[Demands for a new, patient oriented rehabilitation]

A new orientation of rehabilitation in Germany has been initiated by the social political representatives in legislation and government, based on conceptualizations of self help movements in Europe and Germany. The goal is to form a new rehabilitation which is dedicated to participation and partnership of citizens with disability ("Nothing about us without us"). Empowerment is envisaged and resources supplied by legislation to allow to implement these new concepts (personal budget). To guarantee these new rights they have been codified in a new, 9th book of the German social code (Sozialgesetzbuch IX, SGB IX). This new perspective gives rise to major evolutionary impulses in rehabilitation, notably disabled persons' participation in self-assessment, in formulating their rehabilitation goals, determining and controlling the rehabilitation process, terminating rehabilitation (co-signing their discharge reports), as well as evaluating the outcome (quality control of rehabilitation results). They have the right to get all their medical information (right of informational independence). Seven guidelines of people with disability are formulated to support implementation of the new rehabilitation.