Croatia and Berlin are close by. At least, when speaking of the Workshop:Fair 2011 in Nuremberg. The partnership between the guest country (and EU candidate) Croatia with LAG Berlin (the regional association of workshops in Berlin) will start officially at this fair, taking place from 17 until 20 March 2011. [more]

A short while ago, representatives of the French Association UNAPEI (Union Nationale des Associations de Parents, de personnes handicapées et de leurs amis) visited BAG WfbM in Frankfurt a. M. The two associations are currently working on a cooperation realignment within EASPD (European Association of Service Providers of Persons with Disabilities). The aim of the meeting was to analyse similarities and differences in the situation of persons with disabilities in France and Germany, as well as to coordinate joint positions for their European work. [more]

On Monday, 20 September 2010, the German Soccer Championship of Workshops for Adapted Work was officially opened with a ceremony in the City Hall of Duisburg. Among the speakers were Wolfgang Watzke, Managing Director of the Sepp Herberger-Foundation, Manfred Osenger, mayor of the city of Duisburg, as well as Dr. Klaus Kinkel, former German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs. [more]

In 2011, the famous annual Workshop Fair in Nuremberg is going to take place from 17 until 20 March. So it is highest time to register for the Workshop:Fair. Until now, 26 Workshops for Adapted Work have already registered. On our homepage dedicated to the Fair we are offering our exhibitors and visitors from abroad the neccessary information on this event in English. [more]

The next conference of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) titled "TOWARDS COMMUNITY LIVING: Current Realities & Future Challenges" is going to take place in Skopje on 7-9 October 2010. [more]

Once more, we are glad to invite you to visit our annual Workshop Fair in Nuremberg, taking place from 17 until 20 March 2011. Workshops for adapted work present their products and services and invite to exchange information and expert knowledge. In 2010, 17,000 visitors came to see the wide range of products and services presented by 250 exhibitors. Figures that the hosts NürnbergMesse and BAG WfbM expect to reach again in 2011. [more]

GRUPO GUREAK is a Spanish Sheltered Workshops Corporation located in Donostia-San Sebastian (Basque Country). One of its tasks is to create employment opportunities and vocational training activities for people with learning disabilities as well as for persons with very low working capacity. [more]

In June 2010, the European Council met in Brussels to adopt "Europe 2020”. This includes the new ten-year plan for growth and employment that guarantees the sustainability of public financing in the European Union. The focus of this action are the promotion of employment, the improvement of conditions for innovation, research and development, the achievement of the climate and energy goals, the improvement of the level of education and the promotion of social inclusion, particularly through the reduction of poverty. [more]

3,000 persons with and without disabilities from more than 80 countries attended the 15th World Congress of Inclusion International from 16 - 19 June 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Organising associations were Inclusion Europe and the German Lebenshilfe Association. The event’s motto was „Inclusion – Transforming Global Rights into Action”, its focus was the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the practical implementation of this document. [more]

Since October 2008, nine partner organisations from six EU-Member States have been carrying out the project ROSE (Reducing Occupational Stress in Employment). Managers and supervisors whose work contributes to the inclusion of people with mental and intellectual disabilities are exposed to many stress factors. Currently, there is little support for them. The project aims to close this gap. [more]

From 16 until 19 June 2010, the 15th World Congress of Inclusion International will take place in Berlin, Germany. Organising associations are Inclusion Europe and the German Lebenshilfe Association . The event’s motto is “Inclusion – Transforming Global Rights into Action” and it will focus on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its practical implementation. [more]

A new directive against discrimination was approved by the European Parliament in April 2009. The previous directive against discrimination applied only to employment, occupation and vocational training. The new directive intended to expand this to social protection, education, transportation and access to services. In order to be implemented, the new directive had to be adopted unanimously by all Member States in the European Council. The German Federal Government, however, blocked the directive. [more]

Several Members of the European Parliament followed the invitation of MEP Dieter-Lebrecht Koch and visited the Hanauerland Werkstätten in Kehl-Kork on 21 April 2010. Since these Members of the European Parliament have a work focus on Europe’s occupational and social policy, this visit was an excellent opportunity to receive first-hand information on German workshops for adapted work. [more]

The European dimension of the Workshop:Fair – especially in the field of vocational rehabilitation and participation of disabled persons in working life – has continually increased. In 2010, BAG WfbM for the first time organized the ‘Forum Europe: Integration in Europe and occupational services in comparison’. The attendants had the opportunity to exchange information on structures of workshops for adapted work and on current trends and developments in the Member States of the European Union. [more]

In January, BAG WfbM and EASPD organized the event "Employment for Persons with Disabilities - Key for social inclusion and personal development" at the European Parliament in Brussels. The great success of the event promted BAG WfbM to organize the visit of the Hanauerland Werkstätten, a workshop for adapted work in Kehl-Kork near Strasbourg by Members of the European Parliament. Dieter-Lebrecht Koch, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Disability Intergroup, had the original idea for the workshop visit. [more]