News from Germany

By Helga Roth (HelgaRoth@compuserve.com)
 

Push for more jobs for severely disabled persons

Walter Riester, Secretary of Labor, wants to reduce the number of unemployed severely disabled persons by 50,000 during the next 2-3 years. At present 17.89% of severely disabled people are registered as unemployed. The amendment of the existing law regarding work for severely disabled people is underway. It would reduce from 6 to 5% the percentage of disabled employees that enterprises with more than 15 workers have to hire, but would increase the penalties imposed on those businesses which do not meet the quota. Criticism of the proposed amendment has been voiced by both employers' associations and some organizations for disabled persons. Employers would like to see the stringent protection against firing of disabled employees removed. Sheltered workshops are afraid that their support financed by the quota system penalties (presently at a level of about 380 million DM per year) would be curtailed.
 

Federal center for disabled women established (Bundes Organisationsstelle behinderter Frauen)

A new organizational center has been created for the approximately 5 million disabled women living in Germany. It is located at the organization "bifos" in Kassel and produces a quarterly information bulletin. Among its goals are collection of information on successful projects for disabled women, case histories of blatant discrimination, telephone counseling and communication exchanges among the networks for disabled women in existence in eight cities in Germany.
Address: bundesorganisationsstelle behinderte Frauen, Kölnische Strasse 99, 34119 Kassel, tel: 0561/7288540, fax:0561/7288544, e-mail: service@behindertefrauen.de website: www.behindertefrauen.de
 

Heidelberg University assists disabled students

Universities in Germany are obliged to meet the special needs of disabled students, but in reality barriers are everywhere. At the private special university in Heidelberg (Fachhochschule Heidelberg which offers only architecture) disabled students study architecture alongside non-disabled students. About a third of the 680 students are disabled. Their study is financed by the Labor Office or a health insurance fund which consider their training as architects as a rehabilitation measure. An important part of the courses focuses on barrier free building and much research is devoted to accessible rehabilitation of old housing. Employment opportunities are favorable: so far, 95% of disabled and non-disabled students find a job after graduation.
 

New book of success stories

Susanne Göbel, Gisela Hermes, Otmar Miles-Paul: Graadse Leeds - in spite of everything, portraits of disabled persons' self-help endeavors. Bifos publishers, Kassel 2000, DM 10.00
Some 15 portraits of severely disabled men and women are offered who built successful lives and promoted self-help goals for others. Peter Dieter is blind, uses a wheelchair and is a successful lawyer. Theresia Degener, a lawyer who has no arms, is now a professor at Bochum University, having recently completed a term as visiting professor for international human rights at the Boalt Law School of the University of California at Berkeley. These are just two examples of the portraits of severely disabled people "who made it".