A museum creating employment opportunities for people with various disabilities

Solution
Dialogue Diversity Museum
Organization
Dialogue Japan Society
Country of Implementation
Japan
Region
Asia & Pacific
Subregion
Southeast Asia
Start Year
1999
First published
03.12.2024

Dialogue Japan trains persons with disabilities and elderly guides for inclusive museum programs. From 2020-2023, 94 individuals were employed in diverse entertainment initiatives.

People of various ages and backgrounds stand around a green table with their hands extended, creating shadow play. This interactive display promotes community, sensory exploration, and the joy of shared experiences, regardless of age or ability.
The Dialogue Diversity Museum trains and employs people from different backgrounds as guides.

Solution details

People

Shinsuke Shimura Website
“A new and rich life blossomed when I learned that I can entertain people through this job.” Youhei Seto, Chief of Guide, Dialogue in the Dark

Dialogue Japan Society is a social enterprise that manages the Dialogue Diversity Museum in Tokyo and provides inclusive entertainment programmes. Its mission is to engage individuals from diverse backgrounds through various activities, including dialogue, multimedia, and interactive experiences. Between 2020 and 2023, 94 individuals from different backgrounds, including those with physical disabilities and senior citizens, were trained and employed as guides for the museum’s programmes.

Problems Targeted

There is a deficiency in cultural experience and a lack of understanding and respect for diverse backgrounds in society.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

The Dialogue Diversity Museum is designed to be an inclusive and interactive experience for all visitors. Based on a licensing agreement with the Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH in Germany, the museum offers the following programmes: Dialogue in the Dark (DID): Visually-impaired guides lead the experience in complete darkness to enhance other senses and promote communication without relying on sight. In Japan this programme began in 1999, and more than 250,000 people had participated by 2023. Dialogue in Silence (DIS): In total silence, where sound is blocked by headsets, hearing-impaired guides show visitors how to communicate without using their voices. This programme began in Japan in 2017, and approximately 20,000 participants had experienced it by 2023. Dialogue with Time (DWT): Elderly guides share their life stories, fostering intergenerational dialogue. This programme started in Japan in 2019 and was held again in 2024. Real Dialogue Game (RDG): This programme promotes real-life interactions with people of different abilities and cultures, focusing on inclusivity and understanding unconscious bias. The museum provides thorough training for its employees to guide visitors through the various programmes. Fifty visually impaired individuals were trained for DID, 40 hearing impaired for DIS, 20 elderly for DWT, and 40 other minorities for RDG.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

The Dialogue Diversity Museum operates as a social business, generating revenue from ticket sales, corporate training programmes, and sponsorships. Additionally, it participates in crowdfunding and receives grants to support specific projects and exhibitions, such as the experiential photo exhibition 'Visible an die Freude' by White Hands Chorus NIPPON. (Zero Project Awardee 2025)

Media

Pictures

People of various ages and backgrounds stand around a green table with their hands extended, creating shadow play. This interactive display promotes community, sensory exploration, and the joy of shared experiences, regardless of age or ability. The Dialogue Diversity Museum trains and employs people from different backgrounds as guides.
People of various ages and backgrounds stand around a green table with their hands extended, creating shadow play. This interactive display promotes community, sensory exploration, and the joy of shared experiences, regardless of age or ability. The Dialogue Diversity Museum trains and employs people from different backgrounds as guides.

Related information

Connections
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Solutions with the same:

Country of Implementation

Japan

Region of Implementation

Asia & Pacific