The Dialogmuseum was recognized with the state award for the exemplary employment and integration of persons with severe disability by the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration.
This award means a lot to our international network, especially at a time when, as a global brand, we want to make the topic of inclusion more visible and promote it in each of our locations.
The Ministry underlines the importance of the award when in Germany the unemployment rate among people with disabilities is twice as high as among people without disabilities. Which mean that persons with disabilities are still underrepresented in the labor market.
For that reason, the award recognize those organizations which are committed to their employees with disability.
This is the third time that the Dialogmuseum is recognized with this award. This acknowledge the continuous inclusion culture of the Dialogmuseum.
And according with Maureen Ekizolu, CEO of the Dialogmuseum, inclusion is promoted within the organization from different angles:
We employ persons with and with no disabilities on the first labor market. Inclusion is a lived everyday behavior that is sustainably structured and qualified. This is done through internal qualification measures and training, including barrier-free work materials, areas of responsibility, workplaces, communication and management.
Some example of our inclusion indicators are as follows:
Our staff is diverse. The profiles of the employees do not have school or university degrees. The age range ranges from 20-62 years. Among them are people with a migration and refugee background, people who identify as transgender and nonbinary, believing practicing Muslims, Christians and atheists.
The entire team is responsible for the jointly developed corporate culture, always expands it and passes it on to new colleagues. For this purpose, barrier-free and empathetic communication as well as cooperation are essential: via digital aids and braille for blind and visually impaired people, simple language for people from non-German-speaking countries as well as visual and haptic work materials for those with learning disabilities or dyslexic. Leading persons know all work processes, profiles, strengths and weaknesses of their team members in order to optimally accompany, promote and guide them empathetically.
Another example are quality afternoons which take place once a week, in individual teams or together. Here, work structures and processes, worries and problems, new concepts, occupational safety and protection are learned, discussed, reflected on, questioned, developed and expanded together. In addition, the individual and team [1] external coaches and experts strengthen further development: leadership [1] training, stress reduction, psychological risk assessment, sports courses (Yoga & Vingtsun), first aid courses, fire protection exercises, storytelling, scenery, English workshops are mentioned here.
Internal further training is also a successful inclusion tool through external cooperations. All coaches and experts are sensitized by the projects in the DIALOGMUSEUM for a diverse and barrier-free program; they must prepare their content for it and may assess it. Our open error culture enables exchange and empathetic learning so that you benefit from each other.
Team on Tour is an initiative we initiated in 2023. It is identity-creating for the cultural business, promoting team feeling and further education. For this purpose, we visit another cultural institution as an entire team. We experience the cooperating houses openly and gratefully for the exchange. We notice a change in culture; inclusion is a great desire, the practice behind it uncertain. Our team acts as evaluator and consultant on site. Examples include: MMK Museum of Modern Art Frankfurt, Struwwelpeter Museum Frankfurt, city tour with cultural policy spokesman City of Frankfurt/Thomas Bäppler Wolf, Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Women's Department Frankfurt Exhibition Revolutionary.
What do you think? Sounds like a Dialogue venue committed with inclusion, right?
Congratulations to the whole team for this award, and for the incredible development of your inclusion culture. We have to be role models. We are proud of you Dialogmuseum!