ACA
ACCESSIBLE CULTURE FOR ALL
Best Practices in Malta
and further cooperation
in Accessible Tourism
Joseph M. Camilleri
Chairman, Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Diżabilità (KNPD)
(with Ms. M. Barbara)
Friday, 16th November, 2012
ACCESSIBILITY IN MALTA
Our review of accessibility in Malta is based on the
Access for All Design Guidelines (3rd edition 2011)
(AADG) which includes:
 Accommodation:
 Hotels, boutique-hotels, guest-houses and
hostels
 Airport
 Beaches
 Churches
 Pavements
 Public gardens
 Retails, bars and restaurants
 Schools
KNPD – MEPA COLLABORATION
KNPD advises the Malta Environment & Planning Authority
(MEPA) regarding applications for public buildings. We do this in
the following ways:

Development plans vetted to ensure AADG compliance

Pre-consultation meetings held with KNPD draughtsperson
(Ms. Marie Barbara) at MEPA, by appointment

Upon request, meetings may be arranged with KNPD Chair
&/or KNPD’s consultant architect

Where there are issues specific to persons with restricted
mobility, KNPD Chair may carry out an on-site visit and
offer suggestions
Access For All
Design Guidelines 2011
1st edition (2000) - 2nd edition (2005) - 3rd edition (2011)
 Restructuring of the guidelines in an amended format
 A review of the technical design guidance, taking in
advances in new technology
 Include more guidance in areas not addressed in
previous editions of the AADG
 More focus on differing context of new-build and
existing
buildings
KNPD’s modus operandi
 We take in consideration the location and type of building and
we try to find a reasonable and generally acceptable
compromise.
 The Maltese building industry still tends to take the line that
the minimum requirements in the AADG are actually the
maximum required, thus trying to water down the guidelines.
KNPD resistance to this trend is robust.
 In cases where there is a problem and an outright exemption
is requested applicants may apply to KNPD’s Test of
Reasonableness Board.
SOME POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS
There is a slow but sure growth in accessible tourism
facilities in Malta:
 Hotels/ guest-houses/ hostels/ boutique-hotels
 Restaurants & retail outlets
 Places of interest
 Blue flag beaches
 wooden gangways, waterborne wheelchairs,
accessible-for-all sanitary facilities
TRANSPORT
SEA, land & air

Gozo Channel ferries are accessible for all

The Gozo terminal is accessible, while the Malta terminal
(still under construction) will be functional and accessible
by the end of 2012

The cruise liner terminal is accessible to all, as is most of
the Valletta Waterfront. However, disabled Maltese still
experience significant difficulties booking accessible
cabins with local cruise- ship travel agencies

Harbour cruise facilities vary in respect of accessibility --our saving grace remains, as always, our very helpful and
supportive population
TRANSPORT
sea, LAND, air
 The local bus service (Arriva Ltd) is, by and large,
accessible to all, but land infrastructure (bus-stops,
pavements, etc) lag far behind
 Wheelchair-users and local Blue Badge holders travel
free-of-charge
 Wheelchair accessible transport includes:
 Yellow cabs
 Individual taxis
 Some mini-bus services (although these cater for
multiple wheelchair-users and are thus very expensive
as an individual option)
 Hand-control Rental Vehicles are still not available,
although KNPD has been working very hard to resolve
this issue
TRANSPORT
land , sea & AIR
As an EU Member-State, Malta is bound by the European
Commission’s guidelines to improve and facilitate the
application of Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 [SWD(2012)171]
 Malta International Airport is physically accessible to all
 Air Malta offers various services to disabled persons:
 Wheelchair accessible transport to and from the aircraft
 Assistance to and from one’s plane seat
 Personal assistance and priority services for wheelchair
users to and from destination
 Guide dog owners have their own arrangements
HERITAGE SITES
Ggantija Temple (Gozo)

The Ġgantija temples are the earliest
of a series of megalithic temples in
Malta.

External approach from the drop off
point / parking to the temples.

The solution had to be non invasive
and not to cause irreversible
damage, i.e., suspended timber
walkway

Now, more than 80% of the building
is accessible to all
HERITAGE SITES
Palazzo de Piro - Mdina
 This 17th century palazzo in Malta's old
capital city, Mdina, has been recently
restored to create a venue of crosscultural, artistic and social dialogue
 Heritage Malta agreed to the installation
of a timber ramp was installed to avoid
further alterations to the façade
 There are different levels on same floor
 Lifts and step lifts are being installed
 To date almost all the building is
accessible to all except for one small
room
HERITAGE SITES
Cittadella (Gozo)
 is a historic fortified city or
castle with steep, stepped
passageways
 The best possible noncompliant AADG ramps to be
installed
 KNPD has recommended the
following:
 Information maps which will
indicate which areas are
accessible and which not,
and the gradient of the
streets
 Electric scooters are to be
made available
HERITAGE SITES
Lascaris War Rooms & NATO Tunnels
are located 400 feet under the Upper Barrakka Gardens,
they are composed of a network of underground tunnels
and chambers that housed the WW2 HQ in Malta from
where all the defence and offensive operations in the
Mediterranean were directed.

Thery were deliberately designed to be inaccessible

It is impossible to render them fully accessible to all

KNPD & Heritage Malta have collaborated to maximise
accessibility
BOUTIQUE HOTELS
…
Birgu
located in one of the ‘Three Cities’ the owner of this boutique
hotel has rendered the historic building accessible to the
maximum extent possible, without damaging its fabric or
historic value.
‘COULD-DO-BETTER’ Sectors
 Existing buildings
 Harbour cruises and sea cruises
 Encroachments on public land (restaurants,
bars, etc) hamper access for blind people and
people with restricted mobility
 Roads and public transport infrastructure
 More investment and effort is always needed
in order to change public attitudes
 NOTE - Malta is a late-comer to accessibility.
EU-funding with its obligation to increasing
inclusion has ‘kick started’ a sudden interest
in accessibility
TOURISM FOR DISABLED PEOPLE
Accessible tourism is a long chain made up of individual links, if
one link is weak or broken the whole chain collapses.
 Holiday planning: accessible websites & accessible,
accurate information
 Travel to destination: vehicle/ terminal accessibility &
affordability?
 Travel at destination: availability … affordability?
 Accommodation: accessibility/ affordability … choice!
 Heritage sites: accessibility site/ information
 Leisure venues: bars, restaurants, discos
 Cultural activities: Malta Nights, Evenings on Campus, Notte
Bianca, various local festivals
 ATTITUDE, attitude, attitude
THANK YOU
 KNPD website: www.knpd.org
 Access for All Design Guidelines (KNPD on-line
publication)
 Rights, Not Charity (KNPD on-line publication)
 Disability Equality Training for staff (contact KNPD)
KNPD ● Bugeia Institute, Triq Braille, Sta. Venera SVR1619 - MALTA ●
● T: 2278 8555 ● F: 2278 8490 ● SMS biss/ SMS only: 7978 8555 ●
● W: http://www.knpd.org/ ● E: helpdesk@knpd.org ●