Incubator for Inclusion

Who and what is behind it?

We designed the Incubator for Inclusion together with the Christoffel Blindenmission and with the support of the Reinhard Frank Foundation. Together, we want to create an inclusive format for the development of digital products.

The aim is to solve problems of blind or severely visually impaired people through the development of digital products while at the same time functionally integrating those affected into the product team that solves this challenge.

The Digital Product School is part of UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading center for innovation and business creation. We are a training program for ambitious people who want to build digital products.

Since 2017, we have worked with over 1,000 participants on around 200 challenges and developed digital products that solve real user problems. We do this in a progressive start-up environment where we work agile and lean and apply the latest design thinking methods and state-of-the-art technologies.

Our cross-functional and diverse teams act in a safe environment where we embrace a culture of error. We aim to learn and improve, and we can only do that by taking action.

The Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM) is one of the leading international organizations for inclusive development. It supports people with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world and has been doing so for more than 115 years. Together with its local partners, CBM ensures that their lives are fundamentally and permanently improved. It provides medical aid to those in need and advocates for the equal participation in society of persons with disabilities. Its goal is an inclusive world in which people with and without disabilities can contribute and no one is left behind. Last year, CBM supported 379 projects in 40 countries.

The Reinhard Frank-Foundation helps in particular youths and young people who are unable to have an unrestricted course of education to find, begin, or finish the right training/studies. The foundation gives these people a chance to acquire a good education as a basis for their later lives. It is committed to the founder’s wishes for helping the blind.

How will you personally benefit from Incubator for Inclusion?

The incubator will help you to expand your skills, especially in the practical application of your knowledge. You will work on a real project and solve a tangible user problem. You will learn how to work agilely in a cross-functional, diverse, and intercultural team with different roles and develop a digital product that users really love in a lean and iterative way.

‍How do we support blind and visually impaired people?

Housing: If you are not from Munich, we can offer you accommodation in Werk1 at the Ostbahnhof in Munich for your time at the DPS. Other participants in the batch are also regularly accommodated there.

Commute to the office: We offer help and assistance for learning how to get to and commute to our office in Garching.

Inclusive Infrastructure: We pay attention to an inclusive and accessible infrastructure with step-free paths, tactile markings, orientation aids and on-site assistance.

Technology & Tools: Participants use their own laptop with the software they are familiar with and all the necessary tools such as screen readers. When using additional applications within the DPS, we pay attention to accessibility and text-based alternatives to visual tools.

Inclusive Teamwork: Open-mindedness, patience, diversity and the ability to work in a team are core criteria for the selection of participants for the DPS. We ensure a clear division of responsibilities and barrier-free work processes, such as verbal descriptions of visual content.