The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities applies worldwide. For this reason, the Federal Government is supporting the European Commission’s strategy on policy on persons with disabilities. In the context of its development cooperation, the Federal Government will be developing its own strategy on the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Persons with disabilities have an increased risk of poverty the world over; their chances of education, work and health are much poorer than for the rest of the population. Development cooperation will therefore have a separate strategy for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Financial and staffing resources will be provided in the coming years in order to improve the inclusion of persons with disabilities in German development cooperation.
Germany is endeavouring at all international levels (European Union, United Nations, other multilateral relationships) to ensure the worldwide implementation of the UN Convention. The Federal Government fundamentally welcomes the European Commission’s strategy on disability and stresses its interest in cooperation with the EU in a large number of topics tackled in the strategy.
The perception of persons with disabilities depends to a considerable degree on how they are represented in entertainment, information, education and scientific media: which pictures, symbols and definitions are imposed upon them, what stories are told about them and in which contexts they appear or speak themselves.
The interest in the topic of disability on the part of the entertainment and mass media has increased considerably in the past two decades. This is a major indication of a trend towards normalisation and inclusion. Nonetheless, the pictures and interpretations portrayed in the media and also through advertising are in many cases unsatisfactory or problematic: They draw an inadequate, incomplete picture of the real lives of persons with disabilities and document or favour an image (an external perception) which has little in common with the self-perception - the collective or subjective identity - of persons with disabilities.
The Federal Government will communicatively support and accompany the implementation of the National Action Plan with a long-term. The major elements of this campaign will be coordinated with civil society and in particular with the associations of persons with disabilities.
A growing interest in the topic of disability can also be observed in the field of culture production (film, theatre, literature, art) in recent years. Art and culture offer an important experimental space for the change of perspectives. The Federal Government will do its best to ensure that the cultural promotion of the Federation also increases its support for artists with disabilities.
The varied interest in the topic of disability and the question as to the sense and meaning of “normality”, “health”, “happiness”, “suffering”, “body”, “identity”, “sense”, “human dignity”, “equality” or “autonomy” frequently underlying this interest leads to a heightened perception of the cultural dimensions of disability. This is an important prerequisite for inclusion, and also has an impact on the way in which the topic is dealt with in academic circles: “Disability Studies”, an interdisciplinary field of research which is still in its infancy in Germany, constitutes an investigation of disability as a historical, social and cultural phenomenon. On the basis of cultural, intellectual and sociological-orientated research, medical, educational, rehabilitation science and social policy interpretations of disability are given an important corrective and provided with valuable food for thought in the shape of Disability Studies. Disability Studies also make a major contribution to the question of the public portrayal and perception of persons with disabilities.
An international conference on Disability Studies is planned to take place in Berlin in cooperation with the researchers and other stakeholders who are active in this area in Germany in order to promote an international exchange.
Disability is not curable. It is an integral part of the personality of persons with disabilities and deserves respect. Disabling structures and conduct are however curable. The name of the therapy is inclusion. We’re going to make the world simpler. And we’re going to simply do it together with those who are in this with us!
© Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales 2023