The Action Plan is a bundle of schemes and a motor for change - but it is not a set of laws. It is a matter of closing existing gaps between the law as it stands and practice. The Federal Government is moving forward here using schemes which point the way and providing the impetus for further work.
With the National Action Plan, the Federal Government describes the challenges and projects of the Federation. It is organising a debate within society; it is promoting growing consideration of the special interests and needs of persons with disabilities from the outset in all political schemes and legislative initiatives (“disability mainstreaming”). Furthermore, it is campaigning for the Länder and municipalities to draft their own action plans and to set up points of call for networking (“focal points”).
Finally, inclusion is being carried out in everyday life. In shops, at the workplace, in restaurants and in the homes in which many persons with disabilities live. Inclusion can therefore only be successful if associations, enterprises, social facilities, foundations and other civil society players in particular take part in the practical implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and draft their own action plans as a framework for future activities. The Federal Government will actively campaign for this. The activities which set examples are to be documented on an Internet platform, setting in motion a process of learning from one another.
The Action Plan has a time horizon of ten years. In this time, it will be regularly assessed and refined according to the results. The first time will be in two years. We would also like to organise implementation in a transparent fashion and with the participation of all stakeholders.
This Action Plan is also the result of a constructive, critical dialogue with the population, in particular with persons with disabilities. The Federal Government will also continue to hold onto this in future. Participation is furthermore also institutionalised through the Committee on the National Action Plan, consisting of representatives of associations of persons with disabilities, social and welfare associations, as well as the social partners and academia. Moreover, through the advisory council on inclusion established with the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Disabled Persons.
In order to clarify the extensive challenges posed by an inclusive society, the Action Plan will be structured according to twelve fields of action and seven cross-sectional topics.
Working together with the associations of persons with disabilities, the Federal Government has identified fields of activity via a kind of matrix for which the concrete schemes are formulated. The fields of action describe all areas of life: The individual chapters of the Action Plan follow these fields.
The seven cross-sectional topics - need of assistive services, accessibility, gender mainstreaming, equality, migration, self-determined living and diversity of disability - are considered in all fields of action.
Progress in inclusion is to become measurable. The basis for this will be provided in future by the new Disability Report.
The Federal Government will be revising the Disability Report and linking it with the fields of action of the Action Plan. Indicator-based reporting is to close existing gaps in the data and present the data that are available in a more practical fashion on which policy can be based. We would like thus to have a good data basis to counter prejudices and to develop policies for persons with disabilities on the basis of sound facts. In the course of this development it will be possible to identify in which fields and at which levels progress is made.