Innoklusio®

A bird's eye view of the exhibition in a large, bright entrance hall and lots of people looking at the exhibition.
© MaschmannFautzHuff

About Innoklusio in Plain English

We at Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH have different goals:

  • We want to raise awareness about people with disabilities.
  • We want people with and without disabilities to work better together.
  • We want to improve the conditions for people with disabilities.

These goals move all of us forward: society and economy. To reach our goals, we create different projects. One of these projects is Innoklusio.

Innoklusio is a model project. This means that we try out Innoklusio for three years. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs supports the project.

15 companies from different sectors are taking part in Innoklusio. These are the goals of Innoklusio:

  • All employees learn a lot about inclusion. They talk to each other and maybe change their behavior.
  • Innoklusio shows the potentials of people with disabilities.
  • The companies find out how people with and without disabilities can work even better together.

For this purpose, we offer the companies a three-part program:

  • an exhibition that is hosted by the companies
  • a seminar for managers
  • a training program

The experts are people with disabilities. They explain everything to the participants. In this way, people with and without disabilities exchange ideas. Because having contact with each other is the best way to understand each other better.


Innoklusio can do more

Our vision: Innoklusio creates new paths to a working world in which people with and without disabilities mutually generate economic and social added value.

Innoklusio is a three-year model project of Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. 15 pilot companies from a wide range of branches and company sizes are participating in the project.

Our approach: With the project Innoklusio we aim to foster inclusion competence in the pilot companies, to support people with disabilities, and to initiate cultural change. Therefore, we offer our partners a three-part program:

  • A mobile exhibition
  • A one-day leadership seminar
  • A six-month educational program

With these three components, Innoklusio provides space for exchange, invites new perspectives, and supports the discovery of potential. As experts, people with disabilities convey all program content. We create a platform for people with and without disabilities to meet - because making contact works. Innoklusio is the consequent progression of the Dialog programs' many years of experience in the employment and placement of people with disabilities. In Hamburg alone, Dialoghaus boasts more than 500 employees and participants in qualification measures with disabilities in the past 20 years.

DSE implements the model project in three phases of 12 months each: In the first year, we work with our partners to develop the program’s content based on the needs of the pilot companies, followed by the rollout of the three modules to the pilot companies in the second year. The experts at Sozialhelden e.V. are supporting us in developing and communicating the content of the Innoklusio program. In addition, the project is accompanied by the University of Applied Sciences (HAW) in Hamburg. Together we will publish the results of the evaluation in the third year and communicate the project to the public.

1.Exhibition

A picture of the exhibition in a large, bright entrance hall and two women in the middle.
© ATELIER-BRÜCKNER - Michael-Reiner

The mobile exhibition provides visitors with an interactive experience. Usually, it is hosted directly on the company grounds for one week. On an area of approximately 200m², up to 50 employees per hour can visit the exhibition. People with and without disabilities serve as contact persons.

The highlight consists of an installation in complete darkness, based on the Dialogue in the Dark concept. There, visitors are led through various learning experiments by guides with visual impairments.

This low-threshold offer serves to raise the awareness of the employees. Participants recognize patterns of bias and exclusion. They are motivated to advocate for inclusion and for the needs of people with disabilities in their organizations.

2. Leadership Program

Lego bricks in red and white, showing different barriers.
© INNOKLUSIO

In a one-day seminar, managers are actively involved and trained on the topics of disability and inclusion. The seminar focuses on self-experience and reflection. The core of the seminar is a morning sequence in complete darkness. There, the managers experience an impressive change of perspective and act outside their routines. In the afternoon, the participants are given a learning space in which they can bring in concrete challenges from their practice. Possible thematic focal points are:

  • Inclusion is teamwork: How do I deal with tensions in diverse teams?
  • Inclusion is innovation: What market and skilled labourer potential lies in the employment of people with disabilities?

By attending the seminar, managers will understand inclusion as a strategic business decision that secures the future, promotes innovation, and identifies them as an attractive employer.

3. Educational Program

Picture of Andreas Heinecke talking to a woman during a panel discussion.
© INNOKLUSIO

We promote inclusion competence in companies and organizations in a sustainable manner. Therefore, we develop a six-month, occupational educational program aimed towards employees who want to anchor and drive the topic forward in their companies (human resources managers, inclusion representatives, CSR & Diversity Managers, etc.). The initiator of the educational program is Dr. Andreas Heinecke, founder of Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH. The program is conducted in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences for Social Design.

The learning objectives are divided into three levels:

  • Conveying factual knowledge
  • Building knowledge and understanding
  • Practical application in their own organisational context

The educational program combines best practices with state-of-the-art research findings, thereby creating a stable foundation for deriving coherent organisational and cultural development measures and transformation in the short and long term. In face-to-face and online modules, participants are provided with a comprehensive overview of social, economic, scientific and legal issues related to the inclusion process. Trainers lead through the three classroom modules, which last several days, and provide the framework for the educational program. The classroom modules cover the following main topics:

  • Module 1: Introduction Inclusion Management
  • Module 2: Accessibility
  • Module 3: Inkluthon

The classroom modules are accompanied by six online modules which, with the support of speakers, delve into individual key topics such as change processes, invisible and psychological disabilities or transformation processes.

For more information on Innoklusio please contact the Team

The Pilot Companies

14 pilot companies of various sizes and from a wide range of industries are participating in our model project:

Graphic with the logos of all pilot companies.

Our Supporter

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs from the equalizing fund. The University of Applied Sciences for Social Design (hfgg) supports us in the development and implementation of the educational program. Furthermore, the educational program is externally evaluated by the University of Applied Sciences (HAW) in Hamburg.

Graphic with the logos of HAW Hamburg, the University of Applied Sciences for Society and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs