The Center for Self-Determined Living (ZsL) in Cologne faces closure due to the planned elimination of municipal funding. Far more is at stake here than the funding of a single project: For nearly 40 years, the ZsL has been supporting people with disabilities in Cologne in living self-determined lives, understanding and asserting their rights, and participating in society on an equal footing.
The loss of funding also threatens to have far-reaching consequences for the entire umbrella organization “Selbstbestimmt Leben” Behinderter Köln e.V. Since the ZsL also funds part of the management and operating costs, the work of the Kompetenzzentrum Selbstbestimmt Leben Köln (KSL) and the Ergänzende unabhängige Teilhabeberatung (EUTB) would also be at risk.
Expertise built up over decades, vital networks, and—above all—the experience and expertise of people with disabilities must not fall victim to budget cuts. A city like Cologne, which aspires to stand for diversity and inclusion, must preserve the structures that make self-determination and inclusion a concrete reality.
That is why we support the call to preserve the ZsL in Cologne. Join us in taking a stand against cuts that hurt people with disabilities, and support the petition: The ZsL Cologne must stay open!
Click here to sign the petition:
