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Shift change: Experience inclusion in the Rhein-Neckar district and reduce prejudices!
On October 7, 2025, the nationwide "Shift Change" campaign day took place in Ludwigshafen to promote inclusion at the workplace.
Shift change: Experience inclusion in the Rhein-Neckar district and reduce prejudices!
Today, on October 7, 2025, Germany is characterized by inclusion and new opportunities. The nationwide "shift change" campaign day, which was launched by the Federal Working Group of Workshops for Disabled People (BAG WFBM), brings people with and without disabilities together to exchange their work for one day. It is not just about a simple change of role, but also about reducing prejudices and fears of contact at the workplace, such as Mrn news reported.
Around 370 workshops and around 4800 participants show that this topic has a high level of relevance. In the Rhine-Neckar region, for example, the Johannes-Diakonie employed at various locations. Among them was Dr. Nicole Lamm-Hanel from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture, who actively put on hand with Clara da Gracia Ribeiro for a day in the "Rhein-Neckar workshops". Lamm-Hanel, who regularly commutes between Heidelberg and Stuttgart, gained important experiences and impressions that are to be deepened on November 11th during a visit to their office.
A day full of new experiences
The day of action also produced many personal stories. Mesut Öztas, 38 years old, exchanged his workplace in a carpenter of the Evangelical Diakoniaccium against a job in the administration of the district of Mainz-Bingen. He has a special perspective due to a mental illness: "I want to do an internship in the district administration and dream of my own life with apartment and car," he reports. Loud Daily show the mediation rate of workers from workshops in the general labor market is less than one percent. A fact that the action day is actively changing.
"Such days are very important for us to show what we can," explains Patricia Retzlaff, a 24-year-old who exchanged her office job for manual activities in a carpenter. The action day should also give employers a realistic impression of the skills of the employees and increase the visibility of people with impairments.
Step in the right direction
Emphasized at the same time the Federal Employment Agency that many employers are still hesitant to hire people with disabilities. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, this is wasted potential. Around 10.4 million people live with disabilities in Germany, and their unemployment rate is almost 11 percent - significantly higher than for people without disabilities.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sees inclusion as a human right and calls for employers to occupy mandatory jobs for people with disabilities. But reality looks different: only 39 percent of companies meet these requirements and 45,000 employers do not employ any severely disabled people at all. The step to offer people with disabilities a place in working life is not only a question of the law, but also a moral responsibility.
Events such as the “Shift Change” action day are a first step towards raising awareness of inclusion and breaking down existing prejudices. It remains to be hoped that such initiatives will become more numerous in the future and lastingly change the image of people with disabilities in the world of work.