The group has been continuously active over the last fifty years. Indeed, their actions lead to the founding of St. Martin’s school which they fundraised for. It was “only when a Minister came into Government who had a child with disabilities that the Government agreed to match the funds that the parents had raised and that’s how St. Martin’s came about”.

The society has evolved over the years. As well as “fighting for education and employment and rights” it has grown into an organisation which can effectively demand legal and social change. “Everybody needs to be equal”, said Debbie Borastero, “it’s a right to leisure; it’s a right to employment; it’s a right to being able to live independently; it’s a right to the right healthcare, to support and what we needed was legislation.

“In the end of the day, if you don’t have legislation you don’t have any rights. That’s something that we achieved. We managed to get the Disability Act 2017, but what we’re aiming for in the long run is the United Nations Convention on the rights of people with disabilities. That is the goal”.

In addition to this legislative piece, another of their major thrusts is supported employment. “Not everybody with a disability goes to St. Martins. St. Martins is the school for people whose disabilities are profound enough that they go to that school rather than mainstream. When they finish at St. Martins they tend to go to St. Bernadette’s resource centre. But there are many, many children. There’s over 1000 children in local schools. And those are 2017-18 statistics”.

SUPPORT

Currently, Debbie estimates, there are approximately 1500 children that the society supports with various disabilities who do not automatically go to St. Bernadette’s. Obviously, the question remains: where do they go? “That’s why we need supported employment. We need supported independent living to leave home and live an independent life”.

Of course, she stressed that perhaps some may need daily visits, but overall Gibraltar requires the necessary infrastructure to help disabled people live dignified lives.

The society is run by six committee members, completely voluntary. “Most of the committee members have a disabled family member which is why they are interested in how things are going”.

Their activities beyond political legislation has been, quite naturally, fundraising. Equipment for the disabled is extraordinarily expensive and fundraising all hinges upon the kind of budgets governments administer.

“A wheelchair – a good one – is £4,000. Sometimes that can be funded by government, sometimes the funds are there so the society will help to contribute. There are other issues where certain equipment is needed in schools which is funded by government. But the same equipment may be needed at home during the summer holidays so the society will do that. We do two or three fundraisers a year to support that”.

The society wants to encourage government and private entities to make changes for disabilities. “Anything simple from access to a shop. If you can put in a ramp which allows people to go in to trying to persuade government, like I said before, with legislation, e.g., supported employment”.

Many people fail to understand what ‘supported employment’ means in practise. When “you talk about supported employment, what you’re trying to do is to get somebody into a private business, in a certain position, which is suitable for that person. Not just any job because ‘we have to give them something’ – a job that they will be able to excel at and learn from”.

It is never enough to simply pay lip service to these necessary ideas; but realise their necessity through the required material changes – no matter how hard those changes may be to enact.

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01-09-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR