How to be yourself and better understand others at work

For example, on the 12th May, we held our first international disability learning series call, specifically designed to be accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people.
Three of our offices in particular have been taking part in initiatives this year, designed to get people talking about disability. Here’s how AXA in Luxembourg, Thailand and Spain have been helping to break down barriers and help our people put themselves in another person’s shoes.

Dialogue in the Dark in Thailand

“Amazing”, “Scary”, “Fun and great way to learn”, “The rest of your senses are heightened when you lose your vision”.

These are just some of the comments from our Executive and Management Committees at Krungthai-AXA Life in Thailand, who experienced “Dialogue in the Dark” on May 4th.
Dialogue in the Dark is an exhibition and workshop in total darkness where participants are guided, educated and inspired by blind and visually impaired people. It aims to change participants’ perspectives and to facilitate social inclusion of blind people and those with a disability.
By switching off the lights, those who can usually see are confronted with a situation where their key sense, sight, is removed. Here, blind people are the experts and provide the participants with a sense of security and orientation, helping them to navigate this world without pictures.
The workshop began with a movie, then participants were invited to take a walk in the garden, take a Tuk Tuk taxi, go shopping and order food. Overall, the experience was thought-provoking, providing them with an insight into the challenges that blind people experience on a daily basis. In fact, the Diversity and Inclusion team is now encouraging all staff to take part.

Live my life in Luxembourg

On 12th May AXA Luxembourg celebrated the second Diversity Day in Luxembourg. The day was planned in conjunction with the City of Luxembourg and Lux Rollers, a non-profit organisation that promotes sports for wheelchair users.
Activities included two awareness sessions titled Vis ma vie or Live my life. All day, employees were able to sign up to experience what it’s like to use a wheelchair, helping them gain insight into the lives of people with reduced mobility. Participants were also invited to join two information and Q&A sessions with Luciano Fratini, president of Lux Rollers.

Making art accesible in Spain

Last year the Museo Del Prado, in partnership with Fundación AXA and with the aid of Fundación ONCE, created a unique exhibition with the aim of making art more accesible to everyone. Famous paintings were re-created in relief using innovative techniques and materials which enable people with visual disabilities to ‘see’ them with the aid of an audioguide.
The Hoy Toca el Prado exhibition also offers people without this kind of disability a pair of black glasses to be able to listen to the audioguide description and share in the experience. This not only allows visitors to begin to better understand life as a blind person, but also enables them to rediscover the paintings in a different way.
On the 13th May the exhibition moved to the Museu de Mallorca (Palma de Mallorca) and to continue to make it accessible to as many people as possible it will be moving it from one city to another in a roadshow around 6 Spanish cities.