Stark für Inklusion und Gleichstellung

Since the 2019 European elections, Katrin Langensiepen has been a Member of the European Parliament as part of the Greens/EFA Group. She was accompanied by Rene Fuhrwerk, who is group leader for Alliance 90/The Greens in the Wismar City Council and the North-West Mecklenburg District Council, serves on the executive board of the Refugee Council, and works as a constituency assistant to Anne Shepley, a member of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Parliament. Following a warm welcome from the Rector, Prof. Dr Bodo Wiegand-Hoffmeister, the discussion took place with Professor Dr Christine Linke from the Faculty of Design, the Disability Officer Prof. Dr Antje Bernier, the Equal Opportunities Officer Jessica Bernert and the Representative for People with Severe Disabilities Nico Schreiber.

The main focus was on discussing topics relating to inclusion and equality, including progress and challenges – as well as the role of the EU in this regard – and the responsibilities of all faculties and central services.

As the only woman with a visible disability in the European Parliament, Katrin Langensiepen was very keen to find out whether intersectionality is evident there, and what role accessibility and inclusion play in teaching at our university. Through the ‘reflector’ Festival of Communication on the theme of ‘Inclusion – Exclusion’, 2,025 students from the Faculty of Design were able to take the initiative and set a special example of how media and communication can be made accessible and how discrimination can be reduced. Since 1996, training in accessible building has been integrated in a multifaceted way into the teaching of architecture, interior design, technical building planning, or in distance learning courses in facility management and integrative urban-rural development, though it is mostly situated within optional modules. Alongside such highlights, the dangers of ableism were discussed, as even the failure to talk about disability harbours the potential for discrimination. The session concluded with a discussion of the structural integration of advocacy groups and representatives, and the challenges faced by such voluntary roles in the public sector.

Since 2009, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has provided a strong legal basis for our work, and its implementation is mandatory in Germany as well. It is essential that stakeholders view inclusion as a social responsibility and break down barriers in order, for example, to enable equal participation for all students and staff. The discussion highlighted that inclusion is not a static goal, but an ongoing process that is constantly given new impetus through dialogue between politics, society and practice. Only through encounters on an equal footing and close cooperation can sustainable changes be achieved that go beyond the minimum legal requirements. There is still much to be done, and this will require the support of many people.