Der evangelische Fachverband für Teilhabe (BeB)

Der evangelische Fachverband für Teilhabe (BeB) is a professional association of the Diakonie that has been advocating for the concerns of people with disabilities or mental illnesses and their relatives since its founding in 1998 through the merger of two predecessor organizations. Based in Berlin, the BeB represents over 600 Protestant institutions, services, and initiatives in disability assistance and social psychiatry in Germany.

The BeB is based on a strong ethical stance and a Christian understanding of humanity that aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN-CRPD). The main mission of the BeB is to improve the social and political framework conditions to promote full, effective, and equal participation of all people in their diversity. Two elected advisory boards from the affected groups accompany the BeB in a critically constructive dialogue to comprehensively represent the interests of people with disabilities or mental illnesses[3].

The BeB offers a wide range of services and support aimed at helping people with intellectual, physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. These include, among others:

• Assistance and Offers: Specific assistance and offers are provided for more than 100,000 people of all ages and degrees of disability.
• Advocacy: The BeB advocates for the rights and needs of people with disabilities at the political and social levels.
• Training and Events: Regular training and events, such as the annual political talk, serve to exchange information and aim to promote an inclusive society[2][4].

The BeB is strongly committed to implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and has developed its own action plan to achieve these goals. This includes:

• Action Plan: The BeB has developed a comprehensive action plan that is divided into five areas of action and includes a total of 16 goals and 35 measures. This plan serves the strategic development of the association and the improvement of inclusion in the member institutions[4].
• mitMenschPreis: The BeB awards the mitMenschPreis, which honors projects and initiatives that enable people with learning difficulties, mental illnesses, and high support needs to participate more autonomously. This award is intended to reflect the Christian understanding of humanity and promote inclusion in society[1].

Der evangelische Fachverband für Teilhabe (BeB) is a central actor in disability assistance and social psychiatry in Germany. Through its comprehensive efforts to promote the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities and its dedicated work on implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the BeB makes a significant contribution to creating a fairer and more inclusive society.

• 1 - https://beb-ev.de/projekte/mitmenschpreis/
• 2 - https://beb-ev.de
• 3 - https://beb-ev.de/verband/ueber-den-beb/
• 4 - https://www.beb-ev.de/mobil/BeB_Aktionsplan_V02.html