The foundation of Dialogue in the Dark was laid in 1986. While working as a journalist and documentalist for a German broadcasting corporation, Andreas Heinecke was charged with developing a rehabilitation programme for a colleague who had lost his eyesight in an automobile accident.

Through their conversations – a crash course in diversity training – Andreas made several discoveries. He witnessed the extent of society’s prejudice and recognised that, like his own trepidation, it grew mostly out of the ignorance that results from lack of contact with people who are “different”. Andreas became fascinated by non-visual perception, and found that meeting blind people fundamentally enhanced his view of human nature. He realised what an enriching opportunity it would be for all sighted people to have the chance to connect with blind people. Finally, he saw that darkness would be the ideal context for such encounters.

In 1988, Andreas began working for the Foundation for the Blind (Stiftung Blindenanstalt) in Frankfurt am Main, determined to bring blind and sighted together, unfettered by the awkwardness he had once known. By the end of the year, Dialogue in the Dark had its premiere.

In 1996, Andreas started his own business to spread the idea of Dialogue in the Dark internationally. After years of temporary exhibitions in museums and festivals, the first permanent exhibition opened in 2000 and has been followed by many more. Together with his wife, Orna Cohen (www.orna-co.com), Andreas also developed Dialogue in Silence (www.dialogue-in-silence.com) in which deaf people provide access to non-verbal communication.

Since the first Dialogue in the Dark, there have been exhibitions in more than 160 sites across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Over 6 million visitors worldwide have experienced what it means to hear, smell, taste and touch things without being able to see them.

Andreas Heinecke has won numerous special international awards for his work, including:

• 1998 “Stevie Wonder Vision Award”
• 2004 “Best Practice in Universal Design”
• 2005 Named first “Ashoka Fellow” in Western Europe
• 2006 “Deutscher Unternehmer Preis” by the Harvard Business School’s Entrepreneurship Club
• 2007 “Outstanding Global Social Entrepreneur” by the Schwab Foundation
• 2008 Nominated as member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Social Entrepreneurship
• 2009 “Global Award Winner for the best innovative and out-of-comfort-zone event” (Dialogue in the Dark and Dialogue in Silence workshops) by the YPO
• 2009 Dragon Award for the category “Business with Conscience”