Working together for more integration

SWG took part in DUOday for the first time this year - and opened its doors to people with disabilities.

Even today, it is not always easy for people with disabilities to enter the world of work. Often the structural conditions on site are enough to put a spanner in the works - for example, if there is no accessibility. In many cases, however, job descriptions are simply not designed for people with disabilities. This is precisely where DUOday comes in: on this day of action, companies open their doors to people with mental, psychological or physical disabilities and give them an insight into everyday working life. This creates a duo - a person with a disability works together with an employee for a day.

This year, the day of action took place in the district of Giessen on 19 March 2026. Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) took part for the first time. "Unfortunately, people with disabilities are still far too often underestimated - or the working conditions simply don't allow them to participate," says Elisabeth Partes, who is responsible for participation in DUOday in the HR department. "That's why it was important for us to set an example at SWG that it can work after all."

Challenging day in customer service
Luca Leib was able to experience DUOday at SWG at first hand. The young man is in a wheelchair and works regularly at Lebenshilfe Gießen. During DUOday, he was able to work in a central area of SWG: customer service. This meant assisting with customer phone calls in the call centre, answering emails and helping to process genuine customer concerns. A challenging task that the DUOday participant clearly enjoyed. "I found the day super interesting and gained a lot of exciting insights. I also simply felt at ease in terms of the interaction and working environment," says Luca, summarising his DUOday. He normally comes into contact with SWG mainly when travelling by bus - but now he has taken a liking to the company: "I could even imagine working in customer service at SWG later on," he says enthusiastically.

One thing is certain: SWG will continue to support DUOday in the future and will be happy to take part again next year. Mrs Braun, who partly looked after Luca in customer service, puts it this way: "With his positive and motivated nature, Luca is the best example of how we as SWG can only benefit from continuing to open our doors to people with disabilities."