights of workers with disabilities should be put into force since people with a disability are finding it difficult to find employment and thus feel excluded from the labour market because of their disabilities. One way of addressing this problem is that of providing incentives for employers to be able to make reasonable adjustments to their working environment in order to be able to engage and accommodate these persons. Another problem which was mentioned is the lack of parking spaces for persons with a disability partly due to improper parking on places reserved for these persons. A common thread among the comments made by those present was the need of training and facilities to help persons with a disability to gain and use their abilities to enjoy their full potential for social independence. It is also imperative to increase awareness and organise training programmes on how to deal with such situations for civil servants, policy-makers, the media, and those having frequent contact with these people such as medical professions, academics, employers and colleagues.

Addressing the issue of accessibility Ms Anne-Marie Callus, Executive Director of the National Commission for Persons with Disability, stressed the need for lifetime homes. As the name indicates, lifetime homes, advocates designing all housing in a way that is suitable for people throughout their lives. It requires all housing to be accessible and easily adapted to help people cope with disabilities. Lifetime homes can make an enormous contribution in helping persons with disabilities sustain their independence. She also made it clear that the problems raised by the participants will be addressed once Malta ratifies the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Francine Caruana is an Executive – Consultation, MEUSAC