New skills centre for disabled persons in Sliema

Service centres operated by the government would be focusing on promoting inclusion and training disabled people to live independently, parliamentary secretary for disability Justyne Caruana said on Tuesday.

Caruana, who was speaking at the new Skills Space centre run by Agenzija Sapport in Sliema, said that the government had shown it was committed to providing services at home for disabled persons in need, while at the same time encouraging them to get out of the house and interact with others.

The new centre features specially-designated areas where people with different abilities will be able to receive instruction on basic home living skills, including preparing meals and operating appliances like vacuum cleaners and washing machines.

Relatives will be able to observe and follow the training from behind two-way mirrors, easing fears many families often had when leaving their loved ones in the care of professionals.

Caruana said the agency would be expanding this system to other existing centres and include it when planning new ones projected for the near future.