Back to school is a crucial moment for them. In September, more than 400,000 students with disabilities will be heading to school, which corresponds to an increase of 19% in five years. Progress welcomed by the Secretary of State for People with Disabilities, Sophie Cluzel. She granted to 20 minutes his back-to-school interview and details the major new features that will be implemented from September. An interview in the form of a report, since his ministerial mandate ends in a few months.
Unapei (which brings together 550 associations defending the interests of people with disabilities) is relaunching the “#jaipasecole” operation to identify students deprived of an education solution adapted to their needs. How are you going to limit these cases this fall?
This operation is anxiety-provoking for families and not very constructive. I do not deny that there are registration concerns, because families have moved, because MDPH (Departmental Homes for the Disabled) files were not processed on time … But we are ready to study all the individual situations to solve problems. For two years, I have been asking Unapei to send me the contact details of people to find solutions together. In vain, therefore, I wonder about the deep meaning of this campaign.
Since July 1, 2020, a single toll-free number – 0 805 805 110 or 0 800 730 123 (accessible to hearing-impaired people) – allows parents to submit their difficulties to us. And in each department, assignment committees were opened in June in order to offer an education solution to each student. I repeat to the families: “Do not worry, everyone is mobilized to solve the problems at the start of the school year. “
Class closures from the first case of Covid-19 in primary school could further penalize students with disabilities, for whom distance schooling is sometimes difficult to follow. What solutions have you planned for them?
We have recruited 4,000 more accompanying persons (AESH) this year, bringing their number to 125,000. They can intervene at home to help pupils in distance education, as well as rehabilitation professionals.
You wanted to shorten the processing times for files within the departmental houses for disabled people. Did you succeed?
There is real territorial inequity in this area. We want this great public service to improve. And this is the roadmap that we have set for the MDPH for 2022, with the objective of achieving a processing of the file within 3 months, against 4 today. A barometer published each quarter now takes stock of the processing times observed in each department. And we see that, little by little, the deadlines are reduced. And even if the departments are responsible for the management of the MPDH, the state has paid 10 million to help hire agents to reduce delays.
The notifications of the MDPH concerning the number of hours of accompaniment by an AESH to which the pupils are entitled are not always respected, due to lack of human resources. How can the situation be improved?
We have increased the number of accompanying persons by 35% between 2017 and 2021. The effort has been colossal! But there is still sometimes a lack of AESH, because notifications arrive over the course of the year. In order for the organization to be optimized, we have also set up the Pial (inclusive localized support centers) which coordinate the AESH and assign them to the students according to the needs in the field. Today, there are two kinds of notifications: either a shared AESH which supports several children at the same time, or an individual AESH because the child has a sustained need.
AESH are still too often part-time, poorly paid and on fixed-term contracts. Which makes their loyalty difficult. What to do ?
Under the previous five-year term, 60% AESH were on a subsidized contract and their contract ended after 10 months. There are no longer any under this status today. All are on fixed-term contracts renewable once or on permanent contracts within the National Education Department. On average, those who work in primary school work 24 hours, those who are assigned to college, 30. And the proportion of those who work full time is increasing. An index grid will be created for AESH in order to improve their remuneration. And from this start of the school year, the AESH will benefit from a 60-hour job adaptation training.
“Inclusive school” training becomes compulsory this year for all new teachers. But why not make it also compulsory for all teachers already in place?
It is impossible to force teachers to train during their career, but if they wish, inclusive school training is available to them. As for the training of new teachers, this is a big step forward. Because they will all have 25 hours of compulsory education on the subject.
New “polyhandicap” classes will open at the start of the school year, what are they?
They will accommodate students with multiple disabilities in ordinary schools, while these children are usually educated in IME (medico-educational institute). This will allow them to be visible, to grow among others. And that will help make other students more accepting of the big difference. Future generations will thus gradually change their view of disability.
Where is the generalization of mobile education support teams taking care of students with behavioral problems, but who have not been diagnosed?
They have been generalized to the whole of the territory and there is more than one per department now. And at this start of the school year, there will be 166 more to allow the intervention of multidisciplinary teams (for example an occupational therapist or a psychomotor therapist and a specialized educator or a psychologist), so that there is no disruption of the course. school for children who do not yet have an MDPH file.
Very often, students with disabilities drop out during secondary school. How do you plan to act on this phenomenon?
It is a real subject. A child must be able to continue in high school Ulis (localized units for inclusive education) pro and general Ulis. There is no reason for a college student who has been educated in an ordinary environment, to branch off into IMPRO (medical-professional institute). We are working on it with the Minister of National Education.
You were appointed Secretary of State in charge of disabled people in 2017. What are you most proud of regarding the education of disabled students?
For five years, we have standardized the path of disabled students to school. There is room for improvement, but we now look at disabled students as students capable of learning with others. I can no longer be asked the question of “why”, but of “how”.