„“How can information be designed so that everyone can actually use it?” asked employees from the perspectives of administration, education, housekeeping, building services, and the youth advisory board during a training course in November.
Accessibility as a shared responsibility
The one-day workshop „Everyone is welcome. Making information understandable for everyone“ was part of the development process of the Wannsee Forum is becoming an inclusive learning place.
Within the framework of the AdB project „SPREAD – Awareness Raising, Political Education, Reflection, Empowerment, Ableism Deconstruction“ The discussion focused on more inclusive and multimedia communication options.
The goal was to, Accessibility The workshop aimed not only to discuss accessibility as an abstract principle, but also to integrate it concretely into the daily life of an educational institution. It combined expert input with practical work. The collaborative discussion initially focused on the societal significance of accessibility and the question of why it is relevant far beyond visible limitations. Particular attention was paid to invisible and multiple impairments. intersectional view This highlights that people often experience not just one, but several forms of disadvantage simultaneously, for example due to disabilities, origin, gender, or age. These overlaps were deliberately addressed in the workshop and considered during the brainstorming process.
It quickly became clear: accessibility is not an "extra" for a few, but a benefit for everyone.
Practical instead of theoretical
The practical part involved exploring ways to make information more understandable and accessible. Through exercises on icons, revising informational texts, and video, audio, and AI applications, participants developed ideas for inclusive info design directly on site.
Key findings included: clear, spoken language aids understanding, images and symbols open up additional avenues, and digital media lose their intimidating nature when you try them out yourself.
Many perspectives, many ideas
The exchange was diverse and engaging. Different professional perspectives enriched the discussion. Key questions repeatedly arose: How can barriers be removed professionally and affordably?
In the end, many concrete approaches for further reducing barriers were presented: from new information formats to small, immediately implementable changes in everyday work.
Experience shows that when employees from different areas work together creatively, sensitivity to ableism and the desire to consider accessibility from the outset increase.
Sharing knowledge, enabling change
To ensure that the experiences from the workshop have a lasting impact, OER materials These materials are freely available (Open Educational Resources). They can be used by other teams or institutions for their own workshops.
In the wannseeFORUM, we are planning a follow-up workshop in 2026 to further develop what has been created.
