You're one of the rare elected officials with a disability. Do you see this as a victory? Has your handicap been an obstacle in your career?
My political commitment has nothing to do with my handicap. I got involved because I wanted to serve others—a desire strengthened by my work as a neuropsychologist in the public hospital system. I also love my city, Boulogne, and I want to invest in its life.
My handicap has not been a barrier. I've tried to make my difference a strength. In politics it's always useful to be recognized and to stand out. Since I have a visible handicap, that happens automatically. On the street, people recognize me because I appear regularly in the municipal newsletter. As for my physical limitations, my political work pushes me to go beyond them. My condition fluctuates—some days I feel good, others less so. With all my commitments, politics encourages me to exceed my own limits. Sometimes I'm proud to accomplish more than others do.
I can see doubt in people's eyes about whether I'm capable of taking on responsibility and working at a sustained pace. I make an effort then to prove that physical difference doesn't limit me in my work or my competence. I hope this can shift attitudes in that regard. Being disabled myself—often the only one at a work table, in the meetings I attend—I bring a particular perspective on disability to every field.
At city council you're the deputy for disabled people; at the regional council, you handle disability issues. Isn't there a risk that disabled people get confined to these sectors, losing a broader role?
I could have chosen other areas: family, education. But I feel invested in disability issues because they align with who I am. It might seem like a cliché, but it's the choice I made. Perhaps I won't always do this during my political career. For now, this is where I feel most fulfilled and most useful.
I'm fortunate to have mandates where my commission meets about more than disability. As deputy mayor I represent the city in schools, perform marriages, and so on.
That said, we must be careful not to relegate disabled people only to these areas.
In fact, experience shows how slowly society evolves. Look at women in politics: at first they were assigned to family matters. Then, little by little, to other fields—defense, justice, and so on. Perhaps we have to walk that path first.
Are there particular initiatives you're especially proud of?
In Boulogne, with the mayor's support, I was able to start and complete several major projects in just one term: the creation of a reception center with medical care; the creation of a care home for locked-in syndrome patients; the opening of a medical and psycho-pedagogical institute for autistic adolescents. I was proud to inaugurate these facilities, knowing I had brought real solutions to these people and their families. These are concrete projects, lasting ones, effective—and they address real, pressing needs.
At the regional level, I'm very proud to have fought, with the President's support, to secure funding in 2016 for job training and professional placement of disabled people.
How do you encourage disabled people to exercise their citizenship?
On one hand, disabled people need to be more demanding of political power, especially through associations. I personally encourage them to persist in lobbying. On the other hand, the political world must pay closer attention to the most vulnerable, despite the difficulties we face. Finally, public opinion needs to change its attitude, because it's moving slower than new laws.
Disabled people represent 10 percent of the population and are almost never present in politics. I'm opposed to introducing quotas, but I encourage disabled people to enter politics. Even though it's a harsh environment, we shouldn't give up bringing less brutality, more humility, and a commitment to service. We need to engage the parties, knock on doors, show what we're capable of, and aim high.
by Cyrill Douillet (O&L n.216)
trans. by Rita Massi
