National Council President Pierre-André Page continues a tradition founded in 2023 with the first Disabled Session. This year, he invites representatives with disabilities to participate in the second Disabled Session at the Federal House. 'As President of the National Council, I look forward to organizing this session for people with disabilities on October 21, 2026, at the Federal House and discussing political issues with them.'
Pro Infirmis is organizing this session within the framework of Forum22: a network that brings together and supports politically engaged people with disabilities across Switzerland. 'Our goal is for people with disabilities to participate in political decisions. We are therefore very pleased to be hosting this important political event,' explains Felicitas Huggenberger, Director of Pro Infirmis.
A session reflecting political current events
The Disabled Session will take place in 2026, a year when inclusion is a major topic. This summer, Pro Infirmis will present the 'Inclusion Index 2026': the second edition of a representative study on how people with disabilities experience inclusion. On the political level, the Federal Council will introduce its counter-proposal to the Inclusion Initiative in a few weeks, which will then be dealt with by the parliament.
The first edition with concrete political impacts
The first Disabled Session took place on March 24, 2023. It was attended by 44 people with disabilities, who symbolically occupied 22 percent of the seats in parliament, corresponding to the proportion of people with disabilities in the Swiss population. Concrete political demands were made during this session, some of which were taken up and adopted by parliament.
Participation requirements
People with disabilities will soon be able to apply for participation on the Pro Infirmis website. The 44 seats will be allocated through an online election among all candidates. The session's presidency will then be determined from the ranks of the elected parliamentarians.
Press contact:
Camilla Bischofberger
Head of Public Affairs and Media Spokesperson
camilla.bischofberger@proinfirmis.ch
058 775 26 15