On Thursday, May 20, Handi’Tech Day featured conferences and testimonials on neurodiversity and neurodevelopmental disorders for over 100 participants, including ICM students and partners from the “disability” network. The School’s autonomy-disability commission, 9 ICM students from the Handi’Tech citizen project, and Hélène Pangot, Head of the Diversity Mission, led this project for a more inclusive and benevolent society.
Raising Awareness of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Students from the citizen project worked this year to organize Handi’Tech Day, their participation in the Telethon, and the Tous HanScène competition. Mines Saint-Étienne thus contributes to the integration of people with disabilities and highlights individual diversity.
Since 2015, this day has educated students about disability while addressing a topic of technological innovation. Labeled “Ville en partage” by Saint-Étienne, this digital event focused this time on neurodiversity and neurodevelopmental disorders. During the morning, three conferences helped to understand these disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Mélina Huc presented neurodevelopmental disorders, which are atypical modes of neuronal functioning but do not block learning. The specificities of people with autism were also explained: difficulties in communication and social interactions due to a difference in the processing of emotions, perception, and cognition.
Next, Benjamin Misiak, a doctoral student and researcher on the MACA (Mapping Autistic Cognitive Abilities) project, presented his research conducted on MACA Games to create a video game that identifies the cognitive abilities of autistic individuals and facilitates their academic and professional inclusion.
At the end of the morning, Magali Camilla and Benjamin Dufez, president of the Aspiejob association and job coach, showcased their actions to enable autistic individuals without intellectual disability, who represent approximately 45% of autistic people, to enter the workforce while raising awareness among companies.
Inclusion of Disability in Society
During the afternoon, two testimonials illustrated the difficulties encountered by autistic individuals and their families. Danièle Langloys, president of the associations Autisme dans la cité and Autisme France, first presented her journey to help her son, diagnosed with autism at age 33, and then her actions to enable the inclusion of autistic people in society and in companies.
Next, Joseph Théry, a graduate of Mines Saint-Étienne and diagnosed with autism in 2016, explained the problems he encountered, particularly in entering the professional world. Today, he works at Auticonsult France, which allows him to be an IT consultant while accommodating his working conditions.
These testimonials broadened the students’ perspectives as future engineers or managers on how to include people with disabilities in companies.
The day concluded with a cooking workshop for residents of the student residence, based on the book “Je cuisine un jour bleu,” which compiles recipes to make mealtime more enjoyable for autistic individuals.
