Inclusion council for people with disabilities

On September 24, the eighth meeting of the Inclusion Advisory Board for People with Disabilities of the City of Idar-Oberstein took place.

The meeting focused primarily on public transit. Chairman Horst Müller reported on a meeting he had with Sascha Seithers, a member of the executive board of Nahverkehrsbetriebe Birkenfeld GmbH (NVB).

At the advisory board’s information booth during the Lebenshilfe Obere Nahe summer festival, there had been criticism of the bus service. In response, the advisory board invited the NVB to a meeting, during which Sascha Seithers answered questions from the advisory board members in an open discussion. He showed great understanding for the concerns, difficulties, and needs of people with disabilities. He explained that the NVB, of course, trains drivers to be sensitive to special needs, but that there is always room for improvement. A major point of criticism was that buses did not pull up close enough to the raised curb, thereby preventing barrier-free access to the buses specifically procured for this purpose. In response, the NVB chairperson offered that the advisory board would be happy to support appropriate training for employees. The meeting was viewed as extremely constructive and positive. Contact with the NVB is to be further intensified, just as the good relationship with the other transit agencies is to be expanded.

Later in the meeting, the chair provided an update on the status of additional accessible bus stops, the construction of which the city council had approved. Work on these stops will begin in November, including on Mainzer Straße.

Another item on the agenda was public restrooms. The discussion included positive examples, such as the accessible restroom at the city’s train station, but also highlighted areas in need of improvement. As usual, we are working closely with the city’s building management department to improve the situation.

On September 14, a joint meeting was held between the city, the advisory board, and the clubs to advance the topic of “inclusion in sports.” Unfortunately, the response from the clubs left room for improvement. While some clubs are very committed, others did not attend the event. There was agreement that this situation should not be a source of discouragement, but rather an incentive to mobilize the relevant stakeholders. Inclusion in sports is an attractive topic for nonprofit clubs, particularly through funding opportunities and the promotion of togetherness as a core value.

The next two “Inclusion Advisory Board in Conversation” events will take place on October 22 and November 19, both at 3:00 p.m., at the Glaskastenbüro, Georg-Maus-Straße 2.

The next meeting of the Inclusion Advisory Board will take place on November 26, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the city administration’s meeting room. This meeting will review the Advisory Board’s work over the past year. As with all other meetings, all citizens of the city—whether with or without a disability—are cordially invited to attend.