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05/24/2022 | Campus-Meldung

Promoting inclusion with science

Strengthening social inclusion - that is the goal of the University of Kassel and the representative of the Hessian state government for people with disabilities. For this purpose, both had decided on a cooperation at the end of 2021, which was the occasion for an exchange of the cooperation partners today (May 24).

Group picture with Rika Esser.Image: University of Kassel.
f.l.: Stefan Stache, Research Associate, Department of Rehabilitation and Disability Law, Vice President Prof. Dr. René Matzdorf, the Representative of the Hessian State Government for People with Disabilities Rika Esser, Prof. Dr. Felix Welti, Head of the Department of Social and Health Law, Rehabilitation and Disability Law, President Prof. Dr. Ute Clement.

Among other things, the two sides agreed on the transfer of knowledge from university-based inclusion research to the state government. To this end, the President of the University of Kassel, Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, and the Commissioner of the Hessian State Government for People with Disabilities, Rika Esser, had already signed a cooperation agreement at the end of last year. The department of Social and Health Law, Law of Rehabilitation and Disability, headed by Prof. Dr. Felix Welti, is in charge of this cooperation.

The Commissioner expressly welcomes the cooperation with the University of Kassel: "I think it makes a lot of sense to allow scientific findings to flow into policy. Through the cooperation, I also hope for practical recommendations and new impulses on the question of how we can make the labor market inclusive," said Rika Esser.

Rika Esser has her eye on small and medium-sized companies in particular, as well as the Hessian state administration. To this end, a permanent full-time position was recently created at the University of Kassel, which is reserved for a person with severe disabilities and has been occupied since April of this year. In addition, the proportion of people with disabilities in studies, research and teaching is to be increased, thus contributing to social inclusion in the sense of the goals of the UN and UN Disability Rights Convention.

In addition to the exchange between Rika Esser, University President Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, Vice President Prof. Dr. René Matzdorf and the University's representative for studies and disability, Prof. Dr. Felix Welti, talks were also held yesterday with the State Welfare Association of Hesse. In addition, a wide range of research projects on inclusion were presented by the various chairs, for example a project on disability and the labor market funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the project "Study Success in the Event of Illness and Disability (ErfolgInklusiv)" funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and one on inclusive adult education.

 

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Felix Welti
University of Kassel
Department of Social and Health Law, Law of Rehabilitation and Disability
Tel. +49 561 804-2970
E-mail: Welti[at]uni-kassel[dot]de