#rp24 speaker Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen: Who takes care of inclusion?

#WhoCares: The well-known inclusion activist, author and media maker Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen has for many years been dedicated to the question of how we can establish a culture that values and includes people with disabilities. One of his key messages is that disability is a trait – just like the colour of our hair or eyes. And: It is everyone's task  to ensure that all people can participate equally in society and live together in a self-determined way! At re:publica, Raúl will talk about how we can shape this process together.

Raúl is not only committed to enforcing the rights of people with disabilities, but also fights loudly on all platforms – analogue and digital – for more visibility and against discrimination. With the "Wheelmap", he invented a map for wheelchair-accessible places. He protested in front of the German national parliament in favour of a good participation and equality law, brought about a constitutional complaint against the triage regulation and continues to educate about disability in blog articles, television reports and his podcast.

He is co-founder of the association SOZIALHELDEN, with whom re:publica has been cooperating for several years. As a studied communication manager and design thinker, Raúl has been working in the internet and media world for over 15 years. He has been an Ashoka Fellow since 2011. In 2013, Raúl Krauthausen was honoured with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In January 2014 he published his biography "Dachdecker wollte ich eh nicht werden – Das Leben aus der Rollstuhlperspektive" (I didn't want to be a thatcher anyway – Life from a wheelchair perspective). Since 2015, he has hosted his own talk show "KRAUTHAUSEN – face to face" on the topics of culture and inclusion on Sport1. Raúl is passionately involved as an ambassador and multiplier for the cinema film "Die Kinder der Utopie" (The children of utopia), which was released in May 2019. In 2020, he launched numerous podcasts. In 2021, in collaboration with Benjamin Schwarz, he published the book "Wie kann ich was bewegen? Die Kraft des konstruktiven Aktivismus" (How can I have an impact? The power of constructive activism). In his 2023 SPIEGEL bestseller "Wer Inklusion will, findet einen Weg. Wer sie nicht will, findet Ausreden“ (Those who want inclusion will find a way. Those who don't will find excuses), he raises fundamental and often uncomfortable questions about inclusion in Germany. Together with his colleague Adina Hermann, he wrote a children's book, "Als Ela das All eroberte" (When Ela Conquered Space), which was published at the end of February.

Er ist Mitgründer des Vereins SOZIALHELDEN, mit dem auch die re:publica seit einigen Jahren kooperiert. Als studierter Kommunikationswirt und Design Thinker arbeitet Raúl Krauthausen seit über 15 Jahren in der Internet- und Medienwelt. Seit 2011 ist er Ashoka Fellow. 2013 wurde Raúl Krauthausen mit dem Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande ausgezeichnet und im Januar 2014 veröffentlichte er seine Biographie „Dachdecker wollte ich eh nicht werden – Das Leben aus der Rollstuhlperspektive“. Seit 2015 moderiert er mit „KRAUTHAUSEN – face to face“ seine eigene Talksendung zu den Themen Kultur und Inklusion auf Sport1. Für den im Mai 2019 erschienenen Kinofilm „Die Kinder der Utopie“ engagiert sich Raúl leidenschaftlich als Botschafter und Multiplikator. Im Jahr 2020 startete er zahlreiche Podcasts. 2021 erschien in Zusammenarbeit mit Benjamin Schwarz das Buch „Wie kann ich was bewegen? Die Kraft des konstruktiven Aktivismus“. In seinem SPIEGEL-Bestseller „Wer Inklusion will, findet einen Weg. Wer sie nicht will, findet Ausreden“ von 2023 wirft er grundlegende und oft unangenehme Fragen zur Inklusion in Deutschland auf. Zusammen mit seiner Kollegin Adina Hermann schrieb er mit „Als Ela das All eroberte“ ein Kinderbuch, das Ende Februar erschien.

Raúl has been a re:publica fan since the early days and has been a speaker more times than we can list here. For example, in 2012, he spoke on the topic of DIY accessibility; and in 2014 about mobility innovations for people with special needs. At re:publica in digital exile in 2020, he discussed the ethical, political and constitutional aspects of triage, and in 2022 presented his ideas and book on constructive activism. In 2023, he was also part of our track team. We are very much looking forward to many more inspiring insights and discussions with Raúl at #rp24!