Despite wheelchair accessible council chambers: no equal opportunities for disabled people in the Federal Palace

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This autumn, 22 persons with a disability will stand for election to the National Council and the Council of States. This could improve the share of disabled people in Parliament. But even if virtually everyone were elected, given the 1.8 million people with disabilities, their representation on councils would be half that of the population.

While well over one in five people in the country have a disability, in parliament it would be only about 10 percent. The question still arises: is the Federal Palace prepared for more wheelchair users or deaf MPs?

For people with disabilities, there are still many obstacles in everyday life. This also applies to the federal building. This is about barrier-free access and the financing of any necessary assistance.

Mass under-representation

The disabled, who stand for election on October 22, have united with the support of the organization Pro Infirmis in the so-called “handicapped list”.

Some of them have already gained political experience at the municipal or cantonal level. Only Christian Lohr (61) has been a member of the federal parliament since 2012. The national councilor of the center was born without arms, his legs are deformed. He is in a wheelchair.

Physical obstacles are probably not a problem

The example of Lohr, but also the disabled session, shows that the Federal Palace is essentially ready for politicians with disabilities. The latter is also confirmed by a spokesperson for Pro Infirmis: “The disability session in March showed that people with all kinds of disabilities can move in, provided the will is there.”

In addition, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities obliges the federal government to enable persons with disabilities to participate independently, including in working life. “In some areas there will certainly be improvements and further developments after the elections,” says Pro Infirmis.

It remains to be seen how many of them will actually make it to Bern. But the more there are, the higher the demands on the staff in the Federal Palace.

«Uneven skewers»

But the election campaign turned out to be the first hurdle: “The personnel costs that I have to compensate for my disability make up more than 50 percent of my campaign budget. These are not the same long tables,” criticized SP National Council candidate Islam Alijaj (37) from Zurich. Alijaj suffers from cerebral palsy, so he is in a wheelchair and needs voice assistants.

Equal opportunity only exists on paper. “First of all, we have to compensate for our disability, as long as this is not fully funded, there is no equality,” says Simone Leuenberger. And she should know: the candidate for the National Council of the EPP is in a wheelchair and has nevertheless been politicizing for several years in the Grand Council of Bern. She has hired personal assistants to support her.

However, the costs for the emergency services do not end with an election for the Federal Palace. In order to hold a mandate as a member of the National Council or the Council of States, people with disabilities also need support during the legislature, for example for translations into sign language. However, the IV pays a maximum of two hours of assistance per working day for full-time work.

The services are not enough

The born Berner finds that too little front and rear. Simone Leuenberger sums it up: “With the services currently provided, it is not possible to exercise a mandate in function of the disability.” The politician therefore demands that the actual and individual support needs due to the disability be compensated.

This would certainly also please Christian Lohr. Because the middle politician has funded his aides out of his own pocket so far. So there is still a long way to go before real equality of opportunity is achieved.

Source:Blick