Facts & Figures 2024
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More than 10,000 People with Disabilities are cared for in our programs or by our mobile services
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2,759 Places for people with disabilities in structured day programs
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1,264 People are cared for by our mobile services.
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7,888 People with Disabilities received psychosocial support
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2,308 People with Disabilities in assisted living
Everyone Has the Right to Education
With or without disabilities—it should go without saying. And at Caritas, it does. Education opens doors, builds confidence, and is key to leading a self-determined life. Yet for many children and adults with disabilities in Austria, learning alongside peers remains far from guaranteed. All too often, they face exclusion—physical, structural, and social.
Caritas is working to change that. Our vision: schools and educational spaces that foster connection and ensure everyone belongs. This requires barrier-free access, well-trained educators, personal assistance, adapted learning materials, and enough time for individual support. Learning together from the very beginning helps us grow closer as a society. Inclusion is not an add-on—it is a mindset. And it starts with meaningful participation from day one.
The Caritas School Am Himmel welcomes all learners. Whatever a child's background or abilities may be, they are always at the heart of what we do. In this interview, Principal Florian Weiss shares how inclusion is practiced in everyday school life and what he hopes for the future.
How would you explain "inclusion" to a child?
Florian Weiss: Imagine you are on a big playground with many different children. One child needs a wheelchair, another speaks a little differently from you, one might walk more slowly, and another looks quite different from you. But still, all of these children are allowed to play together and have fun. You find games that everyone can enjoy, and not a single child has to play alone—because everyone is welcome on this playground. That is what inclusion means.
What does lived inclusion mean to you personally at the Am Himmel school, and how is this reflected in everyday school life?
Florian Weiss: In my personal view, inclusion should not be limited to what happens in individual classrooms but should run through the entire school day. At the Am Himmel school, inclusion is present in many aspects of school life. All class groups, whether small or large, are inclusive and span multiple grade levels. Individualized timetables for each child, alongside coordinated class schedules, foster an inclusive learning environment across much of the school day. The learning niches in our hallways are actively used during lessons, breaks, and lunchtime supervision. Our afternoon care program is fully inclusive and organized through a system of workshops. Each day, we offer 8 to 10 different workshops—ranging from music and sports to creative activities, outdoor play, leisure, academic support, and cooking. At the start of each semester, children select their preferred workshop from a wish list. This creates fully inclusive groups that bring together neurotypical and neurodivergent children from ALL grade levels.
From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges in inclusive education?
Florian Weiss: One key challenge is helping not only children, but also parents and teachers embrace inclusion as something natural, something that simply belongs in everyday school life. This takes ongoing reflection and evaluation of how inclusion is lived throughout the school day.
If you had one wish for inclusive education in Austria, what would it be?
Florian Weiss: Quite clearly, that far more schools would adopt or expand an inclusive approach at their locations. This would also include a wish for the Ministry to provide the necessary conditions—adequate staffing, space, funding, and technical resources—so that inclusive education can be implemented in all public and private schools.
Caritas School "Am Himmel"
For school principal Florian Weiss, inclusion means giving children opportunities. In the video, he shares how this vision shapes everyday life at the inclusive Caritas school Am Himmel.