Source: BUS Sachsen-Anhalt (Linie6PLus)

Request arbitration for disability equality

Description

If you experience impairments or disadvantages in your daily life at the hands of federal authorities due to a lack of accessibility, for example, you can call on the conciliation body.
Accessibility means, for example, that you can use buildings, means of transport or information processing systems without major difficulties and without outside help. If you experience impairments in your daily life from federal public agencies because accessibility has not been sufficiently developed, you can turn to the conciliation board under the Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act.
The conciliation board mediates in accessibility disputes between people with disabilities and federal public agencies.
The conciliation board is independent. The mediating persons are responsible for conducting the proceedings in an impartial and fair manner. The mediating persons and the employees of the office are bound to secrecy.

Requirements

You have a disability.
You have been discriminated against because of this by a federal public agency - for example, by barriers not being sufficiently removed.

Which documents are required?

If you are represented by someone else in the conciliation proceedings, you need a power of attorney (PDF; 60 KB, 1 page).

What are the fees?

none

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

If there is already a time limit for appeals that has been interrupted by the conciliation process, you must submit the conciliation request within the time limit for appeals.

Processing duration

First notification of receipt: 2 days
Completion of the conciliation procedure: 3 months

Appeal

Forms: Request to initiate conciliation proceedings (PDF; 960 KB, 4 pages)
Online procedure possible: yes
Written form required: no
Personal appearance required: no

Process flow

To initiate a conciliation procedure, you must submit an application. The application form is also available in plain language. Your application must state the following things:

the facts of the case (the situation in which you experienced an impairment),
The goal you want to achieve through the conciliation process,
your name and address, and
the name and address of the federal public agency.

You may submit the request online, by mail, in German Sign Language through the SQAT service, or in person at your location by appointment.

If you are submitting the application online:

Complete all fields of the online form and follow the instructions.
The conciliation service will then contact you.

If you are submitting the request by mail:

Download and print the application.
Complete the application and attach the requested documents and mail or email it to the conciliation service.

You may also email your request to the conciliation service or submit a request in German Sign Language through the SQAT service.

You click on the SQAT icon on the BGG conciliation board website. Then you record a video in German Sign Language. This is converted into a mail by a service provider.
The answer of the conciliation board will also be converted into a sign language video.

You can make the request orally directly on site at the conciliation office:

Go to the conciliation office by appointment and say that you want to file a conciliation request.
The on-site staff will then initiate the conciliation procedure for you.

Here's how the conciliation process works:

After you submit the request, the staff member reviews your request and also writes to the public agency.
You will then receive a reply from the public body and can respond to this.
The conciliator will propose a response to you, which you can send to the public body.
Sometimes you can also be invited to a conciliation meeting.
If you come to an agreement, the conciliation procedure is over.
If you cannot come to an agreement, you will receive a letter stating that the conciliation procedure was not successful.