‘Disability Is Something Created By An Inaccessible Society’: Maltese Rights Group Warns Of Attitudinal Barriers
People with disability in Malta need more than simple encouragement to truly participate in day to day life, and adequate policies and practices must be put into effect in the community to make this a reality, the Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability (MFOPD) said today.
In Malta today, people living with disabilities or conditions have even said they are “not happy with their lives and they do not wish for any others to be in their same position,” MFOPD President Marthese Mugliette said.
“It is the physical, social and attitudinal barriers, together with the lack of professional services, which make these persons unhappy with their lives to this extent. This ought to be an eye-opener for the Government and policymakers that much more needs to be done in this sector,” she noted.
Representing over 35,000 people with disabilities across Malta, as well as 35 enrolled member organisation in the sector, the MFOPD noted that while progress had been made in some areas, it is still lacking in others.
In the last half-century, Malta reported significant progress in the disability sector, with the island signing and ratifying the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), an international human rights convention which sets out the fundamental human rights of persons with disability.
“We started thinking and talking about the social model of disability which is a way of thinking about disability,” Mugliette said. “This model was created by the persons with disability themselves. This is because persons with disability face barriers that stop them from taking part in society in the same way as non-disabled.”
“It is the physical, social and attitudinal barriers that make a person disabled. Disability is something that is created by an inaccessible society.”
“There is so much more to be done,” she said.
“We need to move forward. Today we are still mentioning and facing the same problems we have been facing so year after year. We need to evaluate what is working, or not, in this sector and be courageous to put a stop to those services which are not functioning and improve those which need upgrading,” she continued.
“This homework needs to start immediately as only then can the services for persons with disability become as effective as they should be. Moreover, the evaluation of the whole sector should also be considered. This would help understand the real needs of all persons with disability in Malta and Gozo and thus the introduction of those services which are still lacking.”
“All the services subsidised and or fully paid by the State should be brought to the attention of all persons with disabilities and they should eventually also be reminded about them. Such services ought to be made available to all and this without any excuse as state funds are public funds,” she ended.
What do you make of the state of the disability sector in Malta in 2022?
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