As of: March 26, 2024, 9:02 p.m
By: Elisabeth Welz
Comments
Press
Split
Applause for Karin Lange (M.) from the moderators Sylvia Hindelang and Werner Böglmüller.
© Welz
Karin Lange was recently at the “People who move” discussion group at the Wies rural elementary school.
She is the head and heart of a special inclusion project.
Wies – Because this is one of the best-kept secrets of Sylvia Hindelang, the deputy director of the rural adult education center.
And very interesting people always sit between her and her co-host Werner Böglmüller.
Like this evening.
She entered the room with the moderators.
Striking: the blonde curly hair and an immediately noticeably open, positive personality.
After a few words of welcome from the moderators, she introduced herself as Karin Lange.
She comes from Mering, is married and mother of two sons.
Nikolas, 20 years old, and Elias, 17 years old.
Discussion in the Wies: Karin Lange about the inclusion hotel “einsmehr”
What's special: Lange is chairwoman of the association that opened an inclusion hotel three years ago.
We are talking about the hotel “einsmehr” in Augsburg with 73 rooms and 24 employees, half of whom have a severe impairment of at least 50 percent.
Lange is affected herself: her son Nikolas has Down syndrome, also known as “trisomy 21”, because the twenty-first chromosome in people with Down syndrome is present three times, i.e. one more.
That’s why the hotel, like the association founded by Lange in 2010, is called “einsmehr”.
220 families in the greater Augsburg area and the surrounding area are now firmly integrated into the association's program as members.
In addition to many support programs for parents and children, the club also takes part in festivities as often as possible, because people with Down syndrome love to enjoy life in the present, to dance and to be happy together with other people.
“Hotel was born out of the question of what kind of company would be good to work inclusively”
When Lange was asked how she dealt with her son's diagnosis, she openly admitted: “It was a shock.
And then I asked Google and was completely floored.
Everything I read there about people with Down syndrome was so negative.”
She continued with a smile: “And that's why I hope that everyone who googles Down syndrome will quickly come to our association's website, where they will get a positive image and quickly feel that they are being helped. “
What inspired you to start a hotel?
“The hotel emerged from the question of what kind of business would be good for working inclusively.” Since Lange is a trained hotel manager, things quickly moved in this direction.
Because working in a hotel is largely a repetitive task that is easy to learn.
And if people with Down syndrome are anything to go by, then they're really serious about it.
My news
Sweater, park bench, daffodils: The hidden messages in Princess Kate's video reading
Seriously injured ski jumping ace with devastating bedside diagnosis
Bankruptcy of German industry giant: next traditional company goes bankrupt
Baby happiness after the end of his career: Olympic ski champion becomes a father for the first time a few days after retirement
“Dragon Fire” as a Ukraine game changer?
Laser cannon hits “at the speed of light” read
“That’s disrespectful”: Civil servants earn as little as citizens’ benefit recipients – and the traffic lights are watching
Association provides information about prenatal diagnostics
Lange spoke so wonderfully about the sunny mentality of people with Down syndrome and how they are much more valued in the USA than in Europe.
In Germany, gynecologists offer blood tests during pregnancy as a matter of course to test for Down syndrome.
The abortion rate based on this study is around 95 percent in Germany, which caused murmurs and shaking of the heads among the visitors.
In complete contrast to this in the USA, where babies with Down syndrome are desired because their social and lovable nature makes them an important contribution to society, reports Lange.
The “einsmehr” association therefore regularly goes to the 9th grade to educate them about prenatal diagnostics.
In the subsequent question and answer session, a visitor wanted to know whether she had had any negative experiences in the hotel.
“We're doing really well on 'booking.com' with a rating of 4.9.
“People love the family atmosphere here,” was her answer.
People with Down syndrome can also run a hotel
But she then added: “We had two negative cases because two people with severe disabilities themselves thought that all of our rooms were barrier-free.
There are sometimes rooms specifically for the visually impaired, rooms for wheelchair users, but also rooms for people without disabilities.” It is important to show her that people with Down syndrome are just as capable of running a 3-star-plus hotel to be able to.
She is currently planning to set up an academy “einsmehr” with the association, which will enable people with disabilities to complete full vocational training even without a written exam.
The association is committed to this established vocational training even at the federal level with the greatest of commitment.
Thereupon an enthusiastic “Great” burst out from one visitor, which was confirmed with applause by the rest of the visitors.
(Our Schongau newsletter regularly informs you about all important stories from your region. Sign up here.)
With joy and ease, Lange helped visitors throughout the evening to look at the topic of “Trisomy 21” and also the needs, challenges and special talents of people with Down syndrome with new eyes.
A further step towards lived inclusion in everyday life in our society.
Lange appropriately received long, thunderous applause at the end.
Böglmüller and Hindelang then said goodbye to Lange and the visitors and went on their summer break.
The round of discussions will continue in the fall.
The local newspapers in the Weilheim-Schongau district are represented on Instagram under “merkur_wm_sog”.