One of the main endeavours embarked upon by the Parliamentary Secretariat for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing is to bring out the abilities of those with a disability and make them more publicly visible.

In my capacity as Parliamentary Secretary, during these last few weeks I have unofficially visited several Day Centres for people with disability in various localities. I noted many problems at each and every centre and I have already embarked on a holistic and comprehensive exercise to address them accordingly. However, while I was there I had the opportunity to discover the amazing work done by people with disability at these same day centres – a truly remarkable talent.  

I saw all kinds of work, from decorative paintings to perfectly-made mosaic and pottery. I also saw items of furniture made from used and recycled items such as pallets. I was genuinely surprised with the kind of work and level of finishing that these people can do and how much they are generally ignored in our society.

Most people think that people with a disability go to such centres merely to pass the time while their family is at work. However, most of those attending our centres are very talented and, given the opportunity, are very capable of making their own contribution to society. In fact, next week we will be launching the draft document on standards for Residences for Persons with Disability and this will be held at the Ministry’s building. However, the launch will not be a simple press conference but will be organised in a way to promote the work done in this official activity.

We want to move on from the traditional mentality that the word “disability” means limitations and inability. This is why, as a Parliamentary Secretariat, we are thinking of new ways of promoting abilities. With all the hype of the MEP elections going on, we thought about using the electorate’s interest to promote these abilities, which has led to the organisation of a wheelchair basketball game for those with disabilities to compete with MEP candidates.

I am also overwhelmed by the response to the A+ Accessibility Scheme launched by my Secretariat in collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government. We had 27 different applications from 26 local councils, meaning that one council submitted two projects. This is very good news for us and demonstrates that we also have the backing of the local councils when it comes to the disability sector. It also means that people are now giving more importance to accessibility and that, as a country, we are becoming more conscious of the accessibility problems that those with a disability face every day. Still more needs to be done and we are totally committed to making this change a reality.

The public consultation period for the National Policy for the Rights of People with disability has ended this week and we are now at the stage of finalising the preparatory work for the publishing of the actual policy. During the consultation period, we received feedback from various sources – ranging from those with a disability themselves, and the people who work directly with them, to their parents and other members of the family. At the consultative seminar, attention was drawn to the fact that people with a disability should be more included in our society. Once it is finalised, this document will be adopted as a holistic strategy for both the short and the long term.

Employment for people with disability is a major concern and challenge for the Secretariat and something that we are very conscious about. In order to start addressing the situation as soon as possible, we will shortly be launching the ‘Gateway’ project, which will provide proper help for people with disability in order to prepare them for work and eventually literally ‘open the gates’ to employment. Apart from this, people with disability will be assessed so that they will be employed in an environment that is suitable for their aspirations and potential.

We are living in a vibrant period as far as disability is concerned; we want change and we will make it happen.

Dr Caruana is the Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Aging