Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen
German disability rights activist and Ashoka Fellow.
Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen is a German disability rights activist born in Lima, Peru on July 15, 1980. He was awarded the Order of Merit of Germany and is an Ashoka Fellow. Growing up in Berlin, he attended one of the first inclusive schools, which he credits as the foundation for his career. He studied Social and Economic Communication at the Berlin University of the Arts and Design Thinking at the HPI School of Design Thinking. In 2004, he co-founded the nonprofit Sozialhelden with his cousin Jan, launching projects like Wheelmap.org and Pfandtastisch helfen. Krauthausen has osteogenesis imperfecta and uses a wheelchair.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1980
- Birthplace
- Lima, Peru
- Education
- Berlin University of the Arts; Hasso Plattner Institute
- Occupation
- Corporate communication, design thinking
- Organization
- Sozialhelden e.V.
- Known for
- Wheelmap.org
- Movement
- Human rights, Disability rights
Facts from the source article.
Early life and education
Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up in Berlin. He attended one of the first inclusive schools in Germany, an experience he credits with shaping his career. After school, he studied social and business communication, which changed how he viewed his own disability. For much of his life, he avoided thinking about his condition, and he found it strange when his parents pushed him to play with other disabled children. But in college, as the only student with a disability, he missed that connection. That realization led him to start a nonprofit. He later studied Social and Economic Communication at the Berlin University of the Arts and Design Thinking at the HPI School of Design Thinking. He has osteogenesis imperfecta and uses a wheelchair.
Career
Together with his cousin, Jan, he founded the nonprofit organisation Sozialhelden, which translates to social heroes, in 2004. He works alongside his colleague, Svenja Heinecke, on projects to make Germany and the rest of the world accessible. The organisation develops projects which address social issues and offer practical solutions in a spirit of diversity and inclusion. Their fundraising project Pfandtastisch helfen, which raises funds for other nonprofit organisations through donated bottle recycling receipts, received the Startsocial prize from Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2008. In 2010, Wheelmap.org, a crowdsourced online map for finding and marking wheelchair accessible places was launched by Sozialhelden. The map, which is available in 22 languages, is based on OpenStreetMap and operates under a Creative-Commons license. Wheelmap has worked with German phonebook provider, 'Gelbe Seiten' to offer accessibility information about places that were already in the book. Krauthausen and his colleagues also invented Accessibility Cloud, a cloud that allows data on accessibility to be easily transferred to international organizations with the same goal. The overall goal of Krauthausen's nonprofit is 'Disability Mainstreaming'. In addition to his work for Sozialhelden Raúl Krauthausen co-founded Selfpedia.de in 2013, an online self-help community for questions and advice pertaining to life with a disability. Raúl Krauthausen is a frequent guest on talk shows and a popular interview partner for journalists regarding topics related to disability rights, accessibility and inclusion. In October 2016 Krauthausen went undercover in a German home for people with disabilities. He shaved his beard, cut his hair and even got rid of his signature hat. For five days he lived in the home and uncovered some harsh truths about the complete loss of independence that comes with being a disabled person in a care home. Krauthausen's undercover investigation was discussed by German politicians and decision-makers but did not lead to a change in legislation. One of the newest Sozialhelden projects is Leidmedien.de, an online platform for journalists and others whose work involves the portrayal of people with disabilities. Through advocacy, articles, workshops and informational materials Leidmedien.de offers perspectives on life with a disability which steer away from stereotypes and clichés. In 2014 Raúl Krauthausen developed a printable 3D mini ramp which can be used to overcome sidewalk curbs in a wheelchair.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen do?
Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen is a Corporate communication and design thinking.
Where did Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen study?
Raúl Aguayo-Krauthausen studied at Berlin University of the Arts and Hasso Plattner Institute.
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