In addition to the general social benefits, people with disabilities receive special benefits to enable them to participate in society on an equal footing. Find out here which these can be.
In order to avoid disadvantages in working life and in participation in society in the first place, or to overcome them as quickly as possible, people with disabilities receive special benefits in addition to general social benefits. By means of these individual services, people with disabilities should be helped to participate in social life fully. They should make their life according to their inclinations and abilities. Their interests and wishes are important when arranging the help.
In Germany, the range of help offers for people with disabilities is very extensive and covers a wide variety of areas of life. The benefits are divided into:
In addition, severely disabled people, meaning people with a registered degree of disability, receive special help.
The website www.einfach-teilhaben.de of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs gives a detailed, up-to-date and understandable overview of the various services.
The individual benefits for participation are not strictly separated, schematically consecutive processes, but rather they should fit together as seamlessly as possible and complement each other. Participation benefits are more successful the earlier they are introduced and carried out. They do not only start when a disability is already present. In the event of illness or accidents, they should start with acute treatment if possible, even in the hospital.
Tip: In particular, if you have recently immigrated to Germany and you or a family member has a disability, you should definitely seek advice. Free and independent advice especially for people with disabilities, people at risk of disability, but also their relatives regarding all questions about rehabilitation and participation can be found at the Participant advice office. Specific questions can also be answered via the Citizen hotline on the subject of “Information for people with disabilities” of the BMAS. Experts can be reached on the telephone number 030 221 911 006 from Monday to Thursday between 8:00 and 20:00.
For employees of Advice centres or EU employees who want to familiarise themselves in more detail with the matter, the “Guide for advising people with a disability in the context of migration and displacement” published by Caritas as well as the “Advice for people with disabilities” published by BMAS provide a helpful overview of social law benefits and access requirements for disabled people.