KPÖ club leader Claudia Klimt-Weithaler and self-representative Heinz Sailer remind the state government of their promises
On October 26, 2008, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into force in Austria. This was the first time that the human rights of people with disabilities were recorded in a separate document. By ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Austria committed itself to implementing it at federal and state levels. 16 years later, this has still not fully happened.
It was only in September of last year that Austria was given a devastating report: During the state review of the implementation of the convention, the UN found serious deficiencies, standstill and even regression in many areas. Particularly in the area of education, Austria was criticized for its de facto departure from the goal of inclusive schools. Austria still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to needs-based support offers, community-based services and barrier-free living space.
Much promised, little delivered
“The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been in force for 16 years. Far from enough has progressed in Austria since then. Paper is patient. Many people with disabilities, relatives and employees in the facilities are no longer there. I can understand that. Unfortunately, political will is far too often lacking. Since 2018 we have been waiting for the promised Styrian inclusion law, which is also enshrined in the current government program. To date, Doris Kampus has not submitted anything. “That’s just not enough,” said KPÖ club leader Claudia Klimt-Weithaler.
Heinz Sailer, who has campaigned for the rights of people with disabilities as a self-advocate and former chairman of the Styrian Monitoring Committee for decades, draws attention to the specific situation in Styria, which is anything but satisfactory: “The entire topic of inclusion and accessibility is still exclusively within the social department. Although good work is undoubtedly being done there, there is no way around a cross-departmental action plan from the state government. Otherwise it will continue to be the case that accessibility is often neglected and not given enough thought. Everyone would benefit from a society that is barrier-free and inclusive in every respect.“ To achieve this, we continue to need parties in the state parliament that put appropriate pressure on the state government to ensure that something goes further in terms of inclusion. That is why Heinz Sailer decided to run for the state election as a non-party candidate on the KPÖ list.
KPÖ invites you to an “Inclusive Encounter” in Graz
In order to raise awareness of the need for a serious inclusion policy in Styria and beyond, the KPÖ is inviting people to the “Inclusive Encounter” on October 11th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Graz’s main square. Visitors can expect a quiz, wheelchair parkour and comprehensive information on the subject of inclusion and accessibility.
