The Mellieha Local Council and the Malta Tourism Authority recently installed temporary boardwalk access at Mellieha Bay to allow people with disabilities to access the beach.

This is a very positive measure which deserves praise. Much has been said over the past few years in terms of improving access to parts of Malta which were previously off the map for people who make use of wheelchairs or walking aids.

It has been noted that while things are far from perfect, new buildings which have been opened in the past few years are becoming more and more accessible. However, Malta being what it is, there is still so much more to do, especially in the older towns and villages. When awareness first began to kick in about a decade ago, attempts were made to install ramps and walkways. While some were usable, others were just ridiculous in that they were so steep, they just could not be used by people even if they had a helper with them.

The new public transport provider now at least provides buses which can hydraulically lower themselves to allow people with stick easier access to the vehicle, as well as those who use wheelchairs.

But, we still have disastrous pavements that barely cater for able bodied people, let alone people who have difficulties. Pavements are uneven and broken, there are no up and down ramps, and while we are at it, there are hardly any crossings which have raised bobbles to allow for the visually impaired to know that they can safely cross there.

And that, of course, brings us to the obvious. Malta has many historic towns and villages and it is a challenge to make them accessible without damaging the historic value of some buildings. But more effort must be made to bring them up to speed.

And to hive off onto a second point, PL MP Etienne Grech spoke to this newspaper and said that amputees who have lost one or part of a limb should be given a full disability pension. Dr Grech argues that it is hard for these people to find jobs. We believe that he is right. Amputees have it difficult both in terms of what they can do, as well as in terms of stigma.

The best thing, of course, would be if our society matured enough to know that you should judge prospective job applicants on what they can do, not on what they can’t do. But that is going to take time. In the meantime, amputees face a lot of expenses in terms of customising things for their use, to give them dignity and for them to maximise what they can do. In the absence of being able to find a job, then yes, the government should provide them with a full disability pension. Once that person finds a job and enters the workforce, then things can be reviewed. In addition, the government must continue to push with its efforts to get people into the workforce, based on their qualifications, not what people think they might or might not be able to do. We have made strides forward, but there is still more to do.