Mobility and accessibility issues are definitely not spoken enough in the country, as the harsh reality of such matters is anything but easy to deal with.

Following an article published regarding accessibility issues in Malta, more people with mobility issues and disabilities reached out to Lovin Malta with their experiences.

“I feel safer at home because nowhere is truly accessible to people with disabilities,” one woman told Lovin Malta. 

While not being confined to a wheelchair, the woman can only make small paces while using the help of a frame, but just 10 steps are normally her limit.

This makes it very hard for her to live a normal life, especially when the country does not provide the necessary infrastructure to do so.

“The pavements and in my case the alley that I live by make it seem like I am walking over the moon,” she said.

Another man that reached out to the newsroom recounted his experiences while visiting Malta on holiday together with his wife and daughter that both have mobility problems.

“We hired a mobility scooter for my wife and my daughter brought her own walker,” he explained.

“In spite of these aids they were literally prisoners in our hotel unless one would go and stay on the road. We didn’t find any way of accessing the curb or getting down from the curb if we were on it,” he said. 

“Being on the road was obviously out of the question in view of the way most vehicles were driven. There were two pedestrian crossings in the vicinity of our hotel, one we could hardly see because the paint had faded and the other one was totally ignored by the passing traffic,” he said.

The only time we used that crossing I stood in the middle of the road and stopped the traffic to enable my two persons with disability to cross the road.”

The man also made it clear that he has often visited Malta, and this situation is definitely not a new one for him.

“I am a frequent visitor to Malta and I can assure you this state of affairs has been going on for as far as I can remember without nothing being done to improve the situation,” he said. 

It’s quite worrying to hear it from someone that has come to Malta many times and always found the same situation in front of him, despite efforts supposedly being taken.

“Malta needs foreign visitors, please don’t push them away,” he urged.

It should be quite eye-opening to hear it from both a citizen of Malta residing on the island and also a frequent foreign visitor, that the accessibility issues we face are not to be taken lightly at all.

People with mobility issues deserve better, and they should be given as much of an opportunity to enjoy life as much as anyone else is.

Lovin Malta was also in contact with two MPs to speak about the matter, who both admitted that while the efforts taken so far are commendable, there is still a long way to go.

Get in contact with us at [email protected] if you would like to speak about your experiences 

Have you ever faced accessibility issues?