Disability: what the candidates for the presidential election are proposing

With no less than 12 million people with disabilities in France and 11 million French “close caregivers”, the subject of disability in the presidential elections is eagerly awaited. Particularly high unemployment rate (14% against 8% for the general population), reduced accessibility to places, lack of care for motor or mental disabilities in schools… these are all important themes. Of all the candidates interviewed, the 10 candidates who responded all made proposals on disability in their programs. On the left, as on the right, they offer better support for people with disabilities and better accessibility to care but also to school and the world of work.

Disability: the proposals of the candidates on the left

Jean-Luc Melenchon plans to guarantee accessibility for people with disabilities in three points: “Go back to Emmanuel Macron’s ELAN law to impose 100% accessible housing in new constructions, achieve progressive total accessibility of transport and public spaces, including for visually impaired people”. And finally, “allow the prefects to replace the mayors to impose the works and close the private buildings not respecting the law”. To fight against inequalities in the education system, the candidate of the People’s Union wishes to decompartmentalize the national education sector and the medico-social sector, develop a sufficient number of appropriate teaching aids but also reopen the training courses for specialist teachers. The candidate also announces deconjugalizing the allowance for disabled adults (AAH) (Editor’s note: that is to say no longer taking into account the income of the spouse for the allocation of this allowance) and raising it to the minimum wage.

Anne Hidalgo makes accessibility to care a main focus of its program. It provides “the accessibility of medical offices and places of care from which too many actors have been able to free themselves” as well as “the training of all medical professionals in the reception of their disabled patients”. Regarding inclusiveness at school, “we will continue and intensify the work of cooperation between the so-called ordinary education environment and the medico-social sector so that responses adapted to the needs of pupils are available at school”. To strengthen access to the world of work for adults with disabilities, the PS candidate mentions a zero young people with disabilities plan without a solution as well as a prevention of dismissals for incapacity.

Yannick Jadot would like, for his part, “to create a Universal Accessibility Agency to guarantee accessibility to all public services, to transport, to information and communication technologies”. The purpose of this agency would be to monitor compliance with standards but also to sanction in the event of non-compliance. Regarding the lack of access to the world of work, the environmentalist candidate intends to “truly respect the law on the obligation of employment of disabled workers (OETH)”to strenghten “checks in specialized establishments (type Esat – Establishment and service of assistance through work)” and apply “worthy remuneration”.

Philippe Poutou talks about emergency measures and establishes them in several points. First, he claims, “no salary or income below 1,800 euros net”. It also mentions the respect of the 6% employment obligation quotas, the maintenance in employment of employees in the ordinary sector who find themselves on disability, the freeness of all health and equipment costs or even a effective right to education and schooling.

Nathalie Arthaud estimate that “public money should go to public needs”. The Lutte Ouvrière candidate would like to improve care management: “I think that all the needs necessary to compensate for the loss of autonomy – whether it is linked to a disability or to aging – should be taken care of by the community”.

Disability: the proposals of right-wing candidates

Marine Le Pen plans to conduct “a policy of de-metropolisation and territorial development in order to facilitate this accessibility to all and in all places”. The candidate of national rally also mentions the strengthening of the initial training of teachers and school life auxiliaries as well as the creation of pediatric multi-professional health centers (MSP) bringing together pediatricians, child psychiatrists, childcare nurses, psychomotor therapists and speech therapists. As for the world of work, “it is advisable to apply the law which stipulates that companies with more than 20 employees, both public and private, have the obligation to include disabled people among their employees, up to 6% at least of their workforce”. The candidate also mentions better management of chronic diseases such as endometriosis.

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan offers to “determine an agenda and a concrete action plan with associations, local authorities and businesses” to allow accessibility to all. He wants to bet on new technologies and innovate by developing accessories that facilitate autonomy. As for the subject of school, the candidate of Debout la France wishes “revise the system for integrating children with disabilities into school and guarantee support from the national education system from the age of 3”. But also, create positions for AESH (Accompanying Students with Disabilities), increase the number of IME (Medico-Educational Institute) for children with disabilities and establish a National Education speech therapist per department.

Valerie Pécresse has the ambition “to move towards universal accessibility for all disabled people”. Candidate LR also mentions the lack of autonomy of people with disabilities. “We will deconjugalize the AAH so as not to penalize people with disabilities who live as a couple, and to ensure their financial autonomy. It is a real scandal that the outgoing President refused this development, which is so important to guarantee the dignity and autonomy of people with disabilities!”, she declares.

The other candidates

Emmanuel Macron declares wanting to go further in accessibility for all: “It is in this perspective that we are proposing the creation of a territorial accessibility fund, piloted by the prefects, the purpose of which will be to accelerate the accessibility of local shops, schools, colleges, high schools, roads, transport”. The outgoing president points out that “Never before have so many children with disabilities been educated in mainstream settings than today” but still wish “continue to invest in support with recruitment of AESH who will have contracts of up to 35 hours so that children with disabilities benefit from all the necessary support outside school hours”. Finally, the candidate LREM wants to establish a study income for students with disabilities up to 500 euros.

John Lassale would like, for his part, “define a disability policy, including non-visible ones”. It also plans to restructure the Departmental Centers for Persons with Disabilities to reduce treatment times, remove the age thresholds for the disability compensation benefit, increase the autonomy allowance for people at home, train and upgrade carers. students with disabilities. “AESH must receive training adapted to the many disabilities they may encounter. Generalize full-time at 24 hours with a net salary of 1,700 euros”, consider the candidate.