Despite there being more enforcment to the legislation that states that 2% of employees need to be persons with disability, the right attitude is still not being taken, according to the National Council of Persons with a Disability (KNPD).

“In an ideal world, persons with disabilities are not categorised in a group of their own, and quota would not be needed. The quota is being enforced, but employers are still not well educated,” the council’s chairperson Oliver Scicluna explained, in comments to The Malta Independent. “ I do not want to generalise, but the right approach is still not there. Employers need to undertand that they’re not doing this as a favour,” he said.

Last week, Malta Employers Association (MEA) held an information session to discuss the regulations for the employment of disabled persons.During the informaton session, employers claimed that most of them already have a 2% quota of persons with a disability, but because the employees have not registered their statues, they go unrecognised by the government.

But Mr Scicluna said that the argument is invalid because persons who geniunely have a disability will have registered for social security, parking badges or tax exemption. The issue, he said, is that employers may be taking into consideration people with trivial conditions, such as backpain.

Statistics shows that persons with intellectual disabilitie are less likely to be employed than those with a physical disability.  This is one of the reasons for the quota’s enforcment.

He said that he can understand that employers too have their limitation, but the correct education and awaress everyone can be a winner.“ Persons with a disability might need that extra assistance, but this is also true for persons who do not suffer from any condition,” he said.

In June,  Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo told Parliament  it is unacceptable that 95 per cent of people with disability were unemployed. He said that some 20,000 of those disabled were still at an employable age but only five per cent were working. The EU average stands at 50%.