Many people with disabilities feel unwelcome, receive inadequate help and are not taken seriously in public places. Employees in public spaces, with the right training, can make those places more inclusive.
Public places too often contain a barrier for people with disabilities. Not just at the front door (something can be done about that quickly). But especially in the minds and actions of the people who work there: they suffer from discomfort, ignorance, and unintentional clumsiness. The result: people with disabilities do not feel welcome everywhere, not always taken seriously and far from always connected.
The Netherlands is not inclusive of people with disabilities, that is the conclusion of the UN Convention on Disability. People with disabilities are not restricted but are limited because our public space is not designed for them. We don't have to change the physical environment but our own behaviour.
Mensenkenners is a scalable, accessible online training that allows employees of shops, museums and restaurants to actively train their inclusion muscle, making shyness a thing of the past and the public space is inviting and connecting for everyone.
The starting point of Mensenkenners is that inclusion is primarily a matter of human interaction. Because: the more you come into contact with different people, the more normal it becomes and the better you can deal with it. With Mensenkenners, we want people to
learn an inclusive attitude towards people with disabilities. This online course is for employees of the (semi) public space. They follow the course on their smartphone, where they learn from people with disabilities and how to interact with them. The course consists of 6 modules. Each module covers a specific topic and consists of content created by young people from the community itself. This is how participants learn to empathize with others. What's it like to be deaf? What's it like to be blind? And how do these people want us to interact with them? Everything you actually never dared to ask people with disabilities. This way, we can offer them an equal and pleasant experience.
