Parliament is urging the government to review how the right to escorting can be strengthened for people with visual impairments.
The so-called announcement that the government "should review" the conditions for free escorting was approved by Parliament on Wednesday. The government is also urged to review whether escorting should be regulated in a special law.
The basis for the announcement was two motions, one from the government's cooperation party SD and one from MP, which received support from V, C, and S.
The right to escorting has gradually been eroded depending on how the law has been interpreted, said Carina Ståhl Herrstedt (SD) in the debate before the decision.
The governing parties M, KD, and L voted against, citing that the issue is already being processed at the Government Offices. However, SD and the opposition believe it is progressing too slowly and that it is unclear what the processing will lead to.
Not even if you are both deaf and blind do you have an obvious right to escorting today, said Karin Sundin (S).
Not voting for the announcement cannot be seen as anything other than a betrayal of those who need society's support.
A survey by the National Board of Health and Welfare shows that fewer and fewer people are granted free escorting according to the law on support and service for certain disabled people (LSS). Instead, they are referred to their municipality and the Social Services Act, which can mean fewer escorting hours and a fee.
Outside Parliament, people with visual impairments demonstrated on Wednesday for strengthened rights to escorting.
