On Monday, June 30, 2025, for the second time at the ORF media campus in Vienna, the Zero Project company dialogue took place, which-initiated by the ESSL Foundation-aims to talk about the employment of people with disabilities in companies and to clarify the potential of specialists with disabilities. This time the focus was primarily on the art, cultural and media industry and, among other things, the question of how barrier-free art can be conveyed. Initiatives were presented by Wiener Museums, the interactive experience exhibition “Hands Up” and by ORF and APA. In addition to ORF general director Mag. Roland Weißmann and Kr Martin Essl, the founder of the Essl Foundation and the Zero Project company dialogue, numerous entrepreneurs were present: inside that participated in the exchange.
Zero Project company dialogue on ORF
The Zero Project is a non-profit initiative of the ESSL Foundation and is committed to the rights of people with disabilities in accordance with the UN Convention, which was also ratified by Austria. The company dialogues of the same name are an initiative to convince many companies in Austria that the employment of people with disabilities is economically sensible according to their talents and that it is clear added value for the economy and society. With Good Practice examples and keynotes, new perspectives and solutions are conveyed to the company dialogues in order to increase inclusion and diversity in companies.
For the ORF, too, the goal was to promote exchange about the employment of people with disabilities with the organization of a Zero Project company dialogue and to show the potential of specialists with disabilities that contribute to the visible increase in the entrepreneurial increase. There were numerous entrepreneurs for this: inside from the domestic economy and cultural industry as well as HR managers: important companies inside.
ORF General Director Mag. Roland Weißmann: “I am very happy about the lively exchange, which has taken place in the context of the ORF company dialogue about the employment of people with disabilities. Inclusion and accessibility are central topics for ORF, and as an ‘ORF for everyone’, it is particularly important to us to represent all people in Austria. That is why we create, both in our programs, and in the company, Visibility for the potential of people with disabilities.
Kr Martin Essl: “The employment of people with disabilities is a real win-win situation-for the company, employees with disabilities, teams and society as a whole. The economic advantage for companies was also confirmed by a study by the business university.”
Part of the program of the corporate dialog was a keynote by Philipp Hansa to the Ö3 campaign “I want and I can work and I deserve a chance”, the presentation of good practice examples by the ORF (with the EU project Enact on the subject of “simple language”), Wiener Museum (Museum and Dom Museum), the interactive experience exhibition “Hands Up” and the APA Presentation of the NEBA operating service for companies for the employment of specialists with disabilities. The ORF casting initiative “Make yourself visible”, which was initiated by the “Accessibility and Inclusion” department “and presented by department head Robert Ziegler and the representative for accessibility in ORF, Franz-Joseph Huainigg. The jury members Katharina Schenk (ORF television film) and Nicole Schmied (Nicole Schmied Casting) also had their say. The Zero Project company dialog was moderated at the ORF media campus by ORF presenter Fanny Stapf and David Obermaier, who was among the best at the presence casting of “Make yourself” and moderated in sign language.
About accessibility and inclusion in ORF
The ORF is concerned with making a contribution to more inclusion in society with its program offers. The ORF department is committed to the barrier -free participation of around two million people in Austria who live with disabilities or restrictions. As part of the core public law-but above all as a social obligation-the team is working on hearing, seeing, seeing and understanding hurdles. Every day, more than 76 hours of subtitles are offered and programs with audio description in Austrian sign language as well as news in simple language for people with learning difficulties and weak language skills. The aim of the ORF is a program without barriers that is accessible to all people in Austria. In addition, the ORF strives for equal social participation of people with disabilities by strengthening and promoting their voice in ORF and in its programs.