Mirror, mirror on the wall, are there opportunities to participate for us all?

The Netherlands is an inclusive country, right? Well, it's not yet a given that everyone can fully participate in society here. For people with physical disabilities, different backgrounds, invisible disabilities, and many others, there are still high barriers. Everything takes more time or is complicated. You often have to solve things on your own and always need to put in extra effort. Is that fair?

In this workshop, you'll have a conversation with the Sounding Board Group (Spiegelgroep) from the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport (VWS). You'll learn what you can do to make participation possible for everyone. We'll discuss the domains of healthcare, education, and employment. Interesting for anyone working in these sectors, in leadership roles, or involved in policymaking. But also for people who have to deal with these barriers and want to share ideas on how things can and should be different. In this workshop, we'll start building an inclusive future together.

The session will be in Dutch with a sign language interpreter.

About the facilitators

The Sounding Board Group (Spiegelgroep) advocates for people with disabilities in the Netherlands. They provide solicited and unsolicited advice to the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport (VWS).

The mirror group comprises:

• Aziz Koca represents individuals with both physical and mental disabilities.
• Eva Eijkhout participates in the mirror group to provide practical insights into policymaking.
• Marieke van Gastel is committed to overall inclusion.
• Amany Shalha represents individuals with disabilities from migrant backgrounds and those with visual impairments.
• Ellen van de Lande has a hearing impairment and leads sports classes for people with disabilities.
• Hafida Achaoui has a mild intellectual disability (LVB) and works with Team Sam, providing educational sessions on LVB.
• Germa Bos – de Bruijn is the mother of a daughter with serious care needs and represents the loved ones of people with disabilities.
• Richard Hannink aims to raise overall awareness and promote inclusion in the Netherlands.

Bente van Akker from Pluut Partners facilitates the mirror group, along with Frank Norbruis from the Onbeperkt Meedoen program and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Lotte de Haan from the social design agency Afdeling Buitengewone Zaken hosts the session together with the mirror group and, with a design-oriented perspective, transforms the discussions into social actions.

Practical information

You can register for this event by using the Make a reservation button on this page. A museum ticket or DDW23 ticket is not required. Check in on the day at the museum's ticket counter, where you will receive a sticker to participate in the program.

• costs: free
• duration: 120 minutes
• start: 2 PM
• language: Dutch with a sign language interpreter