Students on the move
Forget your studies for the duration of an outing at sea: a moment out of this world for 15 disabled students from the University of Montpellier. Welcome aboard the Wayawaya. With all sails set, the schooner looks like a laughing seagull, despite its robust 22-meter steel hull.
She embarks in ideal conditions: from the south, a light thermal blows its summer breath. Beneath the hull, barely a knot of Ligurian current: a whisper from Italy, a reminder that the Gulf of Genoa is not far away. A calm joy settles in.
First sailing trip
Leaving Le Grau du Roi, the Wayawaya points its bow at the hill of Sète: ghostly and misty in the distance, under the bright sun. For many, it's their very first outing on a sailboat. "We feel like we're alone in the world as soon as we're away from the coast," comments Maxime, seated on deck. Mohamed sighs in wonder: "The sea... a unique feeling," he describes. It's good to get away from the pressure of studying, to get away from everyday life".
Maxime is doing a DUT in chemistry at Sète, while Mohamed is doing a degree in computer science at the Faculty of Science. For both, the Handiversité[1 ] service has proved invaluable.To succeed, you have to work hard", explains Mohamed, " programming, systems, databases... IT is a complex world, which affects our daily lives".
The Handiversité department has provided him with a teaching assistant to help him with his practical and practical work. During the exam, he is also there to write what Mohamed dictates. This assistant is Tahar.It's a job that requires highly specialized skills," explains Tahar, a doctor in optoelectronics. It's difficult for me to accompany a biology student, for example. Mohamed and I understand each other. Especially as we've been working together all year".
Day-to-day support
Every situation is different. For both Majid and Yohan, the Handiversité service has enabled them to adapt their exams. Both benefit from extra time during exams: a measure offered to students with attention or concentration difficulties. "I often have to speed up in the last part of the exam. Luckily, the teaching assistant is there to tell me: hola Yohan, come back down to earth!" concludes Yohan with a laugh.
Chartered by the Voiles pour tous association, the Wayawaya ploughs its way through a sea of oil. The boat has been fitted out to welcome everyone on board: the gangways in particular have been widened to allow wheelchairs to pass through. These are rather rare features, explains Christophe, the association's president. "There'shardly any such thing as an adapted cruise offer. There are standards on land, but it's much rarer at sea. Very few boats are accessible to the disabled!
Once a year, the UM's Handiversité department organizes this outing for the students it supports throughout the year. The idea is to "get away from it all," explains Isabelle, who is in charge of student support at the UM. The idea is to get away from the daily grind for a while, to meet new people and forge links".
Back to Grau du Roi. But we'll be leaving on the Wayawaya or on another white seagull. Wayawaya? It means "Over there, over there" in a distant Latin American language. Or "celestial beggar", in Bambara this time. Quite a program...
[1 ] The Handiversité service welcomes and supports students with disabilities throughout their university career. Its mission is to enable each student to pursue his or her studies in the best possible conditions, and to support them in the development of their academic and professional projects.
