On Friday, we marked the start of Disability Week. This week, we are celebrating a pivotal year for the Maltese disability sector.
I believe in the United Nations mantra for the disability movement – ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’.
Towards this end, I made it a priority to meet with the different stakeholders in the disability sector, not only in appreciation of their sterling work but also to be able to mutually discuss the best way forward for the sector.
Last July, we successfully passed legislation to make sure that disabled people and their families have access to the various rights mentioned by the UN Convention. Appropriate structures, procedures and enforcement systems were put in place. This also entailed strengthening the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD).
The national focal point for implementing the convention is now housed within the new Directorate for Disability Issues (DDI) of the government, as are brand new structures for inter-entity and inter-ministerial coordination and civil society participation.
In terms of clear road maps, in September my ministry launched ‘Freedom to Live’, Malta’s 2021-2030 National Strategy on the Rights of Disabled Persons. The strategy was praised by UN director Daniela Bas and by UN special rapporteur Gerard Quinn during interventions at a session that I chaired at this year’s UN Conference of States Parties to the Convention.
The launch of the strategy fulfils a government electoral pledge, as does the National Autism Strategy launched last month. Malta is one of the few countries in the world to have such a strategy, having passed legislation specific to autism in 2016.
We are currently in discussions with the Office of the State Advocate to work on the legislation in respect of supported decision-making for disabled people and to protect adults in situations of vulnerability. At the same time, we are edging towards the finish line in parliament to ensure that disabled people and their families can finally receive protection and redress when they are victims of a hate crime.
These developments all serve to facilitate the ministry’s ongoing work affecting the day-to-day lives of disabled people and their families. Key to this is the tireless work of Aġenzija Sapport, Malta’s state disability service provider.
2022 will see us start to reap the fruits of the monumental changes in the disability sector that happened this year- Julia Farrugia Portelli
We have seen increased efforts when it comes to monitoring, quality assurance and risk management within the agency and a continuing shift to community services, with Malta’s largest disability budget so far being partially channelled towards the new or improved services being offered by the agency. In terms of community outreach, we have made sure to encourage community involvement, stakeholder knowledge and expertise. The ministry entered into a number of public-social partnerships (PSPs) to ensure targeted, quality, stakeholder-driven services to the disability sector, including with the Malta Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disability (MFOPD).
Furthermore, local-level stakeholders, such as NGOs, local councils and band clubs and, most importantly, organisations for or led by disabled people were engaged through specific ministry schemes.
A community grants Scheme, linked to specific actions of the national disability strategy, was launched to complement the scheme encouraging inclusive local village festas and the Fair Society Action Prize for stakeholders within the disability sector.
If this year has shown anything, it is that, in trying times, we are able to come together as a country, protect the most vulnerable during a pandemic and, at the same time, double down to continue working to ensure inclusion for everyone.
The year 2022 will see us start to reap the fruits of the monumental changes in the disability sector that happened this year and that we are celebrating during Disability Week.