25 years of rehaKIND at REHAB
Anniversary with all companions - trade fair was the birthplace
25 years ago, the vision of rehaKIND was born at REHAB. Committed paediatric rehabilitation manufacturers and the publisher at the time, Dieter Borgmann, recognized that children with disabilities were receiving little attention in healthcare, as the focus was strongly on the ageing society. So in 2000, a handful of medium-sized manufacturers and the „verlag modernes lernen” founded the International Association for the Promotion of rehaKIND. The aim was to form a strong network dedicated to the highly individual needs of these children and young people. rehaKIND ensures opportunities for participation for all children and puts its heart and soul into this.
In the beginning, many individual company interests had to be put aside, but the goal was clear for all founding members: better care for children and young people who need medical aids, even in times of tight health insurance funds. Today, in 2025, rehaKIND is not only celebrating its anniversary, but also a significant political success: a change in the law to improve care.
On May 23, rehaKIND will celebrate its 25th anniversary at REHAB Karlsruhe with an anniversary party in Hall 3. Photo: Messe Karlsruhe / Behrendt and Rausch
rehaKIND - a strong voice in the market, society and politics
With now 210 members from various sectors, small and well-known manufacturers, specialist retailers, publishers, law firms, consulting service providers and professional associations, as well as over 30 self-help groups and parents' associations, rehaKIND is a neutral platform for the exchange and development of solutions. The association has already achieved numerous improvements - from individual solutions for families to structural changes in the care system.
And: rehaKIND is unique, there is no comparable broad-based network in Europe, and members from surrounding countries and even the USA now support the valuable work of the association.
The challenges remain great: although the birth rate is falling, the number of children with disabilities remains constant. Advances in medicine are enabling many severely disabled children to live longer, but their care must be ensured.
Jörg Hackstein, lawyer and board member of rehaKIND e.V., and Christiana Hennemann, board spokesperson of rehaKIND e.V. Photo: rehaKIND e.V.
Digital aids could make it easier for young people with physical disabilities to access the primary labor market, but bureaucratic hurdles make implementation difficult. „We can only overcome these challenges in a reformed, de-bureaucratized healthcare system,” says the rehaKIND executive board.
Sharing knowledge - shaping the future
With an extensive training program, rehaKIND has already trained over 1000 specialist consultants. Because children are not small adults: Orthopaedic and rehabilitation technicians, as well as medical and therapeutic professionals, need extensive knowledge of cognitive and physiological developmental stages in order to provide proactive, preventative care in the right time frames.
The association is currently analyzing international „Lifespan studies” on the positive, long-term effects of early provision of aids for life as a whole. This has been the subject of scientific research in other countries for over 25 years and, in addition to the personal benefits for patients, there are also enormous potential savings for the economy as a whole. Such registers are largely lacking in Germany - valuable knowledge from other countries must be used here.
Christiana Hennemann, CEO of rehaKIND, calls for pediatric medicine to be strengthened: „We must not save money on children. They are our future.” She criticizes the fact that the German healthcare system often only repairs instead of taking preventative action. Sustainable solutions are needed - beyond election periods.
Anniversary celebration and prospects
On May 23, rehaKIND celebrates its 25th anniversary at REHAB Karlsruhe with an anniversary party in Hall 3. Members, partners from medicine and therapy, families and advisory boards come together to honor what has been achieved - and to carry on.
The future tasks remain numerous: at rehaKIND, small and large (professional) players develop care standards together with those affected and self-help organizations, evaluate the care conditions for disabled children, point out structural and financial deficits and find practical solutions for all those involved.
A newly founded think tank is working on strategies for implementing the new legal regulations. In addition, the next major Focus CP-rehaKIND congress is scheduled for February 2026 in Dortmund. With over 60 workshops, 150 speakers and 1,500 participants, the topic of „Evidence - Individuality - Practice” will shed light on the current challenges for medicine, therapy and the provision of medical aids in science and practice.
The work of rehaKIND is far from over - rehaKIND will remain a strong voice for a better future for children and young people with disabilities and their families beyond the anniversary year.
In February 2026, the CP-rehaKIND Congress will take place in Dortmund with the theme “Evidence - Individuality - Practice”. Photo: rehaKIND e.V.
Child and youth rehabilitation in the forum programme - organized by rehaKIND e. V.
Every day, rehaKIND e.V. invites you to lectures in Forum Hall 3 that focus on the topics of child and adolescent rehabilitation. These include „Current topics on the personal budget and budget assistance”, „People with severe ICP in power wheelchairs - should this be possible?” and „When it really hurts - pain recognition in the context of the provision of assistive devices”.
rehaKIND e.V. invites you to daily lectures in the Forum Hall 3, which focus on the topics of child and youth rehabilitation. Photo: rehaKIND e.V.