Merkel: Equal opportunities and equal participation for people with disabilities

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel/Photo: BPA

Equal opportunities and equal participation for people with disabilities is a goal to which the Federal Government is committed.

Asia 728x90

This is what Chancellor Merkel said in her current podcast, in which she recalls the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ten years ago.

The German Chancellor stressed that: “Involving them in society is a priority task for the Federal Government and is also very important to me personally.”

“In 2011, the Federal Government adopted the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which will be continuously updated. The focus would be on opportunities for participation in education and the dismantling of physical barriers.

“We want people with disabilities to be actively involved in shaping the National Action Plan for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In addition, the adoption of the Federal Participation Act has brought about a system change, says the Chancellor, adding that “it is about more individual self-determination and help from a single source”.

As of 2020, these aids will be paid out primarily on an individual basis, thus increasing the possibility of self-determination in one’s own life. The budget for work would improve the chances of people with disabilities on the labour market, Merkel says. “And we are also considering introducing a budget for training in order to also strengthen vocational training for the disabled.