SOCIETY / Disability: a successful awareness day

The disability awareness day, organized in partnership with AGEFIPH and the Solidarity and Families Center of the COM this Monday, April 15 at the CCISM, proved to be a real success, with more than thirty participants.

Organized in two parts with a morning workshop dedicated to the network of disability representatives (RHH) Antilles-Guyana and an afternoon meeting Handicap & Entreprise, the awareness day supported by the Fund Management Association for the integration of disabled people (AGEFIPH) and the Saint-Martin Community included participants engaged with people with disabilities of all profiles (employees, business leaders, artists, job seekers). This day of sharing, learning and collaboration was intended to meet people with disabilities and to prepare for the next European Week for the Employment of People with Disabilities (SEEPH) which will take place this year from Monday 18 to Sunday November 24. As a reminder, any company with 20 or more employees must employ workers with disabilities in a proportion of 6% of the total workforce. The morning workshop provided participants with a solid basis for tackling more specific discussions on administrative procedures and available services. After an interactive game to encourage mutual knowledge and create an environment conducive to sharing, a debate on the challenges encountered by people with disabilities opened, followed by discussions on local events dedicated to this cause. During the “RDV Handicap & Entreprise” afternoon, the agents of the Community – Solidarity and Families Center – presented the offers and services available in the region to support people with disabilities. AGEFIPH then took over with a complementary presentation on the opportunities and support put in place for entrepreneurs with disabilities. If this action was intended to raise participants' awareness of the realities of disability in the workplace, the challenge was successful. In addition to the productive exchanges aimed at promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the world of work, the poignant testimonies highlighted the challenges encountered on a daily basis. It is essential that employers and institutions redouble their efforts to understand and respond to the needs of these talented individuals, putting in place concrete measures to support them and fully integrate them into society so that disability is no longer a barrier but a strength. _VX