When we were looking for Oberkrämer, the sat nav led us through quiet places and lots of Brandenburg greenery. “Why is such a small place setting out to become assistance dog friendly?”, I asked admiringly, interrupting the monotone navi voice.
The answer awaited us on site. Mr Ostwald, the municipality’s disability representative, thought it was natural to address this issue even if there was no assistance dog in the municipality. That could change, and besides, there will be visitors and tourists who have an assistance dog, and then it must have happened. A powerful logic that we immediately envied Oberkrämer for. We called it the short wire of reason. Convinced by the content, Mr Ostwald spoke with the mayor and the head of the public order office. It was agreed that the topic was through.
Mr Ostwald and other municipality employees took a whole hour to talk to two journalists. uand us about the topic. The questions showed a very serious interest and also that pragmatic solutions for possible areas of conflict were already being sought. The May sun was not yet very warm, but this round of talks, which took place in front of the town hall due to Corona, was a success for everyone.
Afterwards, we learned a lot about the community from Mr Ostwald at the local bakery, which rounded off the day. The flat structures of the Brandenburg community sounded so beneficial, so close to the people (and the assistance dog). On the return journey in the car towards Berlin, we were immediately overcome by a feeling of euphoria. “Good politics is possible. Everything can be so simple if those involved do their best!”
The “Assistance Dog Welcome” campaign was made possible by funding from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Aktion Mensch.
