Breaking Barriers: "The Day in CBF"
Gathering for everyone, regardless of ability status: Inclusive event for individuals with and without disabilities.
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Join Now: Free Newsletter SignupFacing numerous challenges in daily life, people with disabilities often encounter barriers such as inaccessible public transit stops, stairs at restaurants, or restrooms that lack proper wheelchair access. Since 1976, the Club of People with Disabilities and Their Friends (CBF) in Rheinisch Bergischer Kreis, Germany, has been dedicated to creating a more inclusive and accessible community for those affected.
Both disabled and non-disabled individuals actively work together at CBF to promote independence and self-reliance, as well as to integrate people with disabilities into society. Socializing and shared leisure activities, as well as regular meetings, are key components of the CBF's efforts to bring people together and foster understanding. The monthly exchange meeting takes place on the first Friday of each month from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM in the clubroom, and a wide variety of regular and on-demand offerings are available.
Empowering Everyone
The CBF's mission is to champion the social participation of people with disabilities and promote equal accessibility in all aspects of society. Regardless of impairment, ethnicity, gender, or age, every individual should have equal opportunities to thrive and contribute to their community.
Social inclusion should not be dependent on one's abilities or background. Everyone inherently belongs to the community, irrespective of physical appearance, spoken language, or disability status. Embracing diversity is the motto, and everyone is welcome to participate, regardless of disability. A blind person could join a painting class or a wheelchair user could participate in a bowling group.
"We aim to empower people with disabilities and engage with them as equal partners," says Ursula Nantke, CBF's founder. "We provide as much support as necessary and as little as possible," adds Andrea Kowalewski-Bruwer. People with disabilities should have the opportunity to live independently, just like everyone else. Many friendships have blossomed as a result of shared experiences.
Empowering Change Together
Social participation might mean, for example, going shopping, enjoying an ice cream, or visiting a museum with a friend, things that someone with a disability might otherwise have to do alone due to their limitations. Interacting with others and confronting one's disability in public is what truly matters.
CBF offers a variety of leisure activities to combat the isolation that people with disabilities often face. These include meditation groups, museum tours, swimming sessions, memory training, and bowling groups even for wheelchair users. Many activities are offered in collaboration with Café GrenzenLos, a concept developed by the association in 2016.
The association plays a vital role in shaping the inclusion process throughout the entire district, sitting on the inclusion committee of the city and regularly raising awareness about the needs of people with disabilities through public actions. People with disabilities do not have a lobby, and so CBF advocates on their behalf to influence political opinion formation and public awareness.
"It's crucial to keep discussing existing issues and raising awareness about people with disabilities," says Nantke. "Many people are unsure how to interact with disabled individuals, so it's essential to offer opportunities for gentle introductions to help overcome existing fears," explain both conversation partners. Examples of such issues include inaccessible bus stops, non-existent elevators in doctor's offices, or the absence of audio announcements for visually impaired individuals. When the self-help group was founded in 1976, everyone's goal was to make Bergisch Gladbach completely accessible for people with disabilities. "We still have a long way to go, and our association remains essential," summarizes Nantke.
Contact Information:
- CBF: Hauptstr. 293-297, 51465 Bergisch Gladbach, Frau Kowalewsk-Brüwer, [email protected], www.cbf-rbk.de
- Café GrenzenLos: Hauptstr. 293-297, 51465 Bergisch Gladbach, Mi.-Sa. 15.00h-20.00h, [email protected], www.grenzenlos-gl.de
Despite the progress made at the CBF, new challenges always arise. The CBF continues to be a pioneer for other disability-focused self-help groups that have been established over the years, such as groups for the visually impaired or for children with disabilities.
Currently, the CBF is training dedicated individuals, both disabled and non-disabled, aged 30 to 60, to become peer counselors. "Peer" counseling involves counseling by individuals with the same disability or life situation as the person seeking guidance, covering topics such as housing, work, leisure, and independent living. "Peers" lean on their own experiences to support those in need, with CBF staff providing additional instruction and guidance in easy-to-understand language.
The CBF builds the foundations for people with disabilities to be valued members of society from day one. All projects and offerings of the "CBF" are a testament to lived inclusion, such as the Café GrenzenLos.
An All-Inclusive Haven
People aged 27 to 60 often lack inclusive leisure options. To address this gap, the CBF built an inclusive gathering place in 2016 with the help of donations, which eventually became the current Café GrenzenLos in 2019. Young and older individuals worked together from the start to bring their ideas to life in this welcoming space. At Café GrenzenLos, people gather, share laughter, exchange ideas, and engage in educational activities. The café's visitors feel at home, and everyone belongs, whether with or without a disability. Volunteers and employees collaborate to complete tasks, ensure everyone's well-being, and provide affordable snacks and drinks. It's a café that everyone takes pride in and considers their own.
The events offered at the Café GrenzenLos are as diverse as its visitors, who flock to this location from Wednesday to Saturday between 3 PM and 8 PM. In the media studio, current political press topics are discussed, in the cooking studio delicious dishes and desserts are experimented with, in the tech studio social media and smartphone usage is practiced, in the creative studio art therapy sessions are held, and in the sewing studio beautiful accessories and clothing are created, with excursions also taking place.
"The Borderless has become such a beautiful place because we created it together. The special bond is formed naturally through the wonderful people who are here. We love creating encounters and memories. And so, we cherish photos of our shared experiences at the Borderless," says a guest of the café's welcoming atmosphere.
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- The Café GrenzenLos, established by the CBF in 2016, aims to provide a welcoming space for individuals of all abilities to socialize, learn, and engage in various activities such as media discussions, cooking classes, technology workshops, arts and crafts, and sewing sessions.
- CBF's advocacy efforts extend beyond the local level, as they sit on the inclusion committee of the city and regularly raise awareness about the needs of people with disabilities through public actions, striving to create equal opportunities in education, housing, work, and leisure for everyone.
- The CBF's innovative peer-counseling program focuses on empowering dedicated individuals, both with and without disabilities, to become peer counselors who can provide guidance on topics such as housing, work, leisure, and independent living, thus fostering a supportive community for people with disabilities.
