As of: February 21, 2024, 6:00 a.m
By: Hans Moritz
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“Conversation at eye level”: Lorenz Klar from Taufkirchen met Olaf Scholz in the Federal Chancellery.
The wheelchair user and politics enthusiast spoke to the head of the traffic light about, among other things, participation of the disabled.
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Participating in public life with a wheelchair is often a great challenge.
But a “rolli” can also be a door opener – for example for Lorenz Klar from Taufkirchen.
Taufkirchen/Berlin - The 20-year-old suffers from muscle loss (see box).
His illness, but also his insatiable interest in politics, led the Taufkirchen SPD member to the Federal Chancellery - directly into Chancellor Olaf Scholz's office, as Manfred Slawny from the Taufkirchen SPD local association proudly reports.
According to him, the invitation came about through the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband.
Klar has no fear of contact with “big politics” at all.
On the contrary: In 2022, he took part in a video conference with SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert and discussed topics such as euthanasia, socially just climate protection and healthy nutrition.
The young man also has Slawny's respect because he "always presents his wealth of knowledge and amazes even older members with his great general knowledge" at the SPD local club meetings in Taufkirchen or at the Juso meetings in Erding.
Klar's interests are complex and affect all areas of politics.
“There has not been a state election since 1949 in which Lorenz not only has the results ready, but can also explain the special features of these elections,” says the third mayor full of admiration.
Lorenz's mother Ute told him "that he doesn't just study the data, but absorbs this knowledge almost like a sponge."
But back to the bend in the Spree in Berlin: Klar talked to Chancellor Scholz primarily about accessibility and discrimination against people with disabilities.
The young man admits: “Yes, of course, at the beginning I was very nervous.
But I had the impression that Scholz was also tense at the beginning.” But that subsided on both sides, and Klar today speaks of a “conversation on equal terms”.
Scholz told him that as mayor of Hamburg he had set himself the task of making as many train stations as possible barrier-free - and had been very successful in doing so.
In the Chancellery, Klar then met Secretary General Kühnert, with whom he went to the terrace of the government headquarters - a place that is reserved for international state guests.
And then Klar's visit there was extended - albeit involuntarily.
Because a violent storm hit Berlin and they didn't want to release him into it.
The fact that the political enthusiast was stuck in government headquarters for two hours didn't bother the 20-year-old in the least.
He is proud that his visit was also documented photographically - images that would be the envy of not only his Taufkirchen comrades.
And back outside, Klar met the former Prime Minister of Hesse, Volker Bouffier.
It's from the CDU, but that didn't change anything about an interested exchange.
The young Taufkirchen resident enjoys taking part in political events – as long as they are barrier-free.
Keyword: muscular dystrophy: Lorenz Klar suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
This is a progressive, rarely occurring disease in which the muscles continue to deteriorate.
This is why it is also referred to as muscle loss.
According to a report from the University Hospital of Zurich, the disease begins in childhood, progresses slowly and significantly shortens life expectancy.
It is genetically determined and is currently not curable.
However, thanks to long-term ventilation and structured care, survival can be extended by many years and quality of life can be greatly improved.
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DMD is based on a genetic defect, according to the Zurich experts.
The body cannot produce a protein that is necessary for a stable cell membrane in muscle fibers.
The lack of dystrophin leads to muscle loss