Get a school degree. Be able to work. Live on your own. Three completely normal wishes, which, though, appear unattainable for many a person with a physical disability. We, the Pfennigparade Foundation and our 16 subsidiaries, help to make these wishes come true.
The Pfennigparade registered association came into being in the early 1950s when committed Munich citizens supported the cause of those affected by the polio epidemic. What began with calls for donations more than half a century ago has developed into one of the largest German rehabilitation centres for physically disabled persons. The foundation block for Pfennigparade's goals was laid back then: Opening up opportunities – shaping the future to help persons with a physical disability enjoy a fulfilling and active life.
This explains the diversity of the services we offer. We operate kindergartens, schools, outpatient and residential facilities, nursing services, workshops, an integration company and special support programs, such as the one for persons with traumatic brain injury. More than 1,500 physically disabled persons and over 1,000 non disabled live, work and learn together at Pfennigparade in Munich.
Pfennigparade's vocational and occupational program is unmatched in terms of diversity. This is because work means more than a secure income: Work provides structure, builds self-confidence and fosters community. More than others, persons with a disability, who depend on help from others in many area, find their place of work a place where they can shape and create and be involved actively.
We offer everyone an opportunity to work, no matter what their abilities, all the way from simple manual activities to IT services. Our program includes work and products of high quality from the fields of IT and technology, commercial clerical work, scanning and publishing. Our customers know that social commitment and professional services can go together at Pfennigparade.
Around 160 barrier-free rental apartments are available to those affected. We offer professionally managed residential groups for individuals who cannot live independently. The residential groups are integrated into individual neighbourhoods of Munich, so that the children, adolescents and adults living there take part in a completely normal environment. Our outpatient assisted living program is of special interest to residents who want to prepare for independent living.
The sooner integration starts, the less barriers block the way to a self-determined private life and professional life later on. Our education and training program starts with places in a day nursery for toddlers with disorders of the central nervous system and a kindergarten and goes all the way to a combined primary school and secondary school, a "Realschule" secondary school and a "Fachoberschule" vocational secondary school. In our schools, it is completely normal for physically disabled pupils and non disabled pupils to be together. It is our goal to provide children and adolescents with a strong sense of self-worth as a foundation for their future.
Not to stand still and instead to deal with the challenges of the times, that is a foundation of Pfennigparade's success. We continuously develop our vocational, residential, education and therapy programs, thereby adapting to social and economic change.