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Shift change: Experience inclusion in the Rhein-Neckar district and break down prejudices!
On October 7, 2025, the nationwide “Shift Change” day of action took place in Ludwigshafen to promote inclusion in the workplace.
Shift change: Experience inclusion in the Rhein-Neckar district and break down prejudices!
Today, October 7, 2025, Germany is all about inclusion and new opportunities. The nationwide “Shift Change” day of action, which was launched by the Federal Association of Workshops for Disabled People (BAG WfbM), brings people with and without disabilities together to swap jobs for a day. It's not just about a simple change of roles, but also about reducing prejudices and fears of contact in the workplace MRN News reported.
Around 370 workshops and around 4,800 participants nationally show that this topic is highly relevant. In the Rhine-Neckar region, for example, Johannes-Diakonie employees worked in various locations. Among them was Dr. Nicole Lamm-Hanel from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Culture, who actively lent a 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 will be deepened during a visit to her office on November 11th.
A day full of new experiences
The day of action also produced many personal stories. Mesut Öztas, 38 years old, swapped his job in a carpentry shop of the Evangelical Diakoniewerk for a job in the administration of the Mainz-Bingen district. Due to his mental illness, he has a special perspective: “I would like to do an internship in the district administration and dream of my own life with an apartment and a car,” he reports. Loud daily news The placement rate of workers from workshops into the general labor market is less than one percent. A circumstance that the day of action actively tries to change.
“Days like this are very important for us to show what we can do,” explains Patricia Retzlaff, a 24-year-old who swapped her office job for manual work in a carpentry shop. The day of action is also intended to give employers a realistic impression of the abilities of employees and increase the visibility of people with disabilities.
Step in the right direction
At the same time emphasized 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 requires employers to fill compulsory jobs for people with disabilities. But the reality is different: Only 39 percent of companies meet these requirements and 45,000 employers do not employ severely disabled people at all. The move to offer people with disabilities a place in working life is not only a question of 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.