Head of Social Affairs Heiner Pfrommer welcomed the 90 or so participants, some of whom attended the event at Scala Ludwigsburg and most of whom followed it online. Pfrommer emphasized that the successful participation of children and young people with disabilities and their families is a major concern for the district.
Children's book illustrator and columnist Birte Müller from Hamburg described with unsparing openness and humor what life with a child with a disability means for a family. In the background, the artist showed photos and pictures of everyday family life - from a happy family to her son's bed full of food. "Last year, I was so exhausted that I didn't manage to apply for a mother-child cure that I was entitled to, for example," says Müller. The time of the pandemic, when all external support structures were suddenly missing, was also a major challenge.
Other guests included the head teacher Ulrike Schiller, who has been working inclusively at Pattonville elementary school for decades. She explained that the school is striving to achieve more diversity and that every child should experience: "This is the right place for me, I can express myself here and have a say." Peter Hömseder and his musical class 4 from the Blankenstein School in Steinheim, together with Horst Tögel from the Brenzband, described how he and his pupils implement musical projects, including with the Brenzband. According to Hömseder and Tögel, the children get to know people with disabilities as musicians as a matter of course and gain self-confidence by making music together and giving joint concerts. Girls with disabilities have also been taking part in the Girls' Spectacle, a day just for girls in a youth center in the district, for several years now. Encouraged by their positive experiences, Judith Heintze, district youth welfare officer, Heike Betzler and Christina Jungnitz, school social workers at the SBBZ, announced that even more girls with disabilities, including those with assistance needs, will be able to take part in the event in future. Patrik Burtchen, Head of the Youth Department at the City of Ludwigsburg, reported that working on one's own attitude is the core element on the path to inclusion in open child and youth work. Employee Franziska Marquart reported on a concept paper that has now been developed for this purpose. Barbara Finkbeiner from Stadtjugendring Esslingen reported that her organization had started approaching young people with disabilities several years ago. A small group had developed into a large project (MiMaMo - Mitmachmomente), which continues to develop and is in great demand.
In a final round of talks, Julia Merz from the town of Schramberg described how an inclusive vacation program can be established through good cooperation between the municipality and Lebenshilfe. Thomas Zitterbart from Lebenshilfe Ludwigsburg reported on how Lebenshilfe "shows itself" in all places that families like to visit. Visibility is also important in the case of special behavior. Claudia Lychacz, municipal representative for the disabled, explained that her goal is the natural participation of all people in our society. Petra Nicklas from gemeinsam e.V. made an urgent appeal: "Make mistakes and have the confidence to look after children with severe disabilities and reduce bureaucracy!"
The event was planned and moderated by Katharina Binder, social planner for the district, and Silke Rapp from the Inclusion Network.
Inclusion conferences are a fixed event format of the Ludwigsburg district in order to promote the topic of "inclusion" in broad areas of society. Mayors, district councillors, interest groups representing people with disabilities and their relatives, tourism organizations, as well as organizations from the fields of culture, sport, public transport, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, schools and social institutions and many other institutions are therefore invited to attend. The aim of the conferences is to further develop inclusive processes and structures in certain key areas throughout the district in close cooperation with all stakeholders and to anchor them as sustainably as possible.
