I look forward to work at the European Parliament to build upon the progress being achieved at one of Europe’s leading Institutions and use it to bring change for the better for Malta and its citizens. People with disabilities in Malta and across the EU - as well as their families and carers - can find encouragement and a source of hope in the work being done at the European Parliament in favour of their mobility, inclusion and welfare.

Over 80 million people across the European Union's total population are living with disabilities, including mental health problems. Their rate of unemployment is at least twice as high as that of other people. The rate of poverty among people with disabilities is 70% higher than average.

According to the 2005 Census, there were almost 23,500 persons with disabilities in Malta, or one every fifteen. This figure, I believe, would need to be revised upwards, and perhaps in a significant manner, to reflect all facets and aspects associated with life with disabilities.  Going by the available data, it appears that around 2,000 of them are of school age, while over 10,000 are of working age. It is no surprise that disabilities tend to increase among older people. Thus, this issue will become ever more pressing as the population continues to age. It is also very evident that we cannot discuss disability in generalised terms, as the special needs for mobility and inclusion vary markedly from individual to individual. For example, women with disabilities are generally amongst the more vulnerable and marginalised members of society and experience discrimination and exclusion from participation in education, employment and social life. At the same time, we must make sure that disability issues are treated as a cross-cutting theme within policies, projects and measures being undertaken at EU Institutions and at the national level.

In this regard, protection against discrimination is not enough, and undue emphasis on it as a solution is actually a disservice to persons with disabilities. Effective inclusion and participation is to be ensured, not only in the spheres of employment and education but also in social, cultural and political spheres. Disability is also a dynamic concept: youths living with disabilities who would have nowadays also attained educational qualifications are very different from those which prevailed at a time when such opportunities were not available.

Indeed, disability does not stem from the physical condition of a person. Rather, it is the result of problems with attitudes and the environment which stops people from participating fully and effectively in society with others and with the same dignity.

In October 2011, theEuropeanParliament adopted a resolution on mobility and inclusion of people with disabilities. It stresses that EU employment targets cannot be achieved without increasing jobs for persons with disability. Enhancing access to work for persons with disabilities is therefore an economic opportunity. Preparing and training persons with disabilities for the world of work represents an investment to create more productive, self-sufficient persons over their entire lifetimes.

The resolution stresses the need for individualised measures for persons with disabilities to reflect each one’s needs at specific stages and contexts in life, be it education, work and social/family involvement. It also calls for persons with disabilities to have more effective roles and inputs in decision-making, especially within areas which directly affect the welfare of these persons.  

Special emphasis is placed on the needs of women and children living with disabilities and of people with mental disabilities and intellectual impairments. It observes that not enough is known about the status of these particularly vulnerable categories of persons, and calls for more effective action in their regard.

The resolution looks at mobility issues as a curtailment of the basic European right of the freedom of movement. It views improvements in the urban environment aimed at creating better mobility and access as an indispensable component to sustainable development. The use of modern ICT technology presents opportunities to enable a more active involvement of all persons with society, especially those from whom the physical environment presents special challenges.

This work should serve as an inspiration to Maltese politicians and policy-makers aiming to improve the welfare of all citizens, especially those with disabilities. It is also totally in line with the spirit and ideals put forth in the PL’s electoral manifesto, whose implementation will bring about a marked improvement in the quality of living of persons living with disabilities.

To achieve this, there remains a lot for us to learn about how disabilities are affecting people’s lives in Malta. We know that only 15 % of people with disability in Malta are employed, less than one third the rate of other people, with unduly large proportions of them in elementary occupations, and in the public sector. People with disabilities, especially of older ages, are also facing special challenges in terms of their educational and skills attainments.

We all need to better understand these realities, and to devise mechanisms for the effective inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of family and social life. I believe that the work done at the European Parliament is an effective springboard to achieve this. I look forward to continue contributing in this field in the near future.

Peter Cordina is a Labour Party European Parliament election candidate