AN SNP MP has highlighted the role the EU has played in strengthening and upholding the rights of those with disabilities, calling on voters to help protect these rights by voting Remain next week.
Dr Lisa Cameron, who is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Disability, said the Tories could not be trusted to uphold and protect those rights.
The MP pointed to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights that “respects the right of persons with disabilities to benefit from measures designed to ensure their independence, social and occupational integration and participation in the life of the community”.
Urging people to vote Remain on 23 June, she said: “The EU has been a champion when it comes to ensuring those with disabilities in this country are afforded the level of care and specialist services needed for things that we often take for granted in our daily lives.
“A vote to leave the EU would be to leave these rights with the Tories, who just can’t be trusted when it comes to looking after people with disabilities – under the Tories they have suffered from the bedroom tax and cuts to their budgets, as well as cuts for low-income working families.”
She added: “The impact of the EU upon disabled people has rarely been mentioned in this debate and I believe that it is important to highlight that the EU is much more than about trade and the economy. It plays an important role in day to day life of people living with disability across the UK and strengthens their rights alongside supporting many local projects.
“The debate has been clouded by scaremongering but people up and down the UK want to know what membership of the EU does for them. The EU’s role in championing and standardising rights and services for disabled people is just one crucial example.”
In healthcare, the MP highlighted EU directives that ensured that cross-border healthcare services in member states must be provided with ease of accessibility to those with disabilities and should they require personal assistance have the ability to apply for reimbursement costs.
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