More than a fifth of the people in Bonn are obstructed in their participation rights because structural conditions often stand in the way of their special needs. Bonn wants to break down these barriers and has therefore based its "Bonn Inclusive" disability policy participation plan on the principles of participation and self-determination. In 2009, half a year after the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into force in Germany, Bonn began to develop its new vision for inclusive city life in a committed process, with the decisive participation of self-help organisations, welfare associations, local politics, administration and citizenship, and has since then continued its dynamic model.

A joint steering group was set up, consisting of delegates from all council factions on the one hand and representatives of organisations of and for people with disabilities on the other. This body identified seven thematic areas and set up working groups for them. It decided on the incorporation of recommendations for action and on how the exchange with the citizenship should be arranged. The office, which belongs to the "Special Care Measures" department of the Office for Social Affairs and Housing of the Federal City of Bonn, provided organisational support here. 120 participants were continuously involved.

With its Disability Policy Participation Plan, the Federal City of Bonn has set out to make its municipal contribution to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The participatory process and the concrete results have encouraged and demanded a rethinking in the city. This has triggered a long-term transformation process towards more inclusion in the entire urban society; the greatest barriers on the way to an inclusive society are, as is well known, to be found in people's minds. Bonn has shown a way in which the vision of inclusion can take root and flourish in a city through greater awareness in local government, administration and civil society, in the sense of the United Nations' Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

Text: Sabine Hammer