People with disabilities teach at universities

(Samuel Wunsch, educational specialist)

   
Not about us - with us!

Samuel Wunsch has traded his job in a workshop for people with disabilities to lecture at the university. As an educational specialist and expert in his own cause, he shares his experiences with students and provides valuable insights into life with disabilities. 

Every year, Samuel Wunsch and his five colleagues have the incredible opportunity to reach and inspire approximately 5,000 students through their educational work. In their lectures and seminars, they share their experiences and thus sensitize students to the needs of people with disabilities at eye level (UN CRPD, Art. 8). For this purpose, they have undergone a three-year qualification to become educational specialists (UN CRPD, Art. 24) and are employed at the general labor market upon completion of the qualification (UN CRPD, Art. 27).

The German Inclusion Center  (formerly Institute for Inclusive Education) aims to bring about lasting change in the lives of people with disabilities as well as in the higher education system. The greatest potential for change unfolds when people with disabilities themselves act as lecturers at universities. They, as experts with personal experiences of disabilities, provide students with practical insights into what inclusion means. In this way, they promote an inclusive professional attitude that students can pass on in their later professional lives. 

23 people are already working as educational specialists, another 7 are currently in the qualification process. We would like to enable more people with disabilities to qualify. To achieve this goal, we need financial means to cover the basic costs. Your donation helps us to get there! Living wage jobs are created for people with disabilities, which leads, among other things, to more self-determination and social participation. In addition, the work of the educational specialists breaks down the "barriers in the minds" and promotes mutual understanding between people with and without disabilities.

For a comprehensive insight into the qualification to  educational specialists, we recommend the WDR documentary in German "Von der Behindertenwerkstatt in den Hörsaal".

For more information about the German Inclusion Center, please visit our website.