Termine

Lately Germany has showed considerable political will in the last quarter of a century to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. Germany has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2009. In the same year there was a conference of rectors of higher education held with a slogan “a college for everyone”. In the conference inclusion was discussed and concluded with recommendations, that universities as institutions with their staff have the responsibility to support the students with disabilities and make necessary adjustments in their respective institutions to meet the student´s needs. This was just to mention some of the most visible milestones among other things. From this background, the conference was held on 28 and 29 May 2019 at the premises of Cardinal-Wendel-house catholic Academy in Munich, Germany which has attracted 50-80 participants. The conference was organised by the research practice association inclusion in higher education institutions in Bavaria, Germany. It is an umbrella organisation of six higher learning Institutions in Bavaria which was founded at the end of 2016 within the framework of the political agenda 2023 of the state of Bavaria. This political agenda aspires all public institutions be barrier free in Bavaria by year 2023. The aim of the two-day conference was not only to exchange results of research projects of the last 2.5 years within the association network and with outsiders regarding inclusion but also to mainstreaming inclusion in society. Last but not least lesson was learned, if science and politics work in tandem to implement inclusion, success is certain.