Germany to expand disability rights

Parliamentary state secretary to the Labour Ministry Gabriele Lösekrug-Möller went before the committee to explain the government's plan to put Germany in line with UN standards. Lösekrug-Möller said an important step is addressing the issue of inclusion and social interactions between disabled and able-bodied people.

"We have to convince people that inclusion is an asset to all," she said. 

The government is developing 200 measures aimed at bettering the lives of some 7.5 million Germans living with disabilities.

Germany received criticism about access for disabled people within the education system as well as in the labour market. UN officials said that far too many Germans with disabilities go to special schools instead of mainstream schools.

Valentin Aichele from the German Institute of Human Rights said the country also needed to do more to protect women and girls with disabilities, DPA reported.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into effect in 2008 to promote and protect the equality of disabled people under the law.