Annual Report 2011

Commitment The National Commission Persons with Disability is committed to rendering Maltese society an inclusive one, in a way that persons with disability reach their full potential in all aspects of life, enjoying a high quality of life thanks to equal opportunities. In fulfilling this mission, KNPD works in order to eliminate any form of direct or indirect social discrimination against persons with disability and their families while providing them with the necessary assistance and support.

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1. National Commission Persons with Disability

1.1 The Setting Up of KNPD The National Commission Persons with Disability was founded on the 3rd of November 1987, when the then Minister of Social Policy, the Hon. Dr Louis Galea, had made a parliamentary statement announcing that he had appointed the first KNPD members. On the 10th of February 2000, KNPD was officially founded, this time in accordance with Act No. 1 of the year 2000, the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act. In this same act the aims of KNPD were established, these being: identification, establishment and update of each principle of national execution that is directly or indirectly related to disability; identifying the needs of persons with disability, their families and the voluntary groups working within the disability sector, and taking or proposing the necessary or suitable measures on order to cater for those needs;

• Ensuring that each Government programme that concerns the issues and interests of persons with disability, their families and voluntary bodies working within the disability sector functions according to the principles of national execution regarding disability related issues;

• Ensuring that there is the necessary coordination between the Departments and all government agencies in the establishment of measures, services and initiatives that are proposed by the government or by KNPD from time to time;

• Maintaining direct and continuous contact with local and international bodies that work within the disability sector, and with groups, agencies and other individuals according to the current need;

• The surveillance of the provision of services offered by the government or its agencies, or by each person or group of people, when the clients of such services are persons with disability;

• Working in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons with disability;

• Carrying out general investigations with the aim of establishing whether the dispositions of this Act are being observed;

• Investigating those complaints that can be made with regard to this Act not being observed in individual cases and, when possible, to rectify the situation according to the complaint received;

• Considering and reaching decisions about cases referred to it by the Minister; • Providing assistance, according to the particular circumstances, including legal

and financial aid, to persons with disability on their way to claiming their rights thanks to this Act;

• Surveilling the work of this Act and, when KNPD deems it right or when it is required to act according to the Minister’s orders, drafting and submitting proposals to the Minister himself for amendments to the Act;

• Examining laws and (when the Minister requires it) proposing laws with the aim of ascertaining whether the current laws or proposals are consistent with or go against the aims of this Act, and delivering a report to the Minister on the results obtained from such analyses;

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• Providing the services that might be required or requested by KNPD so that the latter can fulfil its aims;

• Gathering, analysing and publishing statistical data on the persons with disability sector which would, among other things, shows the national level attained in the policy of inclusiveness.

1.2 The Period of this Report This report covers the calendar year of 2011 and is being drawn up as requested in Acticle 30 of the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act. This report does not include the work carried out by KNPD in its application and safeguarding of the EOA itself. A report on this work was published separately in November 2011. Because this law was enacted in October 2000, the annual report covers the period October 2010 – September 2011. A copy of this report may be obtained from KNPD offices and from the KNPD website, www.knpd.org. 1.3 The Structure of KNPD The members of KNPD are appointed by the Prime Minister upon suggestions by the Ministry of Social Policy for a period of two years. In 2011, the board was composed as seen in Table 1. The Equal Opportunities Act (Article 21) requires that half the KNPD members are persons with disability or parents of parents with disability. The KNPD board setup satisfies this criterion because five members have a disability while three members are parents of persons with disability. 1.4 KNPD Meetings Throughout 2011, KNPD met 11 times to discuss the following subjects:

• KNPD’s Action Plan for 2011 • The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability • Complaints brought before the EOA • European Disability Strategy • Community Paediatrics (Disability) Services • Sonia Tanti Independent Living Centre • Article 3.3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disability • Access for All Design Guidelines • Coordinative Committee 16+ and the post-secondary education sector • The Persons with Disability Register • The public transport tariffs for persons with disability • The National Budget • The Week of Persons with Disability • EU-funded KNPD projects

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TABLE 1.1

KNPD Setup - 2011

NAME STATUS

Mr Joseph M. Camilleri (a) Chairman

Ms Rita Vella (a) Vice Chair

Mr George A. Borg Ministry of Education, Employment and Youth

Dr Victoria Farrugia Sant’Angelo Ministry of Health Ms Carmen Burmingham Ministry for Social Policy Mr Peter Grima Ministry of Finance Ms Mary Rose Attard Ministry for Gozo Mr Anthony Mifsud Local Councils Association Dr Marie Alexander University of Malta Fr Martin Micallef Archdiocese of Malta Ms Marica Gatt (a) Voluntary Sector Ms Tessa Anastasi (a) Voluntary Sector Mr Ronald Galea (a) Voluntary Sector Ms Marchita Mangiafico (a) Voluntary Sector Mr Joseph Stafrace (a) Voluntary Sector

Dr Anne-Marie Callus Secretary/Executive Director

1.5 Consultative Committee of Persons with Intellectual Disability The Core Committee is composed of the following: Chair: Mr Omar Jelassi Vice Chair: Mr Brian Micallef Secretary: Ms Marthese Deguara Assistant Secretary: Ms Alison Bonello Members: Ms Isabel Bonello Ms Lisa Borg Ms Lourdes Farrugia Throughout 2011, this Committee held meetings and carried out research regarding sexuality and relationships, which was presented during the Week of Persons with Disability. 1.6 KNPD Secretariat The KNPD Secretariat is based at Bugeia Institute, St Venera. At present this secretariat has 24 members of staff – 20 on a full-time basis and 4 on a part-time basis or reduced hours. 12 of these employees are persons with disability. This year Ms Jessica Schembri was engaged as Assistant Services Officer.

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In addition to this, in order to provide its services in the best way possible, KNPD utilises the services of various professionals, which include legal, medical, paramedic, and financial services as well as those of architects and Maltese Sign Language interpreters. KNPD encourages its staff in various ways to continue their professional and human development. This includes:

• Two members of staff were given the possibility of working flexible hours and take study leave to pursue their university studies;

• A Staff Development Day was organised for the employees within the secretariat, including training sessions. This year the focus of the event was the balance between work and personal life;

• A training session for staff was held be Wasteserv, and regarded waste management and recycling;

• Five members of staff from KNPD’s Secretariat (services officers and assistant services officers) attended a course on Dynamic Communication organised by the Centre for Development Research and Training;

• Four students from the BA Social Policy/Social Work course and once student from the MCAST Pathway course were given a brief work experience opportunity within KNPD’s Secretariat as part of their studies.

• Employees of the KNPD Secretariat organised a voluntary evening activity at St Joseph Home in St Venera. This consisted of games and a party for the children residing there. At the close of this evening, the Director of the Home, Fr Frankie Cini, praised KNPD’s initiative and expressed the children’s enjoyment of the activity. Mr Joe Camilleri stated that the activity had various aims, among which were educating the publice and improving attitudes towards persons with disability, altering the perception that persons with disability always receive and never give, and ultimately that KNPD would give its full support to young people who live in the Home and towards the honest work carried out by the religious people and all the staff at St Joseph Home, St Venera.

• Ms Vickie Gauci, KNPD’s Principal Occupational Therapist and Manager, received the Employee of the Year award for 2011.

1.7 2010 Annual Report In March 2011, KNPD presented its work report for the previous year during a press conference for all media. The report is available in Maltese, English, easy-to-read (Maltese) and audio, and can be obtained from the KNPD offices. The first three formats are also available on KNPD’s website www.knpd.org.

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02 The Equal Opportunities Act Compliance Unit

2.1 Investigation of Complaints According to the Equal Opportunities Act KNPD is in charge of seeing that the EOA is observed in a reasonable manner. With this aim KNPD receives complaints from persons with disability and their family members who feel that they are being discriminated against on the basis of disability. KNPD investigates these cases, tries to remedy the situation in order to try to reach a reasonable solution in the shortest time possible, and where this is not possible present the complaints at the Arbitration Centre or in court. As reported in Section 1.2, the annual report on the work carried out is presented separately. In view of this fact this report does not give an account of the work carried out by KNPD in the direct operation of this Act. This also applies in the work related to the Test of Reasonableness Board, which is reported in the Annual Report on the Equal Opportunities Act. 2.2 MEPA Application Vetting As part of the enforcement of this Act, MEPA is obliged to consult with KNPD regarding applications for the development of buildings that are open to the public and that have an important function and use. This consultation consists of two exercises: a. MEPA sends plans to KNPD so that the latter’s technical experts can

examine whether these conform to the guidelines issued by KNPD and which feature in the publication Access for All – Design Guidelines;

b. MEPA requests that the developer obtain a certificate from KNPD stating that the building has been finished according to these guidelines, before MEPA can issue a Compliance Certificate. In this way the developer can apply for water and electricity.

During 2011, a revision of these guidelines was carried out and this included a broad consultation process. KNPD’s work for 2011 in regard to the vetting of MEPA applications for development plans appear below.

TABLE 2.1

2010 2011 Diff

Applications 719 1017 +41% Recommended subject to certain conditions

285 275 -4%

Not recommended 308 602 +95% Further information required 121 140 +6%

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Table 2.1 shows that this year (2011) saw an increase in applications vetted by KNPD when compared to 2010. It is also evident that many of these applications were not recommended and changes had to be made in order render them conformant with the guidelines. Throughout 2011, KNPD continued to offer its consultation service provided by a KNPD official in the MEPA offices on Monday and Wednesday mornings, in order to give advice on physical accessibility to those who are going to submit an application for development. In 2011 KNPD was also required to vet buildings when these were completed in order for MEPA to be able to issue a Compliance Certificate. Statistical data on this work carried out by KNPD is presented below.

TABLE 2.2

2011 2012

Applications 49 41 Recommended subject to certain conditions

29 19

Not recommended 20 22 As from this year, KNPD also started vetting development plans to be presented to the Development Control Committee. The work carried out in this regard is shown in Table 2.3.

TABLE 2.3

2012

Applications 142 Recommended 77 Not recommended 49 Further information required 7 Recommended subject to certain conditions

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03 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability

3.1 Throughout 2011, KNPD continued working so that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability could be ratified. 3.2 In April 2011 meetings were held over a two-day period regarding Article 33 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. This article focuses on the implementation of this Convention and the monitoring of its implementation, as well as the participation of civil society in these processes, especially organisations of persons with disability. KNPD invited Mr Jaspal Dhani, CEO of the UK Council of Disabled People, as well as Dr Gauthier de Beco, Human Rights Lawyer at the University of Louvain in Belgium, to this meeting. Meetings were held with the KNPD Board, KNPD staff members working within the the EOA sector, representatives from the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, and representatives of organisations that work within the disability sector. 3.3 KNPD continued its work, closely carried out with the Ministry, with regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. These meetings focused on the amendments required in order for the Convention to be ratified. After the Cabinet approved the proposed amendments, Minister Dolores Cristina brought forward a motion proposing the Draft Law entitled ‘2011 Act for the amendment of various laws related to Subjects regarding Disability’ which had reached the second reading stage by the end of the year. 3.4 KNPD officials attended the Work Forum on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was held in October in Brussels and which focused on Articles 33 and 25 of the Convention, which regard the coordination of the implementation of the Convention and the Report that was sent to the UN.

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04 Inclusive Education

KNPD gives a lot of importance to the education of persons with disability and believes that these should learn within inclusive environments. Throughout 2011, the following work was carried out in this sector: 4.1 The 16+ Coordinating Committee was founded in July 2009. It is composed of representatives of various institutions who are in some way or other involved in the transition of persons with disability who have finished their secondary school education to continuing education, employment or day services. Throughout 2011 this Committee held a number of meetings that focused on the post-secondary sector. The members discussed what is required in order that opportunities for continuing education become more open to persons with disability. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family and the Educational Services Directorate, information was obtained with regard to education opportunities following the obligatory schooling period and the support provided to students with disability when this is required. The information gathered will be published online as well as in print. There were two consultation meetings on the gathering of such data which took place; one was held with the 16+ Coordinating Committee and the other with Gozitan representatives of entities working within the education and vocational training sector. 4.2 KNPD held a meeting together with the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education on the National Curriculum Framework draft, concentrating especially on how the proposed framework and its implementation would affect students who have a disability. KNPD also contributed to the Conference organised by the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education on the National Curriculum Framework and held in December. 4.3 KNPD held various meetings with other officials from the Institute of Tourism Studies and the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, where it discussed how students with disability can have better access to courses which this Institute offers, and how the staff and students can become more aware of that which affects persons with disability. 4.4 MCAST, in collaboration with the Malta Qualification Council, organised a seminar on the NQF – Inclusive project, on the accreditation and qualification of vocational education for disadvantaged people. KNPD participated in this seminar. 4.5 At the post-secondary level, KNPD works closely with MCAST in order to ensure that persons with disability can follow courses at its various institutes. This work is being carried out mainly due to the contribution to

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Inclusive Vocational Education and Training Working Group and the Pathway Monitoring Board. 4.6 KNPD also lent its support so that the University of Malta could ensure that students with disability enjoy equal opportunities within this institution. KNPD officials took part in a consultation meeting on MATSEC Exam Arrangements. KNPD intervened in the matter regarding the directive issued by MUT on the filling in of an application to request arrangements for students with disability during SEC exams. KNPD showed serious concerns about this directive constituting discrimination against students with disability, according to the EOA. This directive was removed following MUT discussions. 4.7 KNPD officials also play a part when it comes to Access: Disability Support Committee and the Board of Referrals for MATSEC (University of Malta) exams. 4.8 KNPD continued to contribute to the Statementing Appeals Board. Those who disagree with the decisions taken by the Statementing Moderating Panel in regard to the support required by students with individual educational needs can do so by appealing to the Board to re-examine their request and decide on the kind of support needed, including learning support assistant services.

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05 Employment and Day Services

It is important that persons with disability have equal opportunities and enjoy full inclusion in employment. There are various possibilities of how persons with disability can find employment, including full- or part-time work, free market jobs, supported employment, or work in a protected environment. KNPD’s work in this sector for 2011 focused on the development of the sector’s various aspects. 5.1 Throughout this year, work proceeded on the implementation of recommendations included in the National Policy on Employment and Persons with Disability, published in 2010. The coordination among the representative entities on the Consultative Committee 16+ is part of this work. As mentioned above, this year KNPD focused on the post-secondary sector, which is very often the key to future work opportunities. In addition to this, KNPD continued to coordinate with PAHRO in order to proceed with its work towards the initiative launched during the Week of Persons with Disability, through which there would be better representation of employees with disability on the various levels of public administration. A meeting was held with PAHRO and Public Service Commission representatives in order to continue with the work carried out towards the above-mentioned initiative. 5.2 KNPD is a partner in the Employee Support Programme, a project of the Employee Relations Directorate within the Office of the Prime Minister. This project is co-financed by the European Union’s Structural Funds. Throughout this year KNPD contributed in information and training sessions delivered to various government entities. These sessions included information regarding KNPD’s work and the service it provides. The aim of this project is that public sector employees are given the necessary support in order to gain access to services required due to certain difficulties they may be experiencing and which would be hindering them from carrying out their work successfully. KNPD officials participated in a series of seminars that are being held in order to inform public entities about the work being undertaken by the partners in this project. In addition, thanks to this project the Employee Support Unit was founded to enable those employed within public administration who are having difficulty doing their job successfully due to personal issues to approach the Unit for assistance in solving their issues, which would be carried out by one of the partners. KNPD received two referrals from clients of the Employee Support Unit and, thanks to the EOA, various meetings were held with those involved in 2011 with the aim of determining how they should be helped to tackle their difficulties in the workplace. 5.3 Together with Agenzija Sapport, KNPD organised a meeting with State Aid Monitoring Board representatives so that the two entities would gain further insight into how the regulations in the sector could help increase

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employment opportunities for persons with disability, especially those requiring support to be able to work in a protected environment. 5.4 KNPD participated in a consultation meeting regarding the youth employment strategy. 5.5 The Day Services are an integral part of the chain of services aimed at persons with disability following their obligatory school leaving. KNPD fully believes that the development of these services is related to developments in the post-secondary sector and lifelong learning as well as to initiatives that enable persons with disability to enter the world of employment. Agenzija Sapport, which provides the most services in this sector, is represented on the 16+ Consultative Committee. Discussions were held within the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family regarding the implementation of the proposal for the development of individualised and community-based day services.

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06 Supported Living

Throughout this year KNPD worked on the development of a Policy on Supported Living. The work was carried out on two binaries: consultation meetings with stakeholders within the sector and reseach on the subject. These two initiatives were financed by the EU’s Progress Programme. The first consultation meeting was held with representatives of organisations that provide residential services for persons with disability in Malta and Gozo. The meetings that followed were with the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, the Labour Party, and non-governmental organisations involved in the disability sector. All those interested in this sector could also send their suggestions directly to KNPD. Meanwhile there was a call for quotations with regard to the research for the preparation of proposals on what is required in the sector and the financial aspect of such proposals. What was discussed in the consultation meetings was included in the research. When the research work had been completed, the draft of the final report on the subject was issued. On September 30 a meeting was held with government authorities and entities to discuss the Policy on Supported Living. Those who participated represented the Malta Financial Services Authority, the Housing Authority, National Statistics Office, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Department of Sociology within the University of Malta, the Social Services Department, Agenzija Sapport and the Ministry for Gozo. Internal consultation meetings, including ones with the KNPD Board, were also set up. The draft report was also made available on the KNPD website in order to invite feedback. When this extensive consultation process came to a close, all the feedback collected was gathered with the aim of finalising the report by March 2012.

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07 Research

Research is a very important tool in the development of a policy. Through it one can determine the needs of persons with disability and their families, and the extent to which these needs are being catered for and their rights saveguarded. 7.1 As reported above, research on Supported Living was commissioned as part of a policy planning process on the subject. 7.2 The Consultative Committee of Persons with Disability carried out research on Sexuality and the Relationship, which was presented during the Week of Persons with Disability. This was attended by persons with intellectual disability and their family members. 7.3 KNPD worked closely with the University of Malta in order to set up a Study Programme on Disability within the Department of Social Policy and Social Work. This programme aims, among other things, to offer courses on various sectors of disability; conduct and promote research on these sectors, especially from the social, economic and cultural aspects; and organise international seminars and conferences. 7.4 Research work was also carried out in the form of reports prepared for the Academic Network of Experts on Disability (ANED), a European network of which KNPD is a member. KNPD created an extensive and detailed report on various disability sectors in Malta, among which are employment, education, supported living, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. It also played a part in the development of tools by ANED to monitor the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in EU member countries. KNPD also participated in the ANED Annual General Meeting which took place in Brussels in December. KNPD was also invited to form part of the new tender of ANED which starts in 2012 and has a duration of 4 years. KNPD accepted this request.

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08 Training Programme on the Disability Issues

KNPD offers training on the equality of persons with disability. This training is given to different types of audiences and is carried out with the full participation of persons with disability and the parents of persons with disability who cannot represent themselves. In 2011 the following training sessions took place:

TABLE 8.1

TRAINING ON DISABILITY ISSUES Number of Students

Employee Support Programme 105 Dentistry Students (Faculty of Medicine and Surgery) 8 Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences 35 University of Malta – B.Ed. Primary & Secondary 180 University of Malta – BA Social Policy and Social Work*

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University of Malta – BA (Hons) Italian 40 University of Malta – B.Ed. Secondary 86 University of Malta – BA Social Policy and Social Work

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University of Malta – Faculty of Medicine and Surgery 20 University of Malta – Psychology (Masters) 4 HSBC Employees 20 Police officials (Police Academy) 1400 Teachers at the Resource Centre 32 Church School teachers 20 Banif Bank employees 32 St Martha Day Centre (Gozo) employees 15 Trainee Career Advisors and Trainee INCOs (Educational Services Directorate)

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Inspire Foundation Parents’ Group 35 Amputees for Amputees members 40 Number of students 2011 2168

Number of students 2010 924

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09 Wenzu Dalli Resource Centre

This resource centre is found within the KNPD Secretariat and is open to the public. Thanks to a resource loaning system available at the centre, members can remain updated on the disability sector. Throughout this year the exercise of converting the available videos to DVD format was carried out. The resources available by the end of 2011 are indicated in Table 9.1.

TABLE 9.1

The Centre is utilised by persons with disability, their family members, those who work in the disability sector, students and other people who are interested in the sector. Throughout this year the centre was utilised as indicated in Table 9.2.

TABLE 9.2

New Resources

and Members

Total 2011 Global Total

2010

Global Total

2011

Books 115 5075 5190 Periodicals 55 423 478 CDs 6 140 146 DVDs 234* 51 285* Members 28 1480 1508

RESOURCE LOANING Total 2010 Total 2011

Books 335 249 Periodicals 131 55 CDs 14 5 DVDs 2 3 Members who make use of the Centre

134 83

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10 Different Persons, Different Needs, One Society

KNPD received funds from the EU’s Progress Programme in order to organise a year of activities thanks to this project; this was launched during the Week of Persons with Disability and continued throughout 2011. In addition to the information provided in this report with regard to activities and publications financed by this project, the following activities were also made possible:

• A seminar on Women with Disability which was addressed by Ms Maria Filletti, Senior Policy and Training Executive at the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality; Ms Renee Laiviera, Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations Chair; and Ms Marianne Debono, Manager of the Equal Opportunities Act Section within KNPD, who spoke about the Situation of Women with Disability in Contemporary Maltese Society. The seminar ended following the speeches made by the Hon. Dr Justyne Caruana, Opposition Speaker for the Family and Persons with Disability, and the Hon. Dr Stephen Spiteri, Parliamentary Assistant within the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family.

• Speak Out! course for persons with disability and the parents of persons with disability who cannot represent themselves. The aim of this course was to provide the partecipants with the necessary skills to take part in KNPD ‘Disability Sectors’ programmes and to spread their message through various means of communication. The last two course sessions were led by Dr Michele Moore, editor of the prestigious international journal Disability and Society.

• A Walk in Favour of Human Rights which included a number of organisations who joined KNPD to show their support towards a society that respects human rights and is against all forms of discrimination.

• The Parliament of Persons with Disability which was addressed by Dr Ádám Kósa, MEP and President of the Group on Disability in the European Parliament, and the first MEP to be hearing impaired.

• Visits were made to sixteen primary and secondary schools by persons with disability who gave a total of 30 hours of training to 1383 students on the disability sectors.

• A series of articles in the newspapers on the disability sector as well as participation in various radio and television programmes.

• The following publications: � The Client with Disability and You � Acknowledging Potential � My Cousin is Autistic � Access for All Design Guidelines � The Ħoloq package

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� KNPD Services Factsheets.

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11 Disabled Persons Week 2011

This was organised from Saturday 3rd December (International Day of Persons with Disability) to Saturday 10th December (International Human Rights Day). The theme for this week was The Rights of Persons with Disability: from Tradition to Convention. The activities held by KNPD during this week were as follows:

• A National Conference held on the 3rd of December with the theme being The Rights of Persons with Disability: from Tradition to Convention. During this conference the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, the European Disability Strategy, and the Council of Europe Disability Action Plan were discussed.

• The Ministerial Message that was transmitted on the 3rd of December. This year this was delivered by the Hon. Dolores Cristina, Minister of Education, Employment and the Family, and Ms Amy Joan Zahra, psychology graduate, employee and person with disability.

• The KNPD Chair, Mr Joseph M. Camilleri, visited St Michael Junior School in Pembroke and San Anton School in Mgarr, where he delivered the Weekly Message to around 300 boys and girls.

• A seminar on Paediatric Community-Based Service, which was addressed by Prof. Simon Attard Montalto and Consultant Dr Jimmy Farrugia, and was the fulcrum of a series of meetings held throughout the year with the representatives of non-governmental organisations working with children with disability.

• A meeting with 50 PSD primary school teachers held at the National Curriculum Centre, Hamrun, on KNPD’s Ħoloq publication.

• A reception at the Bugeia Institute for all those who contributed to the disability sector throughout the year. Mr Camilleri presented a certificate to six people who successfully completed the Speak Out! Course organised by KNPD from April to June.

• On the 10th of December, which happens to be International Human Rights Day, a meeting of the Persons with Intellectual Disability Consultative Committee was held to discuss Sexuality and Relationships.

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12 Independent Living Services

Throughout 2011, two projects financed by the Structural Funds: ERDF 72 – which regarded the building and purchasing of equipment for the Sonia Tanti Independent Living Section in Hal Far; and ESF 3.42 which enabled the training of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and driving instructors on independent living services for persons with disability. The STILC was inaugurated on Wednesday 15th June 2011. Its aim is to act as a resource for persons with disability and their families who can receive advice, information and training regarding aspects of independent living such as mobility and assistive equipment. The centre houses equipment that one can try out in order to determine what they require. There are also professionals helping persons with disability choose what is most suited to their needs. STILC offers an assessment service and advice on wheelchairs and seating systems, driving modified vehicles, and equipment that assists persons with disability in their daily activities. A helpline, which offers a consultancy service, allows persons with disability to call or send emails with their queries and difficulties encountered in all aspects of independent living. STILC also offers its services in Gozo. After receiving advice and training from STILC, persons with disability can be provided with information on training opportunities and schemes available for them within the employment world. With regard to training for professionals, the final conference held was attended by those who received training as well as representatives on various public entities. Following an introduction made by Project Leader Ms Vickie Gauci, and the opening speech by the Hon. Dr Stephen Spiteri, representing the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family, physiotherapist Ms Marisa Debattista, driving instructor Mr Pierre Farrugia, and occupational therapist Ms Maria Meilak shared their experience on the training received through this project. The main speech was delivered by Mr Alan Norton, Director and ECO at Assist UK. KNPD Chair Mr Joe Camilleri delivered the closing speech. Thanks to this project, a total of 51 occupational therapists, 55 physiotherapists, 6 driving instructors, 3 KNPD staff members and 4 rehabilitation professionals could receive training. This means that KNPD exceeded its aim of training 77 people by 55%, leading to a total of 119. The above participants attended training courses in Malta and some also received training abroad.

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13 Special Identity Card

The Special Identity Card is issued for persons with disability who are registered with KNPD and choose to have this card. When a person with disability is deceased, their family members are required to return the card. If this is not done, a lawyer’s letter is sent. In the case of lost cards, the family members make an affidavit. Table 13.1 shows the work carried out on Special Identity Cards throughout 2011.

TABLE 13.1

Table 13.2 shows the gender, age and type of disability of those who were provided with a Special Identity Card throughout 2011.

*This table shows the types of disability of the persons who qualified for the service. Those with more than one disability appears twice, for example in the case of ‘physical disability’ and ‘hearing impairment’.

SPECIAL IDENTITY CARD 2010 2011

New applications 1554 2058 New SIC 1079 1370 Refused applications 33 57 Renewed SIC 516 674 Returned SIC 317 333 Declarations regarding lost SIC 139 146 Lawyer’s letter regarding SIC returns 96 92 Number of persons with disability who have the SIC 10304 10854

Number of expired SIC 1413 1529

Gender

Females 695 Males 725 Age

Below 4 years 43 Between 5 and 16 65 Between 17 and 30 59 Bejn 31 u 60 320 Over 60 933 Type of Disability*

Physical 1231 Intellectual 164 Psychological 53 Hearing impairment 56 Visual impairment 128 Other form of disability 21

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14 Special Assistance Service

The Special Assistance Service provides advice and financial assistance to help persons with disability improve their quality of life. In 2011 the Special Assistance Service was administered as indicated in Table 14.1.

TABLE 14.1

The figures in this table and the following one reveal that, although there was a slight

decrease in the number of beneficiaries, there was an increase in the money donated.

Table 14.2 and 14.3 and the corresponding graphs present statistical data on the money

assistance provided and the type of equipment purchased.

TABLE 14.2

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE SERVICE Total

2010

Total

2011

New applications 345 327 Number of beneficiaries 283 272 Non-eligible applications 33 18 Dropped applications 5 0 Applications on the waiting list 15 30 Equipment that was returned and redistributed to other applicants

13 2

Other returned equipment 9 0

MONEY PROVIDED BY SGĦS 2010 2011

Money provided €208,213 €237,987 Number of beneficiaries 283 281 Average donation €736 €1703

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TABLE 14.3

Table 14.4 shows the gender, age and type of disability of the beneficiaries for 2011.

TABLE 14.4

*This table shows the types of disability of the persons who qualified for the service. Those with more than one disability appears twice, for example in the case of ‘physical disability’ and ‘hearing impairment’.

TYPE OF EQUIPMENT PURCHASED Total 2010 Total 2011

Wheelchairs and walking aids 103 127 Beds and equipment for sitting 141 131 Personal hygiene 22 17 Equipment for communication 43 55 Lifting equipment 32 25 Other equipment 4 2 Total 341 357

Gender

Females 136

Males 152

Age Under 4 19

Between 5 and 16 44

Between 17 and 30 35

Between 31 and 60 57

Over 60 124

Type of Disability*

Physical 183

Intellectual 50

Psychological 27

Hearing impairment 42

Visual impairment 7

Other form of disability 0

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VAT refunds are given on equipment that is for the specific use of persons with disability and on computers. Details on the latter are gathered and presented in Table 14.5.

TABLE 14.5

REFUNDS ON EQUIPMENT AND

COMPUTERS

Total 2010 Total 2011

Refunds €57,185 €52,793 Number of beneficiaries 399 359 Average refund €143 €140

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15 Blue Sticker

The Blue Sticker is a service that KNPD administers on behalf of the Police Commissioner. KNPD makes recommendations to the Commissioner with regard to the issueing of a Blue Sticker to persons with severe lack of mobility. KNPD requests the returning of the Blue Sticker in the name of the Police Commissioner when a person with disability is deceased. If the Blue Sticker is not returned, a Police Commissioner’s letter is sent. In the case of a lost Blue Sticker, the family members make an affidavit. Table 15.1 shows the work carried out in this regard hroughout the period covered by this report.

TABLE 15.1

BLUE STICKER Total 2010 Total 2011

New applications 1514 2115 Recommended - Permanent - Temporary

472 184

808 204

Applications that were not recommended 126 142

Applicants who did not turn up for the appointment

61 29

Applicants who requested a new appointment 140 275

Renewed Blue Stickers 613 950

Unreturned Blue Stickers 9 23

Returned Blue Stickers 655 840 Affidavit regarding lost Blue Stickers 46 53 Letter from the Police Commissioner regarding the returning of the Blue Sticker

157 85

Number of Blue Stickers currently being used 5864 6289

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Those who are not given the Blue Sticker may appeal the decision by referring their case to the Blue Sticker Appeals Board, which is managed by KNPD and the Police Commissioner. Statistical data on the appeals made in 2011 is presented in Table 15.2 Table 15.3 shows the gender, age and type of disability of the 2011 Blue Sticker beneficiaries.

TABLE 15.2

APPEALS BOARD Total 2010 Total 2011

New appeals 83 103 First decision confirmed 61 74 First decision changed 22 29

TABLE 15.3

*This table shows the types of disability of the persons who qualified for the service. Those with more than one disability appears twice, for example in the case of ‘physical disability’ and ‘hearing impairment’.

Gender

Females 871 Males 1091 Age

Below 4 24 Between 5 and 16 92 Between 17 and 30 73 Between 31 and 60 511 Over 60 1262 Type of Disability*

Physical 1829 Intellectual 179 Psychological 67 Hearing impairment 48 Visual impairment 185 Not known 20

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Throughout this year, KNPD continued to collaborate with Transport Malta so that the latter would be in change of allocating Reserved Parking and Keep Clear bays in front of residences of persons with severe lack of mobility. Those who are not given the Blue Sticker may appeal the decision by referring their case to the Review Panel, which is led by KNPD and Transport Malta. The appeals heard in 2011 is presented in Table 15.4.

TABLE 15.4

REVIEW PANEL Total 2010 Total 2011

New appeals 22 23 First decision confirmed 15 12 First decision changed 6 7

‘Keep Clear Bay’ granted 1 2

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16 Benefits on Vehicles

The Ministry of Finance grants Tax Exemptions on Vehicle Road License and Registration Tax. KNPD adniministers these services and makes recommendations to the Ministry. Statistical data in this regard for the year 2011 appears in Tables 16.1 – 16.3. These exemptions are issued on different types of vehicles, as show in Table 16.3.

TABLE 16.1

VEHICLE ROAD LICENSE PAYMENT

EXEMPTION

Total 2010 Total 2011

New applications 257 300 Recommended 185 268 Not recommended 11 27 Dropped applications 7 23 Request for new appointment 17 21

TABLE 16.2

TABLE 16.3

This year, the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Investment set up a board to consider request for exemption from payment of vehicle road license and registration tax. This board considers those request made by persons with disability who, due to exceptional circumstances, cannot be considered according to the guidelines issued by the Ministry

VEHICLE REGISTRATION TAX PAYMENT

EXEMPTION

Total

2010

Total

2011

New applications 183 266 Recommended 154 210 Not recommended 1 6 Dropped applications 30 30 Request for new appointment 16 25

TYPES OF EXEMPT VEHICLES Total 2010 Total 2011

Manual car 52 86 Modified manual car 2 10 Automatic car 71 39 Modified automatic car 12 12 Wheelchair accessible vans 25 35

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itself. This board also makes recommendations regarding policies and procedures in this sector. Work on these requests was carried out as indicated in the following table.

TABLE 16.4

As in previous years, KNPD continues to collaborate with the Foundation for Respite Care Services in order that the latter can provide a personalised transport service for persons with disability.

EXEMPTIONS BOARD Total 2011

Number of cases 33 Exemption given 19 No exemption given 5 Pending 9

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17 Other Work

17.1 In September 2010 a call for applications was issued by the European Structural Fund and KNPD worked closely with other entities in order that applications would be submitted for two projects with the aim of providing training for those working with persons with disability so that the services offered continue to improve.

• Promoting the Social Inclusion of Disabled Persons with Challenging Behaviour, a project led by KNPD with the partnership of Agenzija Sapport and the Ministry for Gozo.

• Training Rehabilitation Workers for Persons with Visual Impairment, a project led by Agenzija Sapport in collaboration with KNPD and the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation.

These two projects were selected for financing and work on these projects commenced at the end of 2011. 17.2 Throughout this year a series of meetings were held with representatives of non-governmental organisations working with children with disability on Community-based Paediatric Services. The main element of these meetings was a seminar held during the Week of Persons with Disability, which was addressed by Prof. Simon Attard Montalto and Consultant Dr Jimmy Farrugia. The discussion focused on the need for families to receive not only an abilities and needs assessment regarding their children, but also advice and support, including pscyhological support when required. While the needs of children with disability change, these do not stop and therefore there is a need for such services to not be stopped abruptly, but to change as required and evolve according to the needs of children when they reach a certain age. Therefore there is a need for more work to be carried out in close proximity between professionals and therapists and the families of children with disability. Therefore there is a need for further work carried out in collaboration between professionals and therapists and the families of children with disability. There is also the need for work and collaboration to be closely carried out among agencies that offer diverse services. It was emphasised that the work within the sector should not only concentrate on the medical aspect but should also take the social aspect in consideration. It was also said that waiting lists should be avoided in order to immediately identify the support needed by the children in order to be able to fully develop their maximum potential. At the moment community paediatric services are being developed in order to address such difficulties. 17.3 KNPD also contributes in other sectors working against discrimination on a European and international level. Throughout this year, KNPD also provided feedback regarding documents issues by the EU and on an international level, among which are the Directive on Anti-Discrimination, the European Social Card, the Communication on the Development of the European Sport Dimension, and the Digital Agenda for Europe, documents on the Realisation of the Millennium Development Goals for persons with disability, discussions in the World Intellectual Property Organisation regarding persons with difficulties reading printed material, the Communication on a European Framework

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Against Poverty and Social Exclusion, the European Council Strategy on the Rights of Children, and the Operational Programme of the European Regional Development Fund. 17.4a KNPD representatives took part in the three group meetings of the High Level Group on Disability within the European Commission which were held in Brussels on 2nd December 2011. 17.5 KNPD took part in the HandyCup 2011 Partnership Building and Networking Conference held in September, which brought together young persons with disability from the Mediterranean. KNPD also participated in:

• a public consultation organised by the Labour Party on the role of civil society in the European Union;

• a symposium organised by the Autism Parents Association; and • the official opening of the offices of the Muscular Dystrophy Group and

Gwardjola Group in Isla. 17.6 Two visits made to KNPD by the Italian Ambassador for Malta, His Excellency Luigi Marras, and Fr Cyril Axelrod, a priest who is visually and hearing impaired. 17.7 In order that KNPD can carry out its work in an effective manner, it works closely with other entities. A lot of this work was described earlier in this report. In addition to the entities already mentioned in this report, meetings were also held with various other entities.

• The Office of the Prime Minister • The Director of Services for the Elderly and the Community • The Parliament Secretariat for Consumers, Competitions, Local Councils and

Public Dialogue • The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality • The Office of the Coordinator of Disability for Gozo • Transport Malta and Arriva Ltd.

17.8 The Chairman, Executive Director and members of staff of the KNPD secretariat are members of Boards and Committees of various entities. These are as follows:

• The Group for Civil Society oXX • The Employment and Training Corporation • The Council and Senate of the University of Malta • The Malta College of Arts, Sciences and Technology • The Committee for the Allocation of Agenzija Sapport Services • The Health Division Consultative Committee • The Housing Authority Scheme L Board • The Malta Community Chest Fund

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17.9 KNPD is also represented as one of the Founding Entities of the Respite Care Services Foundation, which manages Dar il-Kaptan, and of the Foundation for Information Technology Accessiblity. 17.10 KNPD stays updated on what is happening internationally within the disability sector by maintaining close contact with the European Disability Forum, the Disability Rights Committee within the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, Disability Wales and Inclusion Europe, among other entities.

________________________________________ For further information on the work of the National Commission Persons with Disability visit www.knpd.org or contact the KNPD Secretariat in St Venera. National Commission Persons with Disability Bugeia Institute Braille Street St Venera SVR 1619 Tel: 2278 8555 Fax: 2278 8490 SMS only: 7978 8555 Email: helpdesk@knpd.org

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Statistics from the National Register of Persons with Disability

Table 19: Statistics according to Age and Gender

% Difference

Age Females Males Total 2011 2010

0-4 43 51 94 0.75 0.91 -0.16

5-9 92 160 252 2.02 2.10 -0.08

10-14 122 216 338 2.71 2.99 -0.28

15-19 178 223 401 3.22 3.20 0.02

20-24 156 245 401 3.22 3.27 -0.06

25-29 168 273 441 3.54 3.59 -0.06

30-34 192 288 480 3.85 3.88 -0.03

35-39 204 257 461 3.70 3.82 -0.12

40-44 211 258 469 3.76 3.74 0.02

45-49 218 335 553 4.43 4.75 -0.31

50-54 330 438 768 6.16 6.42 -0.26

55-59 354 520 874 7.01 7.30 -0.29

60-64 489 617 1106 8.87 8.97 -0.10

65-69 479 630 1109 8.89 8.07 0.82

70-74 516 605 1121 8.99 9.08 -0.09

75-79 642 528 1170 9.38 8.93 0.45

80-84 740 512 1252 10.04 10.31 -0.27

>85 678 430 1108 8.89 8.21 0.68

Unknown 72 0.58 0.45

Total 5812 6586 12470

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Graph 1: Statistics according to age

34

Table 20: Statistics according to Age over the years

0-16 17-59 60+

Year No. % No. % No. % Not known Total

1994 815 24.5 1839 55.2 651 19.5 25 3330

1999 1089 17.2 2961 46.7 2286 36.1 4 6340

2003 1260 16.6 3388 44.5 2962 38.9 0 7610

2005 764 8.4 3854 42.5 4388 48.4 57 9063

2006 807 8.4 4030 41.7 4771 49.4 55 9663

2007 819 8.0 4188 40.7 5227 50.8 57 10291

2008 837 7.3 4449 38.6 6193 53.7 54 11532

2009 864 7.4 4535 38.9 6198 53.1 76 11673

2010 874 7.3 4616 38.7 6396 53.6 54 11940

2011 865 6.9 4667 37.4 6407 51.4 54 12470

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Table 21: Statistics according to disability

No %

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2011 2010 Difference 2010 - 2011

Physical 8949 8470 8190 7801 6556 71.76 70.94 0.83

Intellectual 2301 2269 2234 2184 2052 18.45 19.00 -0.55

Psychological 1177 1214 1182 1166 1054 9.44 10.17 -0.73

Visual 1167 1138 1166 1236 1159 9.36 9.53 -0.17

Hearing 1009 1019 1060 1128 1062 8.09 8.53 -0.44

More than one 2267 2286 2292 2284 2022 18.18 19.15 -0.97

Not specified 849 886 903 1140 1279 6.81 7.42 -0.61

Note: The totals are greater because there are a number of people with more than one disability Graph 3

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Table 22: Statistics according to Disability and Age every five years

Physical % Psychological % Intell-ectual % Hearing % Visual %

More than one %

0-4 53 0.59 27 2.29 52 2.26 5 0.50 9 0.77 40 1.76

5-9 93 1.04 70 5.95 160 6.95 19 1.88 15 1.29 98 4.32

10-14 139 1.55 87 7.39 183 7.95 34 3.37 38 3.26 108 4.76

15-19 165 1.84 78 6.63 220 9.56 46 4.56 30 2.57 119 5.25

20-24 194 2.17 71 6.03 198 8.60 35 3.47 26 2.23 107 4.72

25-29 226 2.53 57 4.84 184 8.00 46 4.56 44 3.77 104 4.59

30-34 231 2.58 64 5.44 181 7.87 53 5.25 35 3.00 97 4.28

35-39 245 2.74 65 5.52 144 6.26 43 4.26 45 3.86 90 3.97

40-44 301 3.36 60 5.10 135 5.87 30 2.97 34 2.91 87 3.84

45-49 347 3.88 62 5.27 114 4.95 51 5.05 50 4.28 95 4.19

50-54 514 5.74 98 8.33 146 6.35 59 5.85 87 7.46 146 6.44

55-59 640 7.15 91 7.73 111 4.82 66 6.54 74 6.34 133 5.87

60-64 891 9.96 100 8.50 122 5.30 72 7.14 90 7.71 161 7.10

65-69 914 10.21 63 5.35 71 3.09 64 6.34 105 9.00 130 5.73

70-74 973 10.87 46 3.91 59 2.56 66 6.54 86 7.37 140 6.18

75-79 1017 11.36 36 3.06 65 2.82 87 8.62 102 8.74 156 6.88

80-84 919 10.27 36 3.06 64 2.78 61 6.05 105 9.00 163 7.19

>85 1087 12.15 66 5.61 92 4.00 172 17.05 192 16.45 293 12.92

8949 100.00 1177 100.00 2301 100.00 1009 100.00 1167 100.00 2267 100.00

Note: The totals are greater because there are a number of people with more than one disability

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Table nn: Statistics according to Disability and Age (Children, adults and the elderly)

Physical % Psychological % Intellectual % Hearing % Visual % More

than one

%

0-16 365 4.08 216 18.35 496 21.56 78 7.73 77 6.60 303 13.37

17-59 2783 31.10 614 52.17 1332 57.89 409 40.54 410 35.13 921 40.63

60+ 5801 64.82 347 29.48 473 20.56 522 51.73 680 58.27 1043 46.01

8949 100.00 1177 100.00 2301 100.00 1009 100.00 1167 100.00 2267 100.00

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Table 23: Prevalence of Disability Compared to Population

Year Prevalence

1994 0.9

1999 1.6

2003 1.9

2005 2.3

2006 2.4

2007 2.5

2008 2.8

2009 2.8

2010 2.9

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Table 24: Prevalence According to Locality

ATTARD 229 LIJA 68 SAN GILJAN 278 BALZAN 138 LUQA 139 SAN GWANN 314 BIRGU 101 MARSA 242 SAN LAWRENZ 18 BIRKIRKARA 674 MARSASCALA 274 ST PAUL’S BAY 487 BIRZEBBUGIA 248 MARSAXLOKK 75 SANNAT 52 BORMLA 218 MDINA 16 SIGGIEWI 302 DINGLI 90 MELLIEHA 256 SLIEMA 589 FGURA 354 MGARR 74 STA LUCIA 106 FLORIANA 108 MOSTA 497 ST VENERA 258 FONTANA 24 MQABBA 74 SWIEQI 165 GHAJNSIELEM 68 MSIDA 215 TA' XBIEX 65 GHARB 41 MTARFA 73 TARXIEN 234 GHARGHUR 58 MUNXAR 29 VALLETTA 260 GHASRI 12 NADUR 105 VICTORIA 197 GHAXAQ 99 NAXXAR 282 XAGHRA 93 GUDJA 61 PAOLA 332 XEWKIJA 75 GZIRA 246 PEMBROKE 72 XGHAJRA 27 HAMRUN 400 PIETA' 145 ZABBAR 419 IKLIN 55 QALA 45 ZEBBUG 315 ISLA 90 QORMI 553 ZEBBUG (GOZO) 50 KALKARA 74 QRENDI 75 ZEJTUN 359 KERCEM 39 RABAT 484 ZURRIEQ 246 KIRKOP 45 SAFI 49