An afternoon to better understand disabilities

Awareness-raising activities are regularly organized on campus, with contributions from associations, talks from professionals and even exhibitions. On Wednesday, April 10, ENSTA Bretagne organized an afternoon of awareness-raising workshops for first-year engineering students. Organized by Sylvie Guidal, the students' disability advisor, the aim was to help students gain a better understanding of the different forms of disability and to encourage them to share the values of social and professional inclusion.

Les élèves s'initient à la langue des signes française

A host of workshops and opportunities for discussion

The afternoon was filled with a variety of activities focused on different topics:

With Breizh Signes (a sign language association in Brittany), students were introduced to French sign language and learned about deafness in the workplace.
In collaboration with the Comité Départemental Handisport du Finistère (Finistère Disabled Sports Committee), the engineering students were also able to discover a number of disabled sports, including wheelchair basketball.
The Initiatives for the Inclusion of the Visually Impaired (Initiatives Pour l'Inclusion des Déficients Visuels - IPIDV) association organized an awareness-raising session in which students experienced what it's like to be visually impaired.
The SAMSAH (Medical-social support service for disabled adults) led a discussion on autism and mental illness.
In the amphitheater, the Tydys association, which provides support for people with dyslexia and learning disabilities, informed students about the difficulties and needs of people with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and learning disabilities.
Finally, EXECO OUEST (an association promoting the professional inclusion of people with disabilities) gave a presentation on “Disability and Employment”.

Younes Hichami, frère d'un élève de l'école est intervenu auprès des étudiants

In addition, Younes Hichami, the disabled brother of an ENSTA Bretagne engineering student, was on hand to talk to the students. Selected to carry the Olympic torch this summer, he shared an enriching and positive experience with the students.

This afternoon of learning enabled the students to understand the importance of a diversity of profiles and backgrounds within a team and to better identify the specific needs necessary for the inclusion of people with disabilities, both in the professional world and in everyday life.

Intervention de SAMSAH sur l'autisme et les maladies psychiques

Daily assistance

In addition to this awareness-raising mission, Sylvie Guidal, the school's disability advisor, works with students with disabilities on a daily basis. Each year, the school adapts classrooms, teaching practices and assessments, in consultation with the MDPH (Departmental Center for Disabled People) and general practitioners and specialists, in order to meet the specific needs of the students concerned.