MEP Therese Comodini Cachia has been appointed European People’s Party group rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, the Nationalist Party said yesterday.

“There is still a long way to go for society to remove the obstacles it places on persons with disabilities.

“Even we, as politicians, at times use language that focuses on the vulnerability of people rather than their potential,” Ms Comodini Cachia said.

She was speaking during a consultation meeting with civil society at the European Parliament in Brussels as part of her new role in the Culture and Education Committee.

Ms Comodini Cachia said that, while the concept of inclusive education had been incorporated in a number of member states, there was the need to review whether this reflected true inclusion or only reasonable accommodation.

“Persons with disabilities make a valuable contribution to society, and this contribution can be even greater if inclusion were genuine and effective,” she said.