Abstract

This article on the Christian understanding of human existence and the mentally-handicapped gives a survey of the care and advancement of the handicapperl in the former G.D.R. It describes the initial church stance regarding this work after World War II and compares the insuing efforts of both church and state. In spite of political repression this type of care became a primary field of diaconic work. Diaconic efforts consisted of staff training, the construction of special buildings, and the international exchange of ideas and practice. A major concem was the widescale integration of the handicapped.