This year’s Disability Week, which was celebrated between 3 (World Disability Day) and 10 December (World Human Rights Day) was a special one, since we commemorated three important milestones: ·        The 25th anniversary of Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi’s death, ·        The 25th anniversary from the setting up of Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Dizabilità (KNPD) and ·        The ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability (UNCRPD) as well as its Non-Obligatory Protocol. The slogan chosen for Disability Week 2012 − “We’re all different, we’re all equal” − will inspire KNPD’s endeavours throughout 2013. One can say that all the activity in the disability sector carried out in the past, is being carried out at present and will be carried out in the future, has been inspired in some way by the principles enshrined in the UNCRPD. Given that each one of us is a unique organism, different from everyone else, yet we all share a common humanity, we all share much the same dreams, aspirations, wishes and attractions. The same commonality applies where our civil and human rights are concerned. It was also fitting that on the 25th anniversary from Mgr. Azzopardi’s demise and on the 25th anniversary of KNPD’s foundation, it received the Premju Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi from Dar tal-Providenza on 11 December. Fifty years ago, Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi strove to bring disabled people closer to the mainstream of Maltese society. This was during a time when Maltese society associated disabled people with shame, fear and held them largely in disdain. At the time, Mgr Azzopardi used to find disabled children hidden away in cellars, or in some shed, or byre, living in abject misery, sometimes with only farm animals for company. The majority of disabled people at the time were invisible, voiceless and utterly stripped of human dignity. The changes brought about by Mgr Azzopardi’s work over a period of almost four decades, resulted in a considerable positive change in the quality of life of many disabled persons. Both his founding of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, as well as his radio programme Is-Siegha tal-Morda u l-Handikappati (produced together with the Catholic Action Movement) broadcast a strong message, which gradually began to transform the previously negative attitude of the Maltese population towards disabled people. Thankfully, the results of his tireless endeavours are still with us today: a perfect testament to his deeply held conviction that while every human being is different, yet we are all equal in our inherent humanity. This same value inspired individuals and voluntary organisations, especially parents and relatives of persons with disability, who began voicing their concerns and working for greater recognition from Maltese society. By 1987, steadfast parent-pressure had resulted in the setting up of the Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Dizabilità (KNPD). Dr Lawrence Gonzi as the first chairman, and Fred Bezzina as its first Executive Director, KNPD, together the voluntary organisations of the time, continued to work the work begun by Mgr Azzopardi, but this time on a more national level and with a focus on the removal of social barriers. Very often KNPD was instrumental in bringing about radical change. For instance, the motion that disabled persons are, themselves, the ‘experts’ on matters that affect their daily lives. KNPD also put forward the idea that disabled persons should form an integral and active part in every consultation- and decision-making process that concerned them or their sector. So strong was this conviction that by 1994, KNPD appointed its first disabled person as Chair. Since its foundation, KNPD has served as a national focal point for disability matters. The changes brought about in the last 30 to 40 years are too numerous to mention in a single article. No one can deny, however, that KNPD, sometimes alone, sometimes in collaboration with a number of disability NGOs, private and public entities, as well as different governments, had an immense impact on education, employment, construction, the provision of goods and services, legislation, language and public attitude vis-à-vis the disability sector. Perhaps the best example of how Maltese society embraced the concept that “We’re all different, we’re all equal” took place in the legal field. In 2000, the Maltese House of Representatives unanimously approved the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act (EOA). This piece of anti-discrimination legislation postulates that no one can be discriminated against on the basis of their physical and/or mental impairment. The EOA is proving to be an excellent tool in the struggle to ensure that the civil rights of persons with disability in Malta and Gozo are safeguarded. Finally, after a great deal of preparatory groundwork, Malta ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability and its Optional Protocol. This move has further strengthened the safeguarding of disabled people’s human rights, laying down a fresh agenda, and increased momentum for positive change. KNPD this year is celebrating a red-letter birthday. For all of us, Maltese and Gozitans irrespective of background, this is a special anniversary that gives us the opportunity to rejoice in our genuine achievements. It is an anniversary which also calls on us to objectively re-assess our future goals. We should not be going out of our way to find fault with the very people who are sincerely striving − sometimes at personal cost − to bring about a positive change in the quality of life of all disabled people. Nor should we follow the example of the few who are consistently and assertively negative in their assessment of the sector, people who always see the half full glass, while never acknowledging the existence of the fuller half. No one living today can be so utterly naïve, or plainly stupid, as to think that the disability is a red, velvet carpet, or a bed of rose petals. It’s neither of these; on the contrary, it is common knowledge that a great deal work still remains to be done. This is work that can only be achieved if we maintain a firm determination and have an optimistic outlook. We must never allow anyone to undermine us. The philosopher George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Then, let us by all means remember the past. But let us remember it as it really was and not lose ourselves in some rose-tinted fiction of our own imaginings. Let knowledge of the good and bad embedded in the past help us to take stock of the present and plan for a better future This will lead towards realising our dream of a truly inclusive society, a society which embraces all its citizens, regardless of their abilities, or disabilities. A society, which truly embodies the basic truth, that: “We’re all different, we’re all equal”.   Joe Camilleri is the Chairperson of the Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Dizabilità (KNPD)