In Erfurt, Germany, the team at League of Political Interest and Self-Representation of People with Disabilities in Thuringia (LIGA) is at the forefront of a quiet but powerful transformation, shifting the narrative around disability from one of passive service provision to one of active self-representation and empowerment. As a grassroots organization led by people with disabilities, LIGA is uniquely positioned to challenge institutional barriers and champion the principles of autonomy, dignity, and inclusion.
Disability justice is not just about access; it’s about equity, dignity, and the right to shape the systems that affect one’s life. At the heart of this struggle is the demand to center lived experience, ensuring that those most impacted define what justice looks like. LIGA works at this intersection, where local activism challenges structural barriers and reimagines inclusion as a collective responsibility.
This exploration not only underscored the transformative potential of Article 14 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which affirms the right to liberty and security for people with disabilities, but also offered a practical look at how legislation like Germany’s Participation Act (BTHG) is being interpreted, critiqued, and advanced by the very communities it is meant to serve. A broader body of research supports this shift in approach: a 2020 systematic review spanning multiple countries found that participation in self-advocacy groups consistently leads to increased psychological empowerment, stronger social connections, and a deeper sense of identity among adults with intellectual disabilities. The benefits of self-representation, the review concluded, far outweigh any negative impacts, reinforcing the vital role of organizations like LIGA in shaping inclusive and just societies.
About the Organization
LIGA Selbstvertretung Thüringen e.V. is the only umbrella organization in Thuringia focused exclusively on supporting people with disabilities to represent themselves in political and social decision-making. Their mission is grounded in the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and Germany’s Participation Act (BTHG).
They work across several areas:
Organizing advocacy training and inclusive dialogue forums
Supporting consultations with public institutions to promote accessibility
Facilitating statewide networks for disability advocates
Leading international projects focused on inclusion, mental health, and long-term care
Their team also collaborates closely with organizations like VSBI and VIIT, which provide vocational and social support, aiming to shift service delivery from a model of dependence to one rooted in self-determination.
Key Issues: Fragmentation, Representation, and Institutional Barriers
During the visit, the team at LIGA Selbstvertretung Thüringen e.V. spoke with remarkable candor about the structural challenges they face. Despite Germany’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the legislative strides made through the Federal Participation Act (BTHG), the day-to-day realities tell a different story, one of disconnect between legal commitments and lived experiences.
One of the most pressing concerns? A persistent lack of political will.
“Disability is not a ‘sexy’ topic,” noted Paul, a board member of LIGA. “If you’re a politician choosing where to invest, between a kindergarten and disability inclusion, it’s clear what gets prioritized.”
This blunt observation reflects a broader critique echoed in recent research, which argues that Germany’s approach to inclusion remains limited in scope, frequently favoring “integration” over full inclusion as envisioned by the UNCRPD. Studies highlight how bureaucratic inertia, institutional entrenchment, and cultural ableism continue to undermine progress, even after reforms introduced by the BTHG (Wansing et al., 2022, MDPI).
Rather than shifting toward community-based support and independent living, public resources are often funneled into maintaining institutional models, such as sheltered homes and workshops, which are viewed as more manageable but ultimately restrict autonomy and social participation. This disproportionately affects people with cognitive disabilities, many of whom remain excluded from public life.
“It’s very hard to reach people living in institutions,” said Lisa, who works on international inclusion pedagogy. “They don’t have internet, can’t access newspapers, and staff often filter what gets to them.”
Such realities raise urgent concerns about access to information, communication, and civic engagement, rights enshrined in the UNCRPD but denied in practice. The very institutions intended to offer care can become structures of dependency and disempowerment, reinforcing marginalization rather than remedying it.
Another recurring theme was fragmentation within the disability rights ecosystem. While Germany has a wide range of disability-focused organizations, the sector is often underfunded, siloed, and disconnected. This lack of coordination weakens collective advocacy and leaves smaller, self-representation-led groups like LIGA on the periphery of national policy discourse. Meanwhile, larger organizations, often governed by non-disabled actors continue to dominate public narratives and decision-making spaces.
And yet, LIGA’s work is a powerful counter-current. By championing lived expertise and grassroots advocacy, they are pushing not just for policy change but for a fundamental cultural shift, from care to agency, from tokenism to representation, and from exclusion to meaningful participation.
Voices from the Global Solvers Accelerator: Shared Struggles, Global Echoes
As the exchange with LIGA unfolded, it became clear that the issues they champion self-representation, structural barriers, exclusion resonate across borders.
“It’s inspiring to see how your local advocacy creates impact,” said Hannah, a queer rights activist. “It challenges me to reflect on who’s truly included in my own community work.”
“It’s inspiring to see how your local advocacy creates impact,” said
“People with disabilities are often invisible. Hearing how advocacy is shifting that reality in Germany gives me hope for grassroots change at home.”
For the Global Solvers Accelerator Participants, the visit wasn’t just about learning, it was a powerful reminder that while contexts may differ, the push for dignity, access, and autonomy is a shared global struggle.
Moving Forward: Insights that Shape Global Practice
The visit to LIGA Selbstvertretung Thüringen e.V. wasn’t just a window into disability advocacy in Germany, it was a mirror, reflecting essential questions about systems change and global equity. The insights shared resonated far beyond borders, aligning with a growing body of international research in disability studies.
Self-representation is non-negotiable
Inclusive policy cannot be meaningful without the direct leadership of those it’s meant to serve. Echoing activist Raul Krauthausen’s assertion “As long as people without disabilities decide when and how inclusion happens, it has already failed” LIGA emphasizes that lived experience must inform every step of decision-making. This perspective aligns with the work of Engelman, Craig, and Iles (2022), who argue for a shift in narrative, from viewing disabled individuals as passive recipients of support to recognizing them as agents of change, especially in contexts like climate adaptation and disaster response.
Change scales from the ground up
Structural transformation rarely starts at the top. As seen in LIGA’s work and affirmed by global studies on community resilience, localized mutual aid networks often led by disabled individuals, are vital to sustainable inclusion. Grassroots advocacy doesn’t just prepare the ground for national change it is the groundwork.
Intersections deepen the work
Disability advocacy doesn’t exist in a silo. Fellows in the Global Solvers Accelerator drew powerful connections between ableism and broader justice movements queer rights, climate justice, racial equity, and migration. Emerging research emphasizes that real systems change requires intersectional approaches that center those most marginalized across multiple layers of identity and exclusion.
LIGA Selbstvertretung Thüringen e.V. reminded us that inclusion is not about integrating people into pre-existing systems, it’s about transforming those systems so that everyone has a voice, a choice, and a place.
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