People with physical or mental disabilities are part of our society. Far too often, however, they are not considered equally or only partially. Inclusion in the family, at work and in leisure time is easier to achieve than expected with the right attitude and the right information.

An inclusive and barrier-free society enables every individual to participate in working life and society. In order to ensure participation, it is necessary to understand the respective limitations in order to dismantle the corresponding barriers and adapt the structures to individual needs. Participation in society and work is a human right. It is secured by multi-layered laws of the UN, the EU, the Federal Government and the Länder. The participation of people with disabilities must be made possible locally in everything that concerns the public sphere. The implementation of participation is a necessary condition on the way to inclusion. It is a moral duty and is increasingly becoming a genuine legal obligation. This of course also means that there will be penalties for non-compliance.

There are visual, auditory, motor and cognitive limitations. Since we humans are getting older and older, this topic concerns thus also the life in the age, where each form of the restriction can come to us. Society should not only be inclusive for people with disabilities and older people. For children, migrants or people in special life situations, such as mothers, there are always barriers. The time windows of restrictions and disabilities can be situational, temporary or unlimited. They occur suddenly or insidiously. Disabilities can be present from birth or occur in the middle of life as a result of an accident or illness. The degrees of severity range from barely noticeable to obstructive to complete loss of essential possibilities. The worst thing for people with disabilities is the frequently occurring social exclusion. That is why we should all think inclusive and thus make comprehensive participation possible for people with disabilities.