Disability rights: Still a lot to do

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The entry into force of the UN CRPD in Germany, marks the tenth anniversary. Associations for the disabled reason for joy only to a limited extent. The balance sheet of the reforms is mixed.

The objective of precious is without question: “the purpose of this Convention is to promote the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, to protect and to ensure and promote respect for their inherent Dignity”, it says under the Heading “purpose” in article 1 of the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. After about five years of working with the UN was the adoption of CRPD in 2006 by the UN General Assembly in New York. A total of 177 countries have ratified it since then, worldwide, the agreement, which affects approximately 650 million people. 26. March 2009, it also entered into force in Germany.

A reason to celebrate? Martin Danner is skeptical as regards the core objective of the Convention, the inclusion. He is the managing Director of the Federal Association self-help of people with disability and chronic illness and their families, in short, the BAG self-help. The umbrella Association is a registered Association and represents over a Million people. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Danner draws a mixed conclusion: “The list of areas of life in which action is needed and is long. To refer to the fields of education and training, participation in working life, and also accessibility, you need to be committed to the private company.” Adds “pent-up demand about the protection against Violence, Rehabilitation, the protection against Discrimination and on the field of self-determination.” In the office of the BAG self-help in Düsseldorf is only limited cause for celebration at come, therefore, on the anniversary of “,” says Danner.

The United Nations General Assembly: Nearly 180 countries have signed the UN disability rights Convention

Pact for inclusion required

Approximately 530 kilometres to the East, in the Federal Ministry of labour and social Affairs (BMAS) in Berlin, efforts are being made to this anniversary, highlighting its Positive aspects. Federal Minister for social Affairs, Hubertus Heil, throws back a look: “The entry into force of the UN CRPD in Germany ten years ago was a milestone for the rights of people with disabilities,” said the SPD politician. Is flanked the opinion of the house of lords by the press service of the Ministry. So to be adapted since the entry into force of the Convention, among other things, the concept of disablement and the disabled have been developed equality act. Also have changed the perception of people with disabilities. You would no longer be regarded as objects of care but as a separate people.

Still not the normal case: the Joint education of disabled and non-disabled children

Valentin Aichele don’t want to agree with this assessment. The head of the Monitoring body of the UN disability Convention on the rights of the German Institute for human rights criticized, in particular, that the joint education of children with and without disabilities in Germany was still the rule. “The policy needs to finally create the conditions for a high-quality inclusive education.” Aichele also could already have an idea how this can be done: With a “Pact for social inclusion” could help the Federal government countries in the long term in building the inclusive school. It is their task, Aichele, total to develop concepts for the construction of an inclusive school system, which contain specific measures and timeframes. The mean also, “human and financial resources to reallocate.”

Lower Saxony is progressing

Martin Danner of the BAG self-help

Aichele, a run with its demands for concrete measures, also in the case of Martin Danner and his colleagues, the BAG self-help open doors. So Danner in the past few years, “many of the individual regulations” has been decided to mention the regular promotion of programmes, projects and institutions for better advice from people with a disability”. A closer look reveals, however, that the content will be regularly inadequate, and sometimes only conditionally binding.”

In the area of inclusion, social transformation processes are taking place, shows these days is an example from lower Saxony. In the Northern German state are at 26. May local elections. For the first Time in history, are allowed to submit in the country for people of their voice, because of a disability in the full care. This relates to almost ten thousand people. The idea behind, is to hear from the office of the responsible state officer, is simple: in Principle, no one should be excluded.