Our commitment to persons with a disability

On 3 December, Malta happily joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This annual event seeks to foster commitment to a cause the Labour government has championed.

This year’s theme, Fostering Disability-inclusive Societies For Advancing Social Progress, is a rallying call we have embraced since coming to power in 2013. As a nation, we are fully aware of the fact that persons with disabilities and their families face challenges and barriers in the attainment of several social development objectives. Disability inclusion in all aspects of social, economic, cultural and political life is imperative.

Budget after budget, we have shown our proven commitment to enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities, their families and carers, with the support of State agencies and dedicated voluntary organisations. This was the only way we could make sure persons with disabilities are no longer threatened by poverty because of discrimination in employment, uneven social protection, and a denial of their dignity and right to autonomy and support.

Budget 2026 reaffirms, in more specific terms, the Labour government’s pledge with the allocation of a record €68.9 million to the disability sector.

The road to independent living within the community is being paved with facts, such as the residence in Mary Carter Street, Fgura, where three women with disabilities today live independently with the help of Aġenzija Sappport. On my visit there to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities I could witness the newfound quality of life the residents—Maryanne, Yvette u Shania—are enjoying thanks to the collaboration and individual support they receive.

No less impressive is the harmonious way they have integrated in running their everyday lives through mutual support despite their different interests.

Providing persons with disabilities the opportunity to maintain independent living, however, is not an end in itself. We continue to make sure the attainment of an inclusive Maltese society is backed by financial schemes and support services. Suffice to say the expenditure on disability benefits has now reached €45.5 million, due to a wider eligibility system achieved through legal and assessment reforms involving multi-disciplinary panels.

The sustained goal of achieving a truly inclusive society where independent living is a priority, is confirmed by yet another substantial increase in the amount of financial support to initiatives undertaken by Aġenzija Sapport—€5.7 million for next year alone. It is no wonder Malta placed second in the European Network on Independent Living’s latest annual report.

During our visit to the Fgura residence, Aġenzija Sapport Chief Executive Oliver Scicluna, rightly referred to the particular needs of every individual with disability and how crucial it is that the dignity of each and every person is upheld. Programmes such as Sharing Lives, My Programme and the Empowerment scheme, totalling almost €1 million in support, readily come to mind.

The Fgura residence serves as an example of how we can make a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities, their families and friends. Every person has the right to lead a dignified life, making his or her own choices and participating within society.

Against this emerging reality, government plans include the introduction of personal budgets as part of the 2023 reform. The implementation of the National Strategies for Disability and Autism has, in the meantime, been maintained at both local and international levels. Access to justice, for example, is a primary reform objective, which we intend to achieve through collaboration with the Justice Ministry, the EU, OECD and Galway University as part of a national dialogue with the judiciary and civil society.

Two new crucial laws have been announced: The Personal Autonomy Bill, putting Malta among the leaders in Europe on the issue of supported decision-making; and the Protection of Adults in Situations of Vulnerability Bill, which ensures protection from abuse and the introduction of an offenders register.

We are also writing a new chapter by focussing on such aspects as identification and training, with the launch of a new national programme on neurodivergence for employers and employees and €250,000 in Erasmus+ funds for the training of persons with disabilities as part of the Train-the-Trainer system and the SkillUP project. This initiative is supported by the AX Foundation.

Another quarter of a million euros will go to the ACTIVATE project; the first of its kind in Europe to train autistic young men and women as self-advocates. Meanwhile, parliament has approved the registration and warranting of sign language interpreters in another sign of our ongoing commitment towards the disability sector.