Overview
- Germany’s Human Rights Institute monitoring body and self-advocacy groups argue the BGG draft protects companies rather than people with disabilities.
- Leander Palleit of the Monitoring-Stelle says private providers would only need to take accessibility measures upon request in individual cases, weakening the discrimination ban.
- Liga Selbstvertretung’s Sigrid Arnade criticizes the proposal as a poor draft and warns of a policy drift back to special schools, residential facilities and sheltered workshops.
- Provider leader Thomas Knieling calls for reliable funding, fewer bureaucratic hurdles and solutions to staffing shortages, rejecting a budget-neutral approach to inclusion support.
- Context includes long-standing public-sector obligations since 2002 and a 2025 law on digital accessibility for some private actors, as 7.9 million people live with severe disabilities and fewer than 1% exit workshops for regular jobs.