Disability master plan: turning an ideal into reality
On November 20, the University Board of Directors voted on the new Disability Master Plan (SDH) presented by Agnès Fichard-Carroll, Vice President of Education and University Life and Disability Advisor at UM. With 43 of the 45 actions planned in the previous SDH having been implemented and the success of students with disabilities having been included in the 2023-2025 objectives, resources, and performance contract (COMP), UM is continuing its commitment to better inclusion of staff and students with disabilities.
Several months of discussions and meetings between Agnès Fichard-Carroll and staff, students with disabilities, and the departments and services that support them, foremost among which is the Campus Life Department with the Handiversité service, preceded the drafting of this document. "This plan owes a great deal to the strength and inspiration of the people we met throughout its development. Around 30 staff members with disabilities took part in these meetings, which is a good sign that the fear of revealing one's disability is beginning to fade," emphasizes the vice president.
Since 2020, when the last disability master plan was issued, the legislative framework promoting greater accessibility has been expanded with a decree (November 12, 2021) and two circulars (February 6, 2023, and March 27, 2023) relating to adjustments to higher education exams and competitive examinations for candidates with disabilities and to the health system for students and users of higher education. "It is in accordance with these regulations and the guiding principles that govern our actions that we will continue to roll out our measures," announced Agnès Fichard-Carroll. " We know that providing support does not mean taking over, let alone imposing, and that reconciling individual situations with the expectations of a group is complicated, but this new framework will enable us to make progress collectively."
Success of students with disabilities
The focus of this disability master plan is on the success of students with disabilities. Their proportion at UM increased between 2019 and 2023 from 2.41% to 3.44%, compared to a national average of 2.2%, representing 1,641 students. "Thanks to greatly improved support during their schooling, more students with disabilities are accessing university education. At UM, their percentage has doubled since 2015, which is a source of satisfaction." 62% of them are enrolled in undergraduate programs, 29% in graduate programs, 5% in postgraduate programs, and 4% in other programs.
To promote their success, UM offers a dozen initiatives aimed at better welcoming and supporting them. "The goal here is to offer students with disabilities the same opportunities as other students and to engage the community with them. " Disability tutoring; international mobility; support for hospitalized students; and internship stipends... In terms of welcoming students, signage on campus will be improved and a call for projects called "Aliv'equip" will be launched to improve the comfort of rest rooms reserved for people with disabilities."We believe this measure is relevant in demonstrating the UM's commitment to both fairness and service,"said the vice president. "We are also considering implementing a cohort follow-up to track the progress of students with disabilities who have attended the UM."
To better support teachers, who are key to this initiative, workshops on inclusive teaching practices will be offered by the CSIP in conjunction with Handiversité, and technical data sheets on rephrasing instructions in the context of exams, for example, will be provided. " Teachers are often caring but ill-equipped, and can be thrown off balance by certain situations. We therefore need to continue raising their awareness by providing them with better information on the most common disabilities and explaining certain recommendations to them," continues Agnès Fichard-Carroll.
Career support
Public employers are required to employ 6% of workers who are beneficiaries of the employment obligation. At UM, there were 206 beneficiaries of the employment obligation (BOE) in 2019 (4.57%) and 220 in 2023 (4.84%). This percentage rises to 7.41% if we look exclusively at Biatss beneficiaries, but is only 3.1% among researchers, Professors doctoral students. As we often point out, one of the difficulties for universities in reaching the regulatory threshold of 6% lies in the high percentage of highly qualified individuals at the university (doctorate, HDR, in total more than 50% of category A staff), while it is well established that people with disabilities suffer from a lack of training. However, we are seeing clear progress," summarizes the vice president. By comparison, in 2020, the direct employment rate for beneficiaries of the employment obligation was 2.65% at Paris-Cité University, 3.76% at Aix-Marseille University, and 4.26% at Toulouse Paul Sabatier University. In the civil service, this figure is 4.36%.
"We know that there are obstacles to recruiting people with disabilities through competitive examinations. Contractual recruitment is possible for Biatss staff, as it is for lecturers. Although the latter mechanism remains difficult to implement, the UM has been able to recruit lecturers under this framework this year, which we are delighted about. We believe it is appropriate to continue to seize every opportunity to promote their recruitment." All actions taken to improve career support for BOEs under the previous scheme will be maintained (communication, workshops, specific accommodations, doctoral contracts for people with disabilities, etc.).
However, the employment of people with disabilities should not be considered solely in terms of recruitment, since according to figures from the Department of Education, 85% of people with disabilities become disabled during their lifetime. Career support is therefore essential. UnderArticle 93 of the Civil Service Transformation Act, two opportunities for promotion through secondment will be offered for the first time in the employment campaign. "To achieve the goal of better supporting the careers of staff with disabilities, we must also be able to rely on the network of prevention assistants present at all University sites. Specific training will be provided for them," explains Agnès Fichard-Carroll. Support measures such as teleworking for people with disabilities and reduced workloads for teachers and Professors continue. The SCMPPS and the Handiversité service will also facilitate the assessment of workstations.
Committing to greater inclusion
The third and final focus of this disability master plan concerns accessibility. "Our goal is not only to support students with disabilities in their studies and staff in their work, but also to enable them to benefit from all aspects of university life in an environment that is conducive to their needs," explains the disability officer. In terms of real estate, several buildings have been made accessible during recent renovations on the pharmacy and Triolet campuses (Village des sciences entrez dans une nouvelle aire), Staps (An exemplary renovation project) and medicine Nîmes (New areas for the Gard site of the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine).
In addition, inclusion must also apply to university activities and events. Invitations now mention disability so that people do not hesitate to request accommodations. Many workshops and events organized by the campus life department are offered online, which can make it easier for people with disabilities to participate. "We must also make it known that, thanks to the important work carried out by the shared documentation service (SCD), we have Platon accreditation authorizing us to produce adapted versions (Braille, DAISY international format, etc.) of all available works." More generally, awareness of digital accessibility will be raised in the form of a simple handbook.
On the social front, increased assistance for staff recognized as disabled workers (RQTH) for theater and book vouchers, as well as for cultural and sporting activities, will continue. "We also need to take greater account of disability when allocating social assistance to students," emphasizes Agnès Fichard-Carroll. The UM wishes to export this comprehensive policy of inclusion beyond its walls by continuing the institution's purchasing policy to promote the employment of people with disabilities. Finally, conferences for the general public, which are a source of great interest, and Braille and sign language workshops, which are already in high demand, will continue to be offered on a regular basis. "This master plan is a fundamental tool for progressing towards equity. The President and I hope that it meets the expectations of people with disabilities, and we sincerely thank all our colleagues who have contributed to it and who work every day to promote greater inclusion.