The discussion forum – an interactive online platform for rehabilitation and participation laws

On this page we provide information in English on the online platform www.reha-recht.de. The site is the home of the 'right to rehabilitation and participation discussion
forum', in German: „Diskussionsforum Rehabilitations- und Teilhaberecht”. The site's language is German since it focuses on German laws, only selected information on international law aspects is offered in English.

The discussion forum addresses mainly legal topics on rehabilitation, participation and self-determination in Germany. Users will find

  • Scientifically based articles on topics with practical relevance to rehabilitation and participation laws in the section Fachbeiträge.
  • Online discussions with experts on selected specific aspects of rehabilitation and participation laws under Diskussionen.
  • News regarding rehabilitation laws and background information and materials in the information hub under Infothek (international content is filtered by „Internationales”).

Please look at the leaflet below for additional information on the site’s structure or contact us: Right to Rehabilitation and Participation Discussion Forum

History:

The online platform has been developed since 2003 from a former project by Institut für Qualitätssicherung in Prävention und Rehabilitation (IQPR) together with academic and professional cooperation partners. Since 2010 the discussion forum was implemented as a website based project and further enhanced as an interactive platform for interdisciplinary exchange on social laws utilizing new social media and web tools enabling users to comment on contents. Since 2010 the German Association for Rehabilitation (Deutsche Vereinigung für Rehabilitation – DVfR) is the project management agency for the discussion forum.

About the DVfR

Projects:

DVfR collaborates with scientific partners to monitor the development of legislation in rehabilitation and participation laws. With a focus on work-life participation the projects provide monitoring, analysis and comments on the new federal participation act (Bundesteilhabegesetz/BTHG) as well as aspects regarding the application of laws in administration and legal practice and the results of new and persisting regulations in practice.

Information on our research projects is provided under the following link (in German): Projects

Academic and professional partners (multidisciplinary):

  • University of Kassel
  • University of Halle/Saale
  • Center for Social research Halle/Saale (ZSH)
  • Humboldt University Berlin

Our partners also include the editorial board of the discussion forum as well as an additional project advisory board for our projects. Detailed information on our collaboration partners is provided under the following link (in German): Editorial board.

Funding:

The discussion forum ist supported by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

  • based on a decision of the German Federal Parliament, the German Bundestag (since 2016 regular service of DVfR)
  • from the equalization fund in accordance with Social Code – Book IX – Rehabilitation and Participation of Disabled Persons (SGB IX) (for several scientific projects)

The following examples highlight some of the current challenges of German rehabilitation laws in need for discussion:

2001: German Social Code Book IX (Sozialgesetzbuch, SGB IX)

  • controversies of the German social law deal among others with the relationship of SGB IX to individual benefit laws of the social insurance/social welfare
  • other issues result from the vagueness in handling interfaces of social law regulations with those of other legal areas and secondary legislation
  • there is no standardized legal practice - and only a scarcity of supreme court decisions in many areas
  • the German subdivided system involves different players and disciplines in the rehabilitation process

2009: German Ratification of CRPD

  • National Action Plan (2011, 2016)

2016–2020: German Federal Participation Law

  • including reforms of Social Code Book IX, part of the social welfare law (Social code Book XII: integration help for persons with disabilities) and other laws
  • challenges include labour market participation by people with disabilities, complementary independent participation counselling, the separation of integration assistence from livelihood-securing services among others

Contact us

Project management agency:

Deutsche Vereinigung für Rehabilitation (DVfR)
Maaßstraße 26
69123 Heidelberg
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 187 901-0
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 166 009
info@dvfr.de
www.dvfr.de

Discussion forum on rehabilitation and participation law:

info@reha-recht.de

International news articles:

Information hub: International