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Pharmacies in Germany must offer ‘barrier-free’ access to people with disabilities

All pharmacies in Germany must offer “barrier free” access so that people with disabilities can enter them without outside help, according to a new ruling from the Düsseldorf Administrative Court.

Published: 29 July 2020 12:52 CEST
Pharmacies in Germany must offer 'barrier-free' access to people with disabilities
An entrance to this pharmacy is not possible without outside help. Photo: Peter Reichert, BSK

Disability advocates consider the ruling a victory which positions them well to champion better access at other service providers, particularly in the medical industry, said the Bundesverband Selbsthilfe Körperbehinderter (Association for the self-assistance of people with physical disabilities, or BSK) in a statement.

The case came about when a pharmacy owner – complaining about current operating regulations – said that a five centimetre barrier between the pavement and the entrance was enough for a person with a physical disability to cross. Yet the court struck down his argument on Tuesday.

“In its ruling, the Administrative Court clarified that “barrier-free” [as its referred in current regulations] basically requires that steps, thresholds and other obstacles be removed so that people with a wheelchair can enter without assistance,” Dunja Fuhrmann, of the BSK in Saarland, told The Local.

“A step – no matter what the difference in height – can be an obstacle for many people dependent on a wheelchair, but also for people with other physical disabilities, which cannot be overcome without help,” said the BSK in a statement.

READ ALSO: At last: Germany passes major disabled rights reform

Previously “well-intentioned suggestions” such as a mobile ramp in combination with a radio bell at the entrance, or the assistance of the staff, are not enough, they added.

The BSK is also advocating for improvement in other infrastructural issues, such as better access on long distance buses and in tourist attractions, in addition to daily services including post offices.

Post offices are another daily service which can pose barriers for people with physical disabilities in Germany. Photo: Peter Reichert, BSK

The German parliament (Bundestag) in 2016 passed comprehensive reform legislation to expand rights for the 7.6 million people who live with severe disabilities in Germany.

Most of them (61 percent) had physical disabilities, such as internal organ problems (25 percent), reduced arm or leg functioning (13 percent), back problems (12 percent), or visual impairment such as blindness (5 percent).

The 400-page legislation includes such measures as simplifying the application process for disability benefits, and allowing benefit recipients to save more of their own money.
 

What do you think that Germany can do to improve its access for people with physical disabilities? Let us know in the comments or email us. 

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French court orders Twitter to reveal anti-hate speech efforts

A French court has ordered Twitter to give activists full access to all its documents relating to efforts to combat racism, sexism and other forms of hate speech on the social network.

Published: 7 July 2021 10:03 CEST
French court orders Twitter to reveal anti-hate speech efforts
Photo: Alastair Pike | AFP

Six anti-discrimination groups had taken Twitter to court in France last year, accusing the US social media giant of “long-term and persistent” failures in blocking hateful comments from the site.

The Paris court ordered Twitter to grant the campaign groups full access to all documents relating to the company’s efforts to combat hate speech since May 2020. The ruling applies to Twitter’s global operation, not just France.

Twitter must hand over “all administrative, contractual, technical or commercial documents” detailing the resources it has assigned to fighting homophobic, racist and sexist discourse on the site, as well as “condoning crimes against humanity”.

The San Francisco-based company was given two months to comply with the ruling, which also said it must reveal how many moderators it employs in France to examine posts flagged as hateful, and data on the posts they process.

The ruling was welcomed by the Union of French Jewish Students (UEJF), one of the groups that had taken the social media giant to court.

“Twitter will finally have to take responsibility, stop equivocating and put ethics before profit and international expansion,” the UEJF said in a statement on its website.

Twitter’s hateful conduct policy bans users from promoting violence, or threatening or attacking people based on their race, religion, gender identity or disability, among other forms of discrimination.

Like other social media businesses it allows users to report posts they believe are hateful, and employs moderators to vet the content.

But anti-discrimination groups have long complained that holes in the policy allow hateful comments to stay online in many cases.

French prosecutors on Tuesday said they have opened an investigation into a wave of racist comments posted on Twitter aimed at members of the country’s national football team.

The comments, notably targeting Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, were posted after France was eliminated from the Euro 2020 tournament last week.

France has also been having a wider public debate over how to balance the right to free speech with preventing hate speech, in the wake of the controversial case of a teenager known as Mila.

The 18-year-old sparked a furore last year when her videos, criticising Islam in vulgar terms, went viral on social media.

Thirteen people are on trial accused of subjecting her to such vicious harassment that she was forced to leave school and was placed under police protection.

While President Emmanuel Macron is among those who have defended her right to blaspheme, left-wing critics say her original remarks amounted to hate speech against Muslims.

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