lnclusion means being on common ground from the beginning. This applies to upbringing and education in families, kindergartens and schools.
That which is taken for granted soon falls out of view. This also applies to progress in fields which we regard as normal today and which appeared questionable only thirty years ago. That children with a disability grow up in a family is such an assumption. It appeared for a long time that suitable care, promotion and therapy were only possible in a home. The blanket expansion of early promotion has helped further this development. One problem here however – in particular for the parents of children with disabilities - is still the delimitation of the different benefits from various different legal codes provided by different bodies. Parents need to coordinate this in a manner caused by the existing structures.
The Federal Government is endeavouring to solve the known interface-related problems in the various fields of early promotion.
The problems related to competence and funding which prevent a holistic view being taken of children and juveniles with disabilities and their families will be dealt with in an interconferencial Federal-Länder working party with participation from the central associations of local authorities and the Federal Association of the Regional Social Assistance Agencies. In terms of the perspective, it is a matter of overcoming the different division of responsibility and of combining integration assistance for children and juveniles with disabilities under the umbrella of Social Code Book VIII (Child assistance and youth welfare) in a consensus between the Federation, the Länder and the municipalities (“Grand Solution Social Code Book VIII”).
Working mothers and fathers who take care of children with disabilities are faced with extraordinary burdens. The Federal Government will examine whether existing arrangements for relieving the burden on working parents of children with disabilities can be refined in order to support them in their important task even more strongly than was previously the case.
Mothers and fathers with disabilities also wish to experience fulfilled, responsible parenthood. Where necessary, they are offered various benefits (known as assistive services for parents) by the statutory provisions. It is being examined whether a procedure can be found which overcomes difficulties in practice with the involvement of all funding agencies.
“Together from the beginning” also applies to childcare. lnclusion has already been almost fully achieved in kindergartens and childcare facilities today. We will also achieve this high standard for the under-threes by entrenching the mandate to expand inclusive childcare in the law. The Federation is supporting the quality-orientated expansion of child day-care activities for the under-threes on an as-needed basis with Euro 4 billion until 2013. From 2014 onwards, it will be permanently supporting the Länder to the tune of Euro 770 million per year.
Every child has a right to individual promotion, support, development and education. The Federal Government is endeavouring to ensure that inclusive playing and learning become taken for granted.
Every child is to be able to attend the school of their choice and of their parents’ choice, that is to decide freely between regular or specialist school, regardless of what skills and leanings, strengths and weaknesses he/she has. This is the guiding concept of inclusive education. Only 20.1 percent of all pupils with learning difficulties attend a regular school today. This will change. We would also like by these means to involve the parents of children with and without disabilities. Everyday life in schools will change too.
Germany has a high-quality, detailed promotion system. It is a matter of using this potential in order to teach all pupils in one class and under the same roof.
There are already promising methods in many Federal Länder. This path is to be continued. Questions related to inclusive education form the subject-matter of the Skills Development Initiative of the Federation and the Länder. The Länder are currently revising the “Recommendations for special educational promotion in schools in the Federal Republic of Germany”. The joint tuition of children with and without disabilities is a major focus here.
The Federal Government is supporting progress on this path with the Jakob Muth Prize for inclusive schools and creating an additional incentive to engage in a commitment for an inclusive education system. What is more, the Federal Government will be organising a National Conference on Inclusive Education and drafting a guideline booklet for parents on joint tuition.