European Year a window of opportunity, Euro-MP tells local disabled people’s rights group

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 13th Sep 2002

Liz Lynne, MEP for the West Midlands and Vice-President of the European Parliament All-Party Disability Intergroup today spoke at the annual general meeting of DIAL (Disability Information and Advice Line) Shropshire.

She used her speech today to highlight the upcoming European Year for People with Disabilities 2003 for which Liz served as European Parliamentary Rapporteur. The year is intended as an opportunity for disabled people’s rights to be put at the top of the agenda across Europe and for disabled people’s charities such as DIAL Shropshire to highlight their work and participate in some of the thousands events to be held nationwide.

In her speech, Liz Lynne said “Hopefully the year will be an opportunity to mainstream disabled people’s rights. When I wrote my report I made sure that we did not just have conferences at a national level where people could pat themselves on the back. Instead, we have opened the way for local disabled people’s organisations to directly have a hand in the planning of the year.”

“What we need from 2003 are positive outcomes for disabled people and that would include a specific EU wide Disability Directive to outlaw discrimination against disabled people on all grounds,” she added.

Liz Lynne has consistently highlighted disabled people’s issues both in Europe and in the West Midlands. Last month she organised her latest battlebus tour in which she highlighted the best and worst examples of disabled people’s access across the region.