Inclusion council for people with disabilities

The advisory board for disabled people in Idar-Oberstein recently met for its sixth meeting of the year. After two meetings at the Lebenshilfe Obere Nahe and the Nahetal House of the Schwesternverband, this meeting was once again held in the meeting room of the town council. As a rule, all members of the 13-member committee are present at the meetings. Unfortunately, this was not possible this time due to illness; eight members of the advisory board were present.

As usual, the minutes of the previous meeting were discussed again in order to clarify any ambiguities. Another item on the agenda that is regularly discussed at the meetings is the results of the working groups. The working groups deal with topics relevant to inclusion, such as participation in public life or sport. The Chairman of the Advisory Board, Horst Müller, reported on a parking solution for disabled visitors to the municipal theater by groups of visitors from Lebenshilfe and other organizations. There are spaces in front of the theater that can also be used by vehicles from the sponsors with the appropriate ID.

The Advisory Board also dealt with the positioning for more inclusion and participation in the municipalities. A joint declaration by the Advisory Board should actually be drawn up here, calling for local authorities to play a greater role in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A study has shown that implementation at federal and state level is more intensive than at municipal level. As a lot is now being done here in Idar-Oberstein, other municipalities should be encouraged to do the same. Due to the importance of the topic, it was unanimously decided to postpone this item. At the next advisory board meeting on August 19, all members of the advisory board will then be able to get involved if possible.

In the agenda item Miscellaneous, problems in the city were addressed, which will be passed on to the city administration. Christian Wahl also reported from the administration that Euro keys are being purchased for the city's fire stations to make it easier to rescue helpless people from emergency situations in disabled toilets.