Today is an important day for a whole group of people: the Day of Protest for the Equality of People with Disabilities, observed every year since 1992. This day was brought to life by the Interessenvertretung Selbstbestimmt Leben Deutschland (ISL), the German counterpart to the American Independent Living movement. ISL is an organisation committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are no longer patronised, monitored, and discriminated against. Its aim is to create accessibility in all areas of society so that people with disabilities can live and participate independently, while also seeking the abolition of institutions that lead to the exclusion of people with disabilities (e.g., special schools or workshops for people with disabilities).
People with disabilities are still often forgotten
But why do we need a day of protest? Even though much has been accomplished in terms of recognising and accounting for diversity in our society, people with disabilities are still often forgotten. Yet over 10.4 million people with disabilities live in Germany. This means that one in eight people in Germany has a disability. What hardly anyone realises is that very few people with disabilities have had them since birth. Almost 90% of all disabilities emerge over the course of a person’s life. This makes it even more important that people with disabilities are visible, advocating loudly and vehemently for their rights. The day of protest also makes it clear that people with disabilities do actively advocate for their rights! That lends the day the important facet of empowerment.
People with disabilities are experts in their own cause
The European Day of Protest is inspired by the global disability movement that began in the 1960s (for more information, see the documentary film Crip Camp, released by Netflix in 2020). The civil rights movement led by Black people in the USA, as well as the student movement, supported and motivated disabled people in representing their own interests. More and more disabled citizens realised that many of their difficulties are not so much due to individual deficits, but are rather the result of societal discrimination. This realisation led disabled people around the world to fight back against traditional welfare and disability services model, which lead to institutionalisation and professionals deciding on the lives of people with disabilities. In truth, it is the people with disabilities who are themselves the experts in their own cause. The activists of that time include Ed Roberts, Hale Zukas, Judith Heumann, Peg Nosek, Beverly Chapman, Lex Frieden, and others.
Germany fails to adequately fulfil the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Since the European Day of Protest was founded over 30 years ago, there have been many developments and changes for people with disabilities. In 2009, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force, developed with the participation of many disabled people. It obligates Germany and other countries to do everything they can to ensure that people with disabilities can participate in the community to the same extent as everyone else – for example, in the areas of school, work, and housing. An inclusive society is therefore a human right. However, Germany is failing to fully fulfil this requirement and is regularly criticised for this failure by people with disabilities, as well as by the UN.
The road to inclusion is far from complete. The disability movement continues to show that people with disabilities cannot yet be satisfied with the status quo. For many people with disabilities, progress is too slow, which is why many people are now taking to the streets to demand their full rights to self-determination, accessibility, and participation.
