Waldeck-Frankenberg is a model region for inclusive projects

The district is a model region in the field of inclusion and would like to implement more measures to further improve accessibility and participation.


25 January 2021 by Ann-Katrin Heimbuchner
Young man in wheelchair

Testing measures to reduce barriers and developing solutions is the goal of the state's action plan to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. As of now, the district is a model region in Hesse - and would like to develop solutions, especially in the next three years, to further improve accessibility and participation in Waldeck-Frankenberg.

The initial focus will be on housing and mobility: Promoting barrier-free living space or creating even more mobility offers for impaired people are just some of the goals pursued by the initiative, which is to be implemented by project coordinator Stefan Bongert in the Social Affairs Department at the district in the coming years.

However, the focus should not only be on development opportunities for impaired people of all ages. "Accessibility and participation also play a role for older people in our society," emphasise District Administrator Dr Reinhard Kubat and First District Commissioner Karl-Friedrich Frese. "We would like to focus on all of them within the framework of this project in order to allow all people in Waldeck-Frankenberg to participate as fully as possible in social life." The public is also to be made even more aware of the issue. To this end, there will also be a lively exchange with the providers of care for the elderly and disabled, private individuals and interest groups.

The designation as a support region is only one component of the district's efforts to further expand accessibility in Waldeck-Frankenberg: The district was already a model region for inclusion in 2014. Furthermore, the district has analysed the participation opportunities in Waldeck-Frankenberg together with the University of Siegen in the past. The new project aims to build on this work - to enable all people in the district to participate fully in community life. It is funded by the state of Hesse with around 360,000 euros. Further information is also available online at www.landkreis-waldeck-frankenberg.de.