The German Institute for Human Rights has criticized the lack of progress in the inclusion of people with disabilities in Germany, 16 years after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into effect.
In a position paper published on Thursday, the institute called on political parties to prioritize the concerns of people with disabilities in the upcoming coalition talks.
“We need a strong social policy in the next legislative period that strengthens social cohesion” said Britta Schlegel, head of the monitoring station for the UN Disability Rights Convention at the institute. “The new federal government must unequivocally commit to the principle of inclusion and the self-determination of people with disabilities. This requires an active and engaged policy that puts the rights of people with disabilities and their equalization in the spotlight.”
The institute is calling for a range of reforms, including making barrier-free accessibility a mandatory criterion for the allocation of public funding, expanding barrier-free workplaces and improving support for young people with disabilities in the transition from school to working life. Additionally, more opportunities for self-determined living, including the provision of barrier-free housing, are needed.
The institute also identified a lack of specific healthcare for people with disabilities, political self-representation and support for families as areas in need of improvement.
Germany has a population of around 13 million people with one or more disabilities and with the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006, the country committed to ensuring their social inclusion. This includes, in particular, the enabling of equal and self-determined participation in public, political and working life, as well as the integration of education and the provision of healthcare.