6 November 2023

A special anniversary was celebrated at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences on 13 and 14 October 2023. The curative education degree programme, which was founded in 2013, celebrated its 10th birthday under the motto "Don't worry be a HEPPIE". The celebrations attracted around 100 participants, including alumni, current students and lecturers from Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences.

The celebrations began in the Audimax, where the participants enjoyed coffee and homemade cake and reminisced. The host of the anniversary, the head of the degree programme Prof. Claudia Spindler, as well as some of the lecturers who have helped shape the degree programme since it was founded, warmly welcomed the guests. Career-related topics were discussed in depth, and alumni had the opportunity to find out about the professional and personal development of former students with the help of personalised profiles. The event also offered the opportunity to make contacts in amusing speed dating sessions organised by the Student Council for Special Needs Education. For those who preferred a more relaxed atmosphere, there was the opportunity to follow the development of the degree programme and the student council in a chronicle and to add personal highlights from their time at university.

The afternoon ended with a lively exchange between the alumni about their professional fields, which led to a discussion about the need for reliable standards and professional structures for participation and inclusion.

The anniversary was duly celebrated with a joint dinner in the canteen and a subsequent party in the Karzer. The "Nordhouse Band" ensured that the dance floor shook until late into the night.

On Saturday, current and former lecturers at the university opened the event with statements on "Curative education in the interdisciplinary field of tension - a professional profile in discourse". The discussion not only focussed on curative education developments in Nordhausen, but also included a critical examination of curative education approaches and social discrimination mechanisms. Julia Fischer, curative educator and board member of the Thuringian self-advocacy organisation for people with disabilities, impressively illustrated the stigmatisation experienced by people with disabilities.

A highlight of the event was the opening lecture on the "Future of curative education" by Professor Heinrich Greving, one of the key players in curative education. In the afternoon, participants were able to choose from ten different workshops to broaden their professional perspective and discuss topics such as inclusion, professional development, ageing processes, participation, future planning and autism. The university's new "Ageman" suit was also used, allowing participants to experience impairments in old age first-hand.

The event ended with two cultural highlights: An impressive poetry slam by alumna Mara Niedling and a specially composed Heppie song performed by Marie Schilling and her former seminar group. Both received long applause and contributed to the unforgettable atmosphere.

The organisers would like to thank everyone involved for helping to make this anniversary celebration and conference a special event. The curative education community is looking forward to meeting again soon and promises not to wait until 10 years from now.

Original sound:

"THANK YOU for this incredibly beautiful HP anniversary celebration and the symposium. I was overwhelmed by all the wonderful ideas, the overall organisation and the huge effort that was put into this weekend. I thought it would be great beforehand, but it really exceeded my expectations by far. The workshops were also very insightful and informative - it was simply good to be able to engage in such professional dialogue again. It was a wonderful weekend that my former fellow students and I will remember for a long time. Thank you." (an alumna)

"I am so proud to be a (future) curative educator and to be part of this family". This room and this exchange created such a feeling of immense pride to be part of such an incredibly great and inspiring Heppie family. You almost can't capture that in words." (an HP student).