It is no secret that the European Union has supported a great deal of legislation protecting the rights and equal treatment of disabled people. Now that Brexit has prevailed, what are the implications for the rights of people with disabilities?
Disability Rights UK have issued a statement explaining that they will fight for disabled people’s hard won rights following the Referendum as the UK negotiates its way out of the European Union. Proposals for new European Accessibility Legislation covering accessibility of public sector websites and a range of products and services need to be protected, for example.
Fiona McGhie, Public Law expert at Irwin Mitchell, explained in an article on Independent Living that Brexit would affect the ability of disabled people to rely on the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR), which includes many wider social and economic rights, such as the rights to fair and just working conditions, to healthcare and to have personal data protected.
John Evans at Disability Now expressed his concern about how Social care in the UK will be affected, as there are over 80,000 EU migrant workers working in the social care workforce, the loss of which would have a disastrous effect on both health and social care. In his article, Evans goes on to say that although the future looks bleaks and uncertain, it has been reassuring to receive messages of support for the disabled people of the UK from both the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the European Network for Independent Living (ENIL).
What do you think? Do you feel secure in the rights you have? Is Britain just as reliable a protector of minority interests as the EU? And let’s not forget the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities . Please share your views by commenting below.
01 Jul 2016 12:23:01
Very thankful for this wee piece by DRUK, Irwin Mitchell and DN – particularly the piece by John Evans because austerity measures are already biting into care and support and – with a downturn in financial markets – the Conservative Government may chose to make further cuts to local spending meaning yet more pressure on social care. An industry that many would argue is falling apart at the seams!