Timo Nitsche works just like anyone else here in the development department of the automotive supplier Edscha in Remscheid. His prosthetic leg is barely visible under his pants. Only a slight limp hints that his left leg has been completely amputated from the thigh down since a motorcycle accident three years ago.
He takes it in stride. At parties, he sometimes spins his prosthesis around while dancing as a bit of a joke. His job was never in jeopardy despite his disability. “My boss visited me in the hospital back then and promised me that the company had my back,” recalls the 36-year-old engineer, who develops electric tailgate drives at Edscha.
Accessibility Renovations
Edscha has invested heavily in renovations. Nitsche can now go directly from his parking spot at ground level, through the hall, to the newly built elevator and up to his office on the third floor. There, he has a height-adjustable desk with a special chair, since he can no longer sit properly.
In a few weeks, a new measurement cell will be installed, where Nitsche will test the electromagnetic interference emitted by his designs. Until now, he always had to travel to Dortmund for this, climb stairs, and put himself through a lot of stress. The new measurement cell alone costs 74,000 euros. However, 25,000 of that comes from the Integration Office. Government grants and expert consulting also support the other measures.
Raising Awareness
Carmen Regner, Nitsche’s representative for people with severe disabilities, makes sure of that. And not just for him: Among the 360 employees here, 25 employees with severe disabilities are doing excellent work thanks to special measures.
It wasn’t always like this. “When I took office sixteen years ago, there were only a handful of employees with severe disabilities. And I had no idea,” says Regner, who has a disability herself. “After a few months, I was asked to sign termination notices for employees with disabilities. That’s when I thought: Wait a minute.”
Regner attended training sessions, learned about laws and support options, and persistently implemented more and more changes: accessible restrooms, redesigned workstations, and reduced work hours. There are designated contacts in the departments, a health counseling service, and, above all, a new awareness.
Nitsche agrees. “The company has done a lot for me, sure,” he says. “But I don’t know if I’d still be here without the representative for employees with severe disabilities.”
