’There Is Still A Long Way To Go’: Two MPs Speak Out On Addressing Accessibility Issues In Malta
Nationalist MP Kevin Cutajar and Labour MP Oliver Scicluna have said that while there have been many improvements, there is “still a long way to go” when it comes to tackling accessibility issues in Malta.
This comes after Lovin Malta wrote an article about one man’s recollection of his mother’s struggles with accessibility, and we reached out to MPs to hear about their thoughts on physical accessibility in Malta.
“As to physical accessibility, although there has been a lot of improvement over the past few decades, I feel that we still have a long way to go,” Cutajar said.
Speaking of difficulties faced due to irregular pavements in Malta, Cutajar dubbed it as one of the core issues with physical accessibility in Malta.
“Pavements are the biggest headache. It seems that pavements serve for everything except for people to walk safely on them. The obstacles that one finds on our pavements are numerous and at times make it impossible for a person with a disability to use them, if not even dangerous,” Cutajar said.
“The causes are lack of proper planning, lack of awareness, selfishness, and indifference. Responsibility is shared between the authorities and the general public.”
Speaking of the way forward to tackling these issues, Cutajar said that the causes of inaccessibility need to be completely eliminated.
“The way forward is that we absolutely need to eliminate the causes of inaccessibility of pavements by investing more in planning, education, and enforcement. What applies to pavements, often applies also to other public spaces and public transport,” he said.
Cutajar also expressed that he is confident that Malta can do better as a country when dealing with accessibility issues.
“We all need to learn to remember that there is a large minority of persons with disabilities out there and that every our imprudent act can give rise to an insurmountable obstacle for someone,” he said.
“This is the kind of mentality that can help us persons with disabilities live a truly independent life.”
Cutajar also made reference to the change in mentality that is needed for the country as a whole, which would, in turn, help people with disabilities to live an easier life, with the level of independence that they deserve.
“Our continued failure to change our mentality continues to be the biggest inaccessibility of all.”
Lovin Malta also spoke with Labour MP Oliver Scicluna on the matter, who made reference to efforts currently being taken by the Government to address the issues.
“With regards to physical accessibility, the Government made the Access for all standards part of the country’s legislation in 2019,” he said.
“That means that those not rendering public buildings, road infrastructure, etc, not accessible will not be in breach of this legal notice. The Government also gave much power to the Commission for the rights of persons with disabilities to enforce against these anomalies,” he continued.
However, he also agreed that while the efforts that have been done deserve to be acknowledged, “there is still a long way to go to fully address physical accessibility in its wider sense”.
He also said that the Government is committed to rendering all infrastructure accessible for all so that people with disabilities will get to live a more independent life.
Do you agree that there is still a long way to go?
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