Persons with disability need good quality education

Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) compares the right to liberty with the right of persons with disability to live in and be part of the community.

The UNCRPD urges the closure of institutions and emphasises the importance of persons with disability to live independently in the community. Persons with disability should be able to access all the services they need in the community.

Education is fundamental for the development of a person. Persons with disability should benefit from a good-quality education, in an inclusive setting. This is essential to be able to live independently with the right support.

To quote UNESCO: “Education is a basic human right that works to raise men and women out of poverty, level inequalities and ensure sustainable development. Education is one of the most powerful tools in lifting excluded children and adults out of poverty and is a stepping stone to other fundamental human rights. It is the most sustainable investment. The right to quality education is already firmly rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international legal instruments, the majority of which are the result of the work of UNESCO and the United Nations.”   

Unfortunately, we have a situation where students with disability are completing their educational years without the necessary skills to live independently, let alone to find a job. We are still in the process and discussing a professional personal assistance (for persons with disability) reform.

In the past, this issue was never given the importance it merits and,  today, we have a situation where persons with disability still cannot live their life to the full. They are living a segregated life which is being imposed on them due to the lack of services and personal assistance.

MFOPD augurs that no one will continue begging for what is his/hers by right – an independent life with the right support and services in place.

MARTHESE MUGLIETTE, president, The Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability – Santa Venera

Save the planet

The concept of saving our earth by saving our trees has reached nearly all corners of the world. Written on most e-mails, one will find this plea: “Do not print on paper, save the planet.”

Many organisations turn to intelligent document processing (IDP) solutions, which consist of document-scanning services, content management software and workflow automation software to successfully transition to a digital environment.

Of course, there are many ways of helping save our planet.

By reducing dependency on paper, businesses can make a large contribution towards keeping our environment clean for future generations. One way to do this is by implementing a document management software like PaperTracer and other handy programmes.

Yet, the winner of the chosen format for documents seems to be the ‘Portable Document Format’ or, as better known, PDF. Governments, legal firms, businesses, schools, hospitals, and many more make use of it.  It is a very good format and user-friendly.

However, many PDFs are meant to be printed on paper, filled up, signed and then scanned and sent back to the department concerned in digital format.

Nowadays, we can also authenticate our ID signature. What lacks is a program with which one can fill a PDF, thus: a PDF Filler. I correct myself, it does exist  but it is on the market and one has to purchase it.

In order to save planet earth, to reduce the tons of wasted PDF prints on paper, wouldn’t it be a good thing if the EU and world governments offer the PDF Filler for free?

ANTHONY ZAMMIT – Victoria