Overcoming obstacles together

Martina Schneider - ASB residential centre

On 29 June, 50 to 60 wheelchair users will once again set off on a hike. This will be the 21st Rollitour organised by the Workers' Samaritan Federation's residential centre for people with severe physical disabilities - an event that is unique in Saxony.
Martina Schneider runs the residential centre and has been organising the Rollitour with her team for years. In the Maker of the Week interview, the 62-year-old talks about the state of accessibility in Chemnitz.

Mrs Schneider, what does the Rollitour mean for people with disabilities?

Martina Schneider: First and foremost, it's about having fun on an excursion together. At the same time, it's an opportunity to take an active part in city life and be a part of the city. All people should have the opportunity to take care of their own needs and thus be part of society - as should be taken for granted.

This year there is even a work assignment. Which one exactly?

We are planning a rolling tour through the city, which we are combining with the creation of a brochure for a city tour through Chemnitz city centre. A city tour that is there for everyone, but which contains information that is important for people with mobility impairments. For example, where is the entrance not barrier-free? Paths that are not yet so easy to use for wheelchair users are named so that remedial action can be taken quickly. It will not be a brochure for wheelchair users, but for everyone.

This year, the route will go from the ASB Wohnzentrum via the Schauspielhaus, Johanniskirche, smac, Hauptbahnhof, Aktienspinnerei, Theaterplatz, Karl Marx Monument, Stadthallenpark, Roter Turm, Rathaus and past the TIETZ to Annenplatz. There will be a barbecue at the Reitbahnviertel neighbourhood office. That's about eight kilometres.

Is the Rollitour the starting signal for the brochure?

No, we are working on it. The Rollitour will be a test run to see if the city tour works. We will give the first drafts and route descriptions to all participants so that we can record what we didn't see during the test runs. You always think of more when you do something than when you just talk about it. At the same time, a list is to be drawn up identifying barriers that still need to be removed. At the end, we would like to hand this over to the mayor.

In addition to residents, tenants, friends, relatives and former employees and pupils of the Terra Nova Campus, the city's disability officer, Petra Liebetrau, will also be present. The head of the transport and civil engineering department, Martin Reinhold, will complete part of the route in a wheelchair. Some doctors will close their practices so that their staff can join in the run. Martina Schneider is expecting a total of 100 participants. Each Rollitour is dedicated to a project for which the money raised will be used. This year, the money will be used to equip a flat with three special PC workstations.

Where in Chemnitz is there still some catching up to do in terms of accessibility?

The kerb is often lowered, but if the traffic islands are more than five centimetres high, no wheelchair user can manage that - especially if there is a risk of running traffic. Large paving slabs or cobblestones are also difficult because the vibrations are very unpleasant for wheelchair users and can cause pain. Another example: If you turn left from Georgstraße into Mühlenstraße in the direction of the Stadtbad, you are suddenly faced with a high kerb. The only thing to do is to turn round.

In addition to the Rollitour, you are also very active in promoting greater accessibility in Chemnitz, right?

I admit it's a bit of a hobby of mine: the Favourite Places funding programme. We can also get involved as users - presenting the programme and taking on the application work, for example to install automatic doors, build ramps or - as in the medical centre on Walkgraben - have a guidance system for the blind installed. These are places we often visit with our residents. The doctors think it's important, but they don't have the time. That's why we offer: "We'll take care of it. We just need your co-operation." We work very closely with the Disability Officer. Together, we believe that as users of accessibility, we can also make a difference to these changes ourselves. True to our motto "The best thing about us is the we".

The "Favourite places for all" investment programme aims to enable or facilitate access to and use of publicly accessible buildings and facilities by removing barriers. The funding can be effective in culture, leisure and education, but also in the healthcare sector. Almost 290,800 euros are available for Chemnitz for 2022. If the project does not cost more than 25,000 euros, up to 100 per cent of the costs will be covered. The Social Welfare Office is still accepting applications for 2023 until 30 November 2022 and can provide information by telephone on 488-5023 or 5026. In addition, the local action plan "Chemnitz inclusive 2030" is currently being developed in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Working groups such as "Barrier-free building" and "Public transport for all" also ensure that people with disabilities are always taken into account in the city of Chemnitz.

What happened next?

Last year, a tenant from the residential centre started to deal with the application process and processed the first applications. At the same time, the changeover of participation benefits to the Federal Participation Act came into effect for the residents of the residential centre. Together with the Disability Officer and the Social Welfare Office, we turned this into a project for and with the residents of the ASB residential centre. As a result, two doors at the main entrance to Chemnitz Opera House are currently being converted to automatic, as are the medical centres at Bahnhofstrasse 52 and 54 and Weststrasse 98a. In addition, the neighbourhood office in the Reitbahn district, which is also home to the Chemnitz-Mitte citizens' platform and with which we work very closely, received a mobile ramp. That was absolute teamwork. Everyone involved pulled together, from the social welfare office to the manufacturer and the company commissioned with the conversion to the monument protection authority. It was a great experience. I really can't complain.

Accessibility like this helps everyone in the end, right?

Exactly. The town hall, for example, has an automatic door, but no wheelchair user can get in from the front. They still have to use the back entrance. Accessibility is therefore convenient for everyone. It's also easier for people with pushchairs or walking frames. Accessibility is a process. It creates mutual appreciation and equality.

Because you don't have to keep asking for help.

That's right. It also does something to people if they always have to ask someone for help or have to go through the back entrance. Everyone wants to lead a self-determined life. One example: In cultural institutions, the wheelchair spaces are always predetermined. They can't choose where they want to sit and are therefore always the centre of attention of other visitors. Sure, it costs money, but there are funding programmes. Solutions should always be sought together. We want to stimulate thinking and convey a different perspective. From our experience, we can confirm that concerns about accessibility in the city of Chemnitz are heard and receive support if we work constructively with the relevant authorities. Previous projects confirm this.

And that is also satisfying.

Yes, our residents are actively involved in the social area, for example, one of them distributes the Reitbahnbote, a resident regularly reads aloud in a retirement home, and planters in the neighbourhood have been renewed and planted. We are recognised as active players in the district and take part in a wide range of cultural events. Our aim is to become an indispensable part of society. If you don't just want to be perceived as being in need of help, you have to make yourself indispensable and bring your individual resources to bear and make them visible. Everyone is capable of making a difference for themselves and for others. We receive a wide range of support in our thoughts and actions in various areas. We are very grateful for this. The city of Chemnitz's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2025 focussed on citizen participation, and we are happy to be a part of it.