INKLUViSION: Everyone plays together!
Interview with Sebastian Schulte, Commercial Director of FHS Holztechnik GmbH
A playground that can be experienced with all senses by people with disabilities must above all be planned with foresight – technically almost anything is possible, explains Sebastian Schulte, Commercial Director of the renowned playground equipment manufacturer FHS Holztechnik. In an interview with Wirtschaftsforum, he revealed where the real obstacles lie – and how they can be overcome.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Schulte, for over 40 years FHS has stood as a manufacturer of playground equipment for the values of joy, craftsmanship, and play – how do you bring this belief to life in your daily business?
Sebastian Schulte: Our entire team indeed takes great joy in creating play spaces with a high experiential value, which demand a high degree of craftsmanship due to their special degree of customization. Although we also offer individual standard devices such as swings, sandboxes, and playhouses with various themed worlds, the lion's share of our activity lies in collaborating with municipalities and planning offices within the scope of project business.
Wirtschaftsforum: How much craftsmanship and how much machine manufacturing is involved in your products?
Sebastian Schulte: In metal processing, we are certainly one of the top-equipped manufacturers in our region with our robotic and laser welding machines, and we strongly rely on automated processes here. In the area of wood manufacturing, in many respects, we remain a traditional craft business – not least because we primarily work with robinia, a wood of the highest resistance class that is also a fast-regrowing sustainable resource. Its characteristics require special craftsmanship expertise in manufacturing, which could not be achieved with machines.
Wirtschaftsforum: Its central vision for the coming years is often described with the buzzword "INKLUViSION" – and the statement: "Everyone plays together!"
Sebastian Schulte: As a leading manufacturer of play equipment for public spaces, we clearly see ourselves as responsible for creating play areas based on our grown expertise that offer attractive play and experience opportunities for everyone, young or old and irrespective of their physical, mental, and sensory abilities. One topic area where, from our point of view, there is a significant need to catch up in Germany, is that if you apply a matrix based on a study by Aktion Mensch as a benchmark, only 20% of playgrounds in this country have inclusive features at all. In the UK, inclusive play equipment and experiences have been commonplace for well over ten years.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is important in this regard?
Sebastian Schulte: One must not make the mistake of thinking that you plan a playground as before and simply add a wheelchair carousel, preferably somewhere on the edge so it doesn't bother anyone, and then you can tick off the topic of inclusion. The crucial foundation is actually laid in the planning phase. On an existing playground, we once tested how well the inclusive play equipment could actually be used by people with disabilities – with the result that a wheelchair user couldn't even get from the parking lot to the playground because the path there was impassable for him.
Wirtschaftsforum: How can it be done better?
Sebastian Schulte: We need to create opportunities for people to play together without difficulty, whether they have physical or mental disabilities or not – the most important allies are the children themselves, because for them it's completely normal. There are many technical possibilities: children can communicate across different game levels using speech and hearing devices. Not every single area needs to be barrier-free, but where it is aimed, the wishes of those affected must absolutely be reflected – because children with walking disabilities also want to experience heights, and wheelchair users also want to overcome heights and challenge themselves. An inclusive playground explicitly does not mean that it cannot offer an adventure and create excitement, quite the contrary. People with disabilities or impairments ultimately have the same needs as all people without restrictions. Therefore, ramps may and should occasionally have more than 6° incline, provided there are sufficient level areas between platforms to rest briefly. Communication boards can ensure that children with hearing impairments can easily communicate their needs, while colored guidance systems intuitively lead to the desired tower. Children with autism or ADHD need protected retreats, such as small playhouses or caves – and even severely disabled people want to enjoy the rolling out of a carousel without the brakes preventing them from doing so, naturally without compromising on safety.
Wirtschaftsforum: How actively do you involve people with disabilities in the development of your playgrounds?
Sebastian Schulte: We have been relying on a broad network of people with impairments as well as social workers and occupational therapists, who provide us with important impulses. Since January 2025, we have also been partners with the Parasport department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, so we can now build on the wealth of experience from athletes with impairments, which is a tremendous enrichment for us. Also, recently a club from our region approached us wanting to collaborate to further develop a wheelchair swing originally developed in Denmark, so it can be used in facilities for people with limitations. This intensive exchange is an important driving force in making our INKLUViSION increasingly a reality.