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Life may not have a universal meaning, but you can give it context.

Context is one of my favorite words. I've always been suspicious of absolutes. Perhaps also because my disability was imposed on me as a label, as something static that is simple. In reality, disabilities are the result of a person's interaction with their environment. I am writing about this reality, my reality, here. I put it in context, the context that I think is missing in society.

This also means writing about life issues. About what could be in the future and what no longer is. About today in context.

So don't expect the "disability issues" you might expect.

The picture shows Saphir Ben Dakon laughing.There are individual letters of the title of the input in the colour blue.Title slide of the input by Saphir Ben Dakon

Title slide of the input by Saphir Ben Dakon

Women with disabilitiesMedia contributions

"Knowledge at lunchtime" Diversity - Shaping the new world of work with equal opportunities

Inclusion - How far along are Swiss companies? | Review

Saphir Ben Dakon was invited to speak at the "Wssen am Mittag" event series on the topic of diversity - shaping the new world of work with equal opportunities. It is offered by the Institute for Gender & Diversity at the OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences.

The presentation focused on the situation of women with disabilities. Among other things, she addressed the issue of multidimensional discrimination and shared with those present the findings of her bachelor's thesis from 2019, which dealt with this very topic. You can find out more about the thesis here.

You can find some key statements in the post-event report. Enjoy reading them!

Saphir Ben Dakon conducts the interview. She sits away from the camera and is focussed. Her name and role are shown at the bottom of the image.Saphir Ben Dakon conducts an interview

Saphir Ben Dakon conducts an interview

Source: Kultur Inklusiv, Pro Infirmis

Inclusive cultureMedia contributions

Network meeting "Inclusive culture in the canton of Zurich"

Interview Madeleine Herzog conducted by Saphir Ben Dakon

The aim of the Kultur Inklusiv network project was to find ways to make culture in the canton of Zurich more inclusive and to shape this inclusion systemically by networking stakeholders with one another. Saphir Ben Dakon was also involved in the Kultur-Stafette proposal as a participant. The proposal was developed further. More information on the project can be found here.

The project was concluded at the network meeting. A summary of the meeting can be found here.

Madeleine Herzog, Head of the Culture Department, sent a greeting to the participants. Saphir had the pleasure of conducting the interview with her. Enjoy listening and watching!

In the picture you can see the branding of the podcast. In the centre is a picture of Saphir Ben Dakon. She is looking directly into the camera and smiling.Thumbnail of the podcast On a cappuccino with Röhrli and Islam Alijaj with Saphir Ben Dakon

Thumbnail of the podcast On a cappuccino with Röhrli and Islam Alijaj with Saphir Ben Dakon

Souce: Islam Alijaj

Women with disabilitiesPodcasts

Podcast On a podcast with Röhrli and Islam Alijaj

Women with disabilities and 5 years of energy

Saphir Ben Dakon is a guest on National Councillor Islam Alijaj's podcast and talks about the situation of women with disabilities in Switzerland. In Switzerland, the reality of life with disabilities is not considered intersectionally. This means that the realities of people's lives are not properly represented and are therefore too rarely included in measures to promote inclusion. We also know from international figures that women with disabilities are more often affected by poverty and violence. It is time to create a factual situation and take measures to include women with disabilities. The lack of facts must no longer be used as an excuse for a lack of action. Let's tackle it together.

Enjoy listening to the podcast.

The picture shows the logo of the podcast Logo of Podcast "Jahns rollende Welt"

Logo of Podcast "Jahns rollende Welt"

Source: Jahn Graf

Inclusive educationPodcasts

Podcast Jahn's rolling world

JAHN MEETS... Sapphire Ben Dakon

The 3rd week of June 2023 was the week of podcasts, even though the weather was beautiful. The meeting with Jahn Graf was also wonderful. Saphir Ben Dakon and Jahn Graf philosophized together on the topics of "inclusive education" and "self-determined life". However, they quickly arrived at the harsh reality. Today, inclusion is used in an inflationary way. Resources are still being invested primarily in segregative structures and achievements such as inclusive education are being questioned. This is particularly fatal for inclusion, as education is a prerequisite for a self-determined life. In our society, it is a prerequisite for participation in the labor market. However, it also supports inclusion when knowledge can be acquired on topics such as the UN CRPD, ableism and practical applications of assistive technologies.

We hope you enjoy listening to this important topic.

Saphir Ben Dakon speaks at the generation tandem. There is also a laptop in the picture. Her name, age 28 and board memberships are shown at the bottom.Saphir Ben Dakon on the UND Generationtandem podcast

Saphir Ben Dakon on the UND Generationtandem podcast

Source:  UND Generationentandem

Self-determined lifePodcasts

Podcast AND generation tandem

"Inclusive coexistence: how can we succeed?"

On July 21, 2023, Saphir Ben Dakon was a guest at UND Generationentandem, where she discussed inclusion with Manuela Kocher, Irene Stüssi and Christof Trachsel. The term is used excessively these days without people understanding what it actually means. As presenter Rebekka Flotron aptly says at the beginning of the podcast: "A large proportion of the approximately 1.7 million people with disabilities in Switzerland live in a parallel world. They attend other schools, live in other places and live in other apartments."

Find out in the 1.5-hour podcast what inclusion really means, where there is still a need for discussion and where we finally need to stop talking and start doing.

Publications

Annual report of the SGO 2022

A look back

The editorial team, consisting of Managing Director Valeska Hoenen and Saphir Ben Dakon, has redesigned the text of the SGO annual report.

The aim of the SGO's annual report is to give interested parties an insight into the association's year and provide an outlook for the next financial year. The aim was to create transparency through the text and to guide members through the various areas of the association.

Women with disabilitiesMedia contributions

Focus on women with disabilities

Interview with Saphir Ben Dakon

Netzwerk Avanti (formerly Avanti Donne - Interessenvertretung Frauen und Mädchen mit Behinderung) interviewed Saphir Ben Dakon about her political commitment to the rights of women with disabilities in Switzerland. In the interview, you learn quite a lot about Saphir as a person. She rarely gives such a deep insight into her life. Her commitment is not about her as a person. Her experiences are systemic and are shared by many other women with disabilities. It is important to her to confront the cause, because we can only solve systemic challenges together as a society.

Enjoy reading!

Choose an offer

I am happy to accomplish your goals

Did you enjoy the gimpses into my work? Are you inspired and want to put your project into practice? I look forward to hearing from you.

Inclusive and Integrated Communication

Inclusion is not part of everyday life. Let's make it commonplace in communication.
Changing communication requires a clear understanding of language as a system and the resulting rhetoric in society. With this foundation, we are able to assess the influence of these conditions on individuals and organizations and counteract them. On this basis, the understanding of people with disabilities as an entitlement and target group can be promoted. Through knowledge of the recipients, inclusive messages on accessible channels are a matter of implementation.

Keynote and expert input

Disability is part of everyday life. Let's talk about it.
Disability affects all areas of life. In order to create inclusive structures in an organization and provide services for the target group of people with disabilities, inclusion must not only be understood as an overarching concept, but also as a cross-cutting issue. People with specialist expertise should be able to understand, apply and ultimately live inclusion in their specialist areas.

Project Work

We want to achieve great things, let's start small.
In addition to patience, innovative approaches are required to promote inclusion. A project often has to provide proof of impact. In order to achieve impact, a project must be designed with this focus in mind. The initial situation often involves many unknowns. Thanks to my many years of experience in associations and in inclusive project work, I can offer perspectives and create clarity.

Workshop

Inclusion is work. Let's tackle it together.
We need to talk about inclusion and we should do it in such a way that inclusion becomes a reality. The step from initial awareness-raising to personal and organizational change is particularly critical. The motivation that arises from raising awareness should be used in a targeted manner. To this end, interested parties must be given concrete recommendations for action and the necessary tools to implement them. Developing these in a participatory manner is the next step. Let's take it together.

Podium and Moderation

People need space. Inclusion makes it usable.
We need time and space to familiarize ourselves in depth with equity issues and make them useful for ourselves and our organizations. It is important for me to create such spaces in order to promote organizational and social discourse around disabilities.

Creative and Scientific Writing

Using words to describe realities and make them accessible.
In order to live inclusion, we must constantly address equity issues from different perspectives. Discussion is essential for topics to evolve. Clear words, in-depth research, hard and soft facts help us to create a strong foundation for this undertaking.