Type of Project: Funded project
Agency Barrier-Free NRW

With the Agentur Barrierefrei NRW, the state government contributes to the implementation of the Equal Opportunities for Disabled Persons Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Federal Supreme Court Act NRW). The Federal Supreme Court Act NRW requires the removal of structural barriers in public spaces and to make publicly designed living areas accessible and usable for all, step by step. The Agentur Barrierefrei NRW provides information and advice free of charge. It offers an online portal with information tailored to the problem area, research activities and personal advice, as well as training and awareness-raising workshops. These measures aim to implement citizen-friendly, practicable and cost-effective solutions for achieving accessibility. They contribute to the fact that the interests of people with disabilities are already considered in the planning phase of public facilities. Target groups are people with disabilities, their relatives and caregivers, the interest groups of people with disabilities and older people, decision-makers in public administration, politics and business, as well as other multipliers from the work with older people and people with disabilities in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Agentur Barrierefrei NRW receives important ideas and impulses through the connection to the research and development area of the FTB as the project's sponsor. Research experiences in the areas of assistive technology, design for all and usability benefit the information and consulting services. Cooperation with the TU Dortmund and other universities in NRW in the area of teaching gives weight to the topic of accessibility as a training content of different, also interdisciplinary courses of study. The concern of the Federal Supreme Court Act NRW to implement accessibility in all public areas of life is also strengthened through the agency's networking in various bodies at the scientific and disability policy level.