45 measures to promote greater inclusion of people with disabilities

[Article] - Published on June 26, 2020 in Environmental Issues and Social Responsibility, Health, Social Issues & Disabilities

Success, competence, and commitment: these are the three pillars of the new disability policy approved by the University of Montpellier’s Board of Trustees. It will take four years to collectively implement these 45 new measures designed to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. Interview with Agnès Fichard-Carroll, Vice President for Social Responsibility.

Support session for people with hearing impairments. Alexis and Charlène are taking a “Système Terre” class, accompanied by an interpreter. Triolet Campus. © UM-David Richard / Transit

To begin with, perhaps, what exactly is the purpose of a disability action plan?
Implementing a disability action planis a legal requirement, but it is also an opportunity—an opportunity to reflect on our attitudes and practices regarding disability, to set goals for improving them, and then, over the course of four years, to achieve them. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who says they don’t want to include people with disabilities, but in reality, challenges persist. We need to adopt a proactive policy in this area to make progress.

Which departments were involved in developing this new master plan?
The Handiversité Department within the Campus Life Division is the department leading this project. It is responsible for welcoming, supporting, and promoting the inclusion of students and staff with disabilities. The Joint Department of Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion (SCMPPS) plays an obviously crucial role, as does the Human Resources Department when it comes to staff. We have highly competent and dedicated departments. But disability is a truly cross-cutting issue, and I would say that virtually all departments and divisions, as well as the academic units, schools, and institutes, are involved within the university. I am delighted by their participation and commitment to developing this plan. And of course, we have met with people with disabilities themselves, including students and staff.

This is the university’s second strategic plan. What is the outcome of the first one?
The previous one covered the 2016–2019 period and proposed 73 actions. Thanks to the involvement of departments and units, more than sixty measures have been implemented or are currently being implemented. About ten others proved difficult to implement but, more often than not, have become irrelevant over time. Without being complacent—as there is still a long way to go—the results are encouraging: we have put in place measures that work, we are seeing the positive effects of the actions taken, and this is particularly evident in the increase in the number of students and staff with disabilities at the university.

How many people with disabilities does the university employ?
We are among the universities with the highest percentage of employees with disabilities. The figure stood at 4.58% in 2018, up from just 3.31% in 2016. This is a positive trend that is gradually bringing us closer to the 6% mandated by law, but we must not rest on our laurels. We still have work to do, and several factors now help us better understand the challenges we face in reaching this threshold. Among them is the high percentage of highly qualified individuals at the university, while it is well-documented that people with disabilities often lack adequate training. We do not always have direct control over these issues, but there are levers we can pull.

And how many students?
The average percentage of students with disabilities in universities was 1.64% (learn more) in 2020. The University of Montpellier saw this figure rise from 1.6% for the 2015–2016 academic year to 2.31% in 2018–2019, and this number continues to grow. This is a source of satisfaction for us and proof that the support measures we’ve implemented are helping more students gain access to university education. In turn, this increase compels us and has encouraged us to go further with the proposed measures.

What exactly does the second disability master plan offer that’s new?
45 new measures that we must collectively implement over the next four years to ensure the successful inclusion of every person with a disability. We’ve titled it “Success, Competence, and Commitment.” These are action-oriented terms—positive words to describe disability. We want to talk about the success of students with disabilities and the skills of our staff members with disabilities. They are here to learn or to carry out a task for which they are qualified; it is up to us to provide them with the right conditions to do so.

What are the key initiatives aimed at students?
Some are specific to the University of Montpellier, such as the development of the second phase of the Handy app [see box] and the provision of internship stipends for master’s students. UM is also a partner in the “New University Curriculum” project, known as Aspie Friendly, for students with Asperger’s syndrome. While the number of students involved is small, we hope that the measures put in place will also be applicable to other disability situations. In collaboration with the Student Vice President, we offer specific social assistance programs. We are also strengthening support for students who are hospitalized.

Is there a specific support program for first-year students?
Student support is one of the cornerstones of our initiatives for all students with disabilities, and of course we pay a little more attention to first-year students. Starting college can be a bit overwhelming for all young people, whether they have a disability or not. We need to make sure we smooth out the difficulties.

For students with severe disabilities, specialized support from teaching assistants will continue, as will disability tutoring. Our goal, however, is to support them on their journey toward achieving the greatest possible independence.

Does this master plan also apply to study abroad programs?
Yes, students with disabilities who wish to study abroad or come to UM on exchange programs should receive special attention, which UM intends to provide within the framework of programs such as Erasmus+ or CHARM-EU.

Regarding staff, what are the new developments or measures that have been extended?
For staff, we have made it easier to implement remote work in situations where it is necessary. We are offering faculty members with disabilities a reduction in teaching load modeled after the policy applicable to other faculty members. One of the challenges, as I mentioned earlier, is recruiting highly qualified staff, which remains difficult despite the annual opening of reserved positions. This is an area of focus, and we intend to work specifically on recruiting Category A staff. We also offer social assistance programs that are working well and that we have therefore strengthened. It is also our reflex, whenever institutional guidelines are proposed, to consider individuals with disabilities.

Does this also apply to research?
The university has made a significant investment in recruiting doctoral students. Of the 25 doctoral contracts funded annually by the Ministry under the disability category, the UM has secured one each year. This is thanks to the scientific quality of the proposed projects, of course, but also to the support provided by our departments (DRED, DVC, etc.) in preparing the applications, in particular. And each year, the UM also funds one doctoral contract under the disability program. In total, the University has seven doctoral students with disabilities benefiting from a disability-related doctoral contract. We also have leading research teams working in the field of disability, and each year we organize a highly successful conference featuring one of our researchers.

Have special efforts been made in the areas of communication and information?
Yes, communicating about rights and the services offered by the university is essential. For staff members, an informational brochure on declaring a disability was produced and sent to all employees. Whenever we send out this type of information—whether regarding social initiatives or disability—we receive inquiries from staff members; it is very important to raise awareness of existing resources through various channels. We know that even today, some people are hesitant to declare their disability; we understand this, as it is a strictly personal choice. We simply believe it is important to inform them about what this declaration could offer them. Ideally, no one should face difficulties in their job due to a disability.

The third component of the master plan focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities and raising awareness among those who work or study with them.
Yes, our goal is to help change perceptions of disability, which are often biased in all of us—and this is particularly true for invisible disabilities. We still hear all too often: “But there’s nothing wrong with him!” Yet it’s important to know that motor disorders account for only 17% of disabilities among students. Language and speech disorders, which account for about 30% of the disabilities we encounter among students, as well as mental health disorders (12%), are common conditions. These disabilities, or other equally invisible types, can lead to misunderstanding. We must train and raise awareness among all teaching, administrative, and technical staff by offering workshops and targeted communications. An awareness campaign is also being conducted with student organizations.

And regarding the inclusion of people with disabilities in university life more generally, where does the University stand?
Access to social events—whether large or small—access to sports, libraries, and artistic, scientific, and technical activities, as well as access to campus facilities, must be a constant priority. The Campus Life Department, which houses the Handiversity Service, is particularly vigilant in ensuring that the activities offered by its divisions—whether Quality of Life at Work, Social Services, Student Life, or Art & Culture (such as the “culturesponsable” program)—are accessible. The SUAPS also offers adapted sports activities. The institution has also implemented a planned accessibility agenda, led by the DPI, regarding real estate, and the DAGI has worked to make the UM’s procurement policy more responsible. I cannot name all the departments, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all; as I mentioned, this is an issue in which everyone is involved.

How are these measures funded?
The university is providing the necessary human and financial resources to implement this policy, and that is another reason why progress is being made.

Keywords: Students, Disability, Staff, Health, University