Introduction 

When people meet in everyday life, they perceive one another. In doing so, they register characteristics such as hair color, height, gender, physical appearance, expression, and facial gestures (Fiske & Taylor, 2017). A hearing impairment made visible, for instance, using hearing aids or sign language, can also be perceived as such a characteristic (Slavchova, 2021). These perceptual and judgment processes usually occur automatically and within fractions of a second, allowing for rapid social categorization (Bar, 2003). At the same time, they stand in contrast to the principle of inclusion, which holds that all people are equal regardless of their individual characteristics. This very tension is the focus of the present study. Inclusion is defined as an ideal state in which all individuals participate equally in social life, irrespective of their personal characteristics (§4 SGB IX).