Inclusion in Action – IFA's Partnership with Lebenshilfe Berlin e.V.
Inclusion in Action – IFA's Partnership with Lebenshilfe Berlin e.V.
Technology can overcome barriers when everyone is considered. At IFA 2025, together with Lebenshilfe Berlin, inclusion and innovation go hand in hand.
Discovering innovations, trying out technology, having your say – for many people this is a given, for others it’s still out of reach. IFA 2025 wants to change that. In cooperation with Lebenshilfe Berlin – an association advocating for the rights and participation of people with disabilities – it is opening its doors wider than ever and showing once again that innovation means more than new technologies. It can also break down barriersFor the first time there will be tours in Easy-to-read Language, a free ticket allocation and an inclusive reporter team. The idea: to involve people with disabilities as active participants.
“IFA stands for technological progress, we stand for participation in all areas of life,” says Ludger Gröting, Chair of Lebenshilfe Berlin. “This is not a contradiction but a great opportunity.” For him, IFA is a “stage where inclusion is not explained but lived and
made visible.”
Sascha Ubrig, full-time representative of Lebenshilfe Berlin, is equally pleased with the cooperation: “We can look at new technology and try it out. I find that really exciting. And people with disabilities will report from the fair themselves as reporters, of course in Easy-to-read Language. That way no one is excluded.”
The cooperation goes beyond symbolism. It shows how technological innovation and accessibility can work hand in hand: voice assistants, easy-to-use apps and VR applications are tested from the perspective of the people who benefit most.
“The industry must not see inclusion only as a target group, but as a source of innovation,” says Gröting. “People with disabilities have ideas, experiences and perspectives that can make products better.”
For IFA this approach is part of a broader development. Technology is no longer judged solely by performance, design or price, but also by its impact on society. Inclusion is not an add-on – it is a prerequisite for a future that reaches everyone
About Lebenshilfe e.V.
Founded in 1958, Lebenshilfe e.V. is a non-profit self-help organisation dedicated to supporting people with intellectual disabilities and their families across Germany. As a parent, professional and service provider association, Lebenshilfe e.V. promotes inclusion and self-determination through individual support, its own facilities and political advocacy. Its goal is to create a society in which diversity is accepted as the norm.
lebenshilfe.de
Experience at IFA
Barrier-free Easy-to-read tours will be offered on 6 and 7 September. Registration is reserved for members and friends of Lebenshilfe Berlin, and places are limited to ensure an inclusive IFA experience for all.