Separate but equal?

The United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been in force in Germany since March this year, which means the country is now bound by international law to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.

But Germany is far from that ideal and the separation of people with disabilities begins in schools when children at still young.

While countries such as Sweden, Italy, Portugal and Spain educate at least 80 percent of students with disabilities in regular schools, that rate is only 15 percent in Germany. Children with disabilities in Germany are generally sent to special schools, separate from the main education system.

Germany is a "developing country" when it comes to the education of people with disabilities, Sigrid Arnade from the German Disability Council said, adding that the situation can only be improved if children with and without disabilities have lessons together from the beginning of their education.

"This 15 percent has often been sugar-coated," Arnade said. "When there's a class of children with disabilities and they're taught in the same building as children in regular schools - that can be called integration."

Tomas Todorovic, a political scientist and journalist said that while he was generally happy with his education, as a blind man he experienced the German setup firsthand, the system still has to change.

"An inclusive school system means that all children are included from the beginning," he said.

Inclusion for all

The adoption of the UN convention on disabilities in Germany marks the beginning of a revolution in education policy in the country, even if the move away from special schools takes some time.

The central element of the convention is inclusiveness in education, according to Valentin Aichele, the head of the German Institute for Human Rights.

"The challenge for education policy is to build a system in which it is taken for granted that everyone is welcomed with open arms," he said.

In the coalition agreement signed by Germany's governing parties in October, there are 14 lines on the topic of disabilities. That's not enough, Arnade said. She's has called on the government to tackle the issue, particularly the construction of barrier-free buildings.

"That would be something that would show the coalition takes the topic seriously," she said.

But Todorovic said he does not believe that the situation will change in Germany any time soon. He's predicted that it will be at least another 10 years before the majority of the required measures are implemented.

Author: Marcel Fuerstenau (ca)

Editor: Sean Sinico