“Be proud of our diversity”
At home, he takes care of five children. At work, he manages an entire IT department. Laurent Barrère isn’t just a busy man—he also has a disability that’s impossible to tell at first glance. What’s daily life like at work when you’re deaf? Follow along…
The interpreter is here. My first interview in sign language: a three-way conversation, where the gestures flow freely, light as air. A universal language takes hold between us, as beautiful as a dance… With his azure eyes, pirate-like look, and radiant smile, Laurent arrived at the university in September 1998. He now works at the Faculty of Sciences in Montpellier.
“Things are going well with my coworkers. We have a good time! But nobody knows sign language. So sometimes I give little lessons… At lunchtime, we go to the staff cafeteria; I try to follow the conversations but I often end up giving up: it takes a lot of concentration… In my professional practice, I’m also in contact with students and teachers. It’s a bit more complicated with students. Especially with international students who don’t speak French. It’s not always easy to communicate in those cases…”
“Awareness-raising efforts are needed”
How can weimprove daily life?
“Ideally, I’d like to see more people learning sign language. We could give each other advice, talk about work life, and share our professional strategies. Being able to discuss our challenges would be a huge relief. It can be tough sometimes to be around hearing people without saying a word, struggling to follow the conversations. Communication difficulties often stem from a kind of fear—the fear of reaching out to others. There’s still work to be done to raise awareness and better understand people with disabilities.”
Raise awareness, but how?
“Yes, it’s not easy! We shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to others, to talk to each other. That’s the price we have to pay to better understand what disability is. In the case of the deaf, there’s a language barrier that needs to be overcome. But this is a broader issue that goes beyond the university setting. Society as a whole needs to make an effort to educate itself: how can we bridge the gap? How can we communicate better?”
Do we need more communication?
“Of course! Very often, it’s out of ignorance that people don’t dare to approach those with disabilities. We shouldn’t be afraid to make contact. Communication is possible. For example, people often talk about ‘deaf-mutes.’ That’s not true: deaf people aren’t mute! I speak, and people can understand me.”
“Proud of our diversity”
Has the creation of the Handiversité office at the university made a difference?
“That was five or six years ago. Yes, quite a few things have changed. When the office was created, I was able to make my voice heard and express my needs. Some important accommodations were put in place: flashing lights for fire alarms, for example. The most important thing for me was the ability to have interpreters for meetings—that didn’t exist before. However, you have to notify them three weeks in advance…”
What still needs to be done?
“A lot of things. I’d like universities to hire deaf and hard-of-hearing people more often because they have a hard time finding jobs in private companies. And then, we shouldn’t be afraid of difference. I believe it’s up to each of us to roll up our sleeves to help make the university accessible and welcoming. The university is a place of learning and knowledge. For me, it’s a source of pride to work here and to do a job that adds significant value. I’d like to work toward raising awareness about disability and educating people. If deaf people weren’t present at the university, a whole segment of society would be missing. We should be proud of our diversity. I’d like to help with that.”