- The sponsors of the inclusion initiative have submitted 108,000 collected signatures to the Federal Chancellery in Bern.
- The initiative calls for equal treatment of people with and without disabilities in all areas of life.
- The signatures were submitted to the Federal Chancellery at 3:45 p.m.
According to the initiators, around 1.7 million people with disabilities live in Switzerland. They experience numerous forms of discrimination in everyday life, whether in housing, at work or on public transport. The initiative calls on the federal government and the cantons to take binding measures to ensure legal and actual equality.
Free choice of place of residence and assistance services
This should, among other things, ensure the freedom to choose where to live and what type of housing to live. Currently, many support funds are tied to institutions and changing the canton of residence is not easy. This is a “massive restriction” of basic rights, it continued.
To enable people in wheelchairs to hand over the initials, a temporary ramp to the rear entrance of the Federal Palace was built on the Federal Terrace.
Keystone/ Anthony Anex
The initiative also calls for more assistance services. For example, a person with a speech impediment cannot afford the verbal assistance they need to work. Deaf people who want to get involved in politics also do not receive the sign language interpretation they need. These services should be provided within the framework of proportionality.
No paid signature collectors
The inclusion initiative was launched by the Association for an Inclusive Switzerland, together with disability and human rights organizations. Whether the initiative will come to fruition will be decided when the Federal Chancellery checks the signatures. 100,000 valid signatures are required. At the beginning of the week, the Tamedia newspapers made public that commercial companies had probably cheated when collecting signatures for popular initiatives. The signatures in question were forged.
Numerous people take part in a rally at the handover of the inclusion initiative on the Bundesplatz in Bern.
Keystone/ Anthony Anex
The association supporting the inclusion initiative stated that no commercial companies had been commissioned to collect signatures. In addition, after an inspection, the association came to the conclusion that there were no discernible signs that there had been any irregularities in the collection.