The core of our movement consists of eleven members of the "Genossenschaft", a typically Swiss legal form - the only one that allows for the activists to actually keep control over their movement. Additionally, we have a member - and growing - support association, where people with or without disability can become members.
The latter is our "money-machine". The two legal bodies are in content linked by the charta which can only be altered by mutual agreement and, financially, by contract which strictly restricts the support group to the Genossenschaft, but allows the latter to free decisions even without consent of the support group. The members of the Genossenschaft are the governing body of the movement. Any disabled person who works actively within the movement for at least three months can become a member of this body.
The entire group will vote on membership on application. The body is led by the trio president, vice president and cashier - who must be members and elected for the period of one year. Kat Kanka also known for her work on "rolliday". Our cashier is Ms. Eva Schulthess. I am the founder of this organisation and, for the time being, president and paid executive director. All matters of policy are decided by the weekly "Headquarter meeting" in which all members of the Genossenschaft have equal participation and voting rights.
It is our intention to pay all members of the Genossenschaft for their immense work. However, as our finances are barely sufficient to pay the rent on the two centers and one salary, only my position is paid for the time being. We hope to become eligible for governement subsidies beginning next year and then to be able to pay several of our activists. The latter is not sure though - our governement subsidy regulations never intended to give financial assistance to those people who help themselves - it is all trained at supporting the helpers.
We are fighting these regulations. At the moment we are involved in more than 30 projects on the national and cantonal levels. Within the last three years since the beginning, we have organized about 12 demonstrations - mostly in the area of public transport and health insurance non- coverage of assistance and - of course - the equal rights amendment to the Swiss constitution. Switzerland does not yet know the concept of personal assistance and provides almost no financial means to live outside institutions.
