On 25 September, the annual Shift Change Action Day (in German: Aktionstag Schichtwechsel)took place in Germany. As part of this nationwide initiative, users of sheltered workshops and employees from the open labour market swapped workplaces, gaining hands-on experience in new professional environments and discovering the diversity of tasks and opportunities each setting offers.

The Shift Change Action Day creates a space for encounters, dialogue, and new perspectives, helping to break down prejudices and stereotypes. Each individual exchange is a valuable and enriching experience, and the event as a whole fosters a more inclusive society through mutual respect and collaboration on equal terms.

This year, the event offered an impressive range of exchanges across companies and institutions in business, politics, and culture, highlighting the breadth of opportunities for meaningful interaction.

With around 370 participating sheltered workshops and a total of 4,800 participants (2,700 employees from workshops and 2,100 exchange partners from companies), the Shift Change Action Day once again surpassed last year’s record, underlining the growing interest in inclusion and collaboration across sectors.

Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, also emphasised the importance of the event:

Our society still needs more inclusion, respect, and participation for people with disabilities. And of course, greater visibility. I am therefore very pleased that the nationwide Shift Change Action Day has been so successful. It demonstrates that participation and equal opportunities for all are not just guaranteed rights, but a real enrichment. The Action Day also reminds us to continue breaking down barriers and to consistently advance inclusion.

Since 2019, the Federal Association of Sheltered Workshops (BAG WfbM) has coordinated the initiative at the national level. The concept was originally developed in 2017 by 16 Berlin sheltered workshops in cooperation with the Berlin State Association of Sheltered Workshops for Persons with Disabilities. The initiative not only broadens professional horizons for everyone involved but also strengthens understanding, empathy, and connections between people with and without disabilities. By creating these opportunities for direct exchange, the Shift Change Action Day demonstrates that inclusion and equal opportunities are not only fundamental rights but also enrich workplaces and society as a whole.