Newsletter: August 2021

A very quick word only to let members know how our three most important requests are  developing. 

The contractor, the Electricity Authority, a government representative and an association representative met in situ on the 5^th of July to discuss the long overdue top up point for mobility scooters. We have recently been informed that the first phase of the works has now been completed and that works will continue shortly. 

The ongoing saga of seniors having to pay at New Harbours still continues in spite of the dangers the venue poses. Minister Sacramento initiated it and Minister Linares who we met more than a year ago and who said would look into the matter and let us know has perpetuated it. We have written to Minister Linares asking him to tell us whether he agrees that New Harbours is the best and safest place and poses no peril to the elderly.

And lastly, some of the bus stop benches are too low for comfort, difficult to sit and rise for those not so young and agile and with aches and pains to boot. One bench was modified practically immediately after our request and though we are told that some modifications have taken place, we have to test and confirm. Since, ministerial changes have taken place and Minister Balban is once again the minister responsible for buses, transport and so on.

Disability Rights.

We were honoured at being invited to join the Gibraltar Disability Rights Federation and we in turn invited the Federation to write an introductory article to be included in this month’s newsletter which we include herewith.

As life expectancy increases and the field of health and medicine advances, the world’s population is ageing. A significant proportion of this ageing population will have one or more disabilities, making this the largest community of persons with disabilities and arguably the most stigmatized and marginalized globally. The combined effects of ageism and ableism, the two common forms of social bias that view elderly persons with disabilities as less deserving of rights, freedoms and autonomy due to their age and ability, give way for this phenomenon. It is therefore no surprise that the ageing community who happen to have disabilities are amongst the most marginalised and neglected in the world. 

The intersection between ageing and disability must be given the weight and consideration it merits. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities does this whilst simultaneously shifting the perception from one of care and charity to a human rights issue. This is because people with disabilities are not ‘objects’ of charity, they are autonomous individuals which should be entitled to their fundamental rights. The Convention provides the tools to understand the many forms of discrimination experienced by older persons and ensures that all their rights and freedoms are respected, providing a clear framework that promotes values of respect, dignity and independence. 

The Senior Citizens Association is proud to announce that it has joined many other groups to form the Gibraltar Disability Rights Federation which will collectively work together towards the full ratification of this Convention and to hopefully see that it is transposed into law. Disability is not an issue that concerns those who feel and live it exclusively. Nor is it an issue that should be seen in isolation as a matter for those institutional settings that provide care. It is a matter for all of society, because we all age, we all have children which can be born with or develop a disability, we all suffer from ailments and conditions that can impair us, and as such disability can affect everyone and anyone at any given point. It is there for an all encompassing matter, which needs a united front and collective effort. 

For too many years we have relied on the discretion of government and ministers for the necessary adaptations which allow us to simply live our daily lives, equally, and freely alongside our peers. We still struggle to see these adaptations become a reality, this has been true of our own associations’ hard battles. For years we have battled for our rights, for our rightful place as autonomous members in our community and for the services and provisions that we require in order to allow us to enjoy that rightful place. We must ensure that these rights are made ours by law and that violations can be rightfully redressed. This will only become a reality when we step out of our antiquated ways and progress along with the rest of the modern world with the full ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its full transposition into law.