Head of Diversity and Inclusion and in charge of Mission Handicap at Audencia, Alysée Martel-Forgeau is working to make the campus more accessible, offering students with disabilities personalized support and assistance from the moment they arrive at the school right through to their integration into professional life. She shares with us the advances and challenges of inclusion.
What are the main challenges currently facing the inclusion of students with disabilities in France’s grandes écoles, and how does Audencia’s Mission Handicap address them in concrete terms?
Students with disabilities face a number of challenges when they enter the Grandes Ecoles. Digital and pedagogical accessibility is essential if they are to follow their courses in optimum conditions, but the lack of adapted aids can put them at a disadvantage. Some students are reluctant to ask for accommodations for fear of being perceived differently or being judged. This fear of stigmatization can lead them to hide their situation, which impacts on their school experience and well-being.
Professional integration is another major challenge. Despite their skills, students with disabilities face additional obstacles to accessing internships or jobs, often due to a lack of awareness on the part of companies and persistent prejudice.
To support these students, Audencia offers a dedicated service that provides personalized care. In addition, two nurses and psychologists are on hand to guarantee appropriate medical and psychological follow-up. The school also has a partnership with the Nantes and Paris Student Health Services to help students obtain accommodations validated by approved health professionals, ensuring that each student’s needs are taken into account.
On the professional front, Mission Handicap can count on the support of its corporate partners, who are committed to promoting the integration of students with disabilities. These strategic partnerships offer internship and employment opportunities in inclusive environments. In addition, Mission Handicap organizes awareness-raising initiatives, including conferences (most recently on neurodivergence) for teachers and employees, to change mentalities and encourage a more benevolent approach to the diversity of career paths.
Finally, Mission Handicap encourages student initiatives to create a caring and inclusive climate on campus. The aim is to enable all students to achieve their full potential, whatever their particular needs.
We are committed to supporting every student so that they can succeed academically and professionally in an environment that promotes equal opportunities.
In 2024, what specific measures have been put in place to support students with disabilities?
In 2024, Mision Handicap strengthened its commitment to the inclusion of students with disabilities through several concrete schemes.
To alleviate academic difficulties, Mission Handicap set up a tutoring program run by Audencia students for other students at the school. This tutoring, which is free of charge and supervised by Mission Handicap, is carried out in collaboration with the Jobencia association, which helps recruit tutors.
Thanks to this initiative, over a hundred hours of support were granted in 2024.
Accessibility to teaching tools has also been improved, with the provision of reading pens for dyslexic students in Knowledge Hubs. In addition, 20 computers equipped with Antidote software in French and English have been acquired to support students with specific writing and correction needs.
Financial support remains an essential lever for helping students with disabilities. Mission Handicap offers grants covering around 10% of annual tuition fees, to help offset the additional costs associated with a disability and facilitate the process of obtaining recognition from the MDPH. International mobility grants are also available to help students with additional expenses when they go abroad.
In terms of professional integration, Mission Handicap organizes speedmeetings with committed partner companies, promoting internship and job opportunities for the students concerned.
Finally, raising awareness among all students remains a key priority. Conferences on inclusive management in companies were organized, as well as an educational game, Handipoursuite, during BeeAwareMonth.
This interactive game dealt with 7,463 questions on disability in the workplace and in everyday life, with over 400 participants.
Through these initiatives, Audencia affirms its commitment to greater inclusion and to providing support that is increasingly adapted to the needs of its students with disabilities.
Audencia’s ambition was to have 2% of students with disabilities by 2025. What specific initiatives or actions are planned to meet this target and perhaps go even further?
Audencia had set itself the target of welcoming 2% of students with disabilities by 2025. This target has not only been met, but exceeded, with a current rate of 2.98%.
More than just the figure, our priority is to encourage more students to declare their disability more easily and quickly on arrival at the school, so that they can benefit from appropriate support.
To this end, we have stepped up our communications by multiplying our information channels. We use social networks in collaboration with the ERS (health relay students), send out e-mailing campaigns at the start of the year and mobilize the BeeWell Teams team to inform and support students.
Mission Handicap and, more broadly, the Diversity & Inclusion department, are also present at the start of the school year and on student life days to talk directly with students.
In addition, program coordinators and program managers play an essential role in promoting this service. They also work with students to raise awareness of the Diversity & Inclusion service and the support it can provide to all students with disabilities. Teachers, too, play a key role in this approach, by being attentive to the specific needs of students and facilitating their integration. Without teamwork and links between all of us, we won’t be able to achieve this.
Word-of-mouth also plays a key role in this process. A well-supported student is more likely to talk about it to fellow students who are still hesitant to declare themselves. This dynamic was particularly visible this year, and is an essential lever for reaching a greater number of students.
