Handimet is an initiative to raise awareness about managing people with disabilities, which has been organized on the Angers campus since 2010. It is a real "plus" for future managers, according to Isabelle Frostin, a teacher at the Angers campus who coordinates the initiative.
As a public school, Arts et Métiers a duty to implement measures to promote equal opportunities. This is the objective of Handimet, a week of awareness-raising on managing people with disabilities, organized since 2010 on the Angers campus.
This project is organized with a team of students who are dedicating their second-year project to it. The week begins with a lecture presenting the different types of disabilities and the legal obligations to which companies are subject. It is structured around workshops during which students interact with professionals with disabilities. Finally, students are presented with a management case study proposed by a disability officer from a company (Assystem, Colas, CAP GEMINI, etc.), for example: "Welcoming a person with a disability," "What to do in the event of rejection by a team," etc. The program is punctuated by conferences with involved speakers, such as Jean-Michel Saget, a fencing master who participated in the Paralympic Games, Philippe Révillon, a Paralympic swimming champion, and Nacer Zorgani, a strategy analyst and comedian with visual impairment. All of them show that disability is not an obstacle; it is prejudice that must be overcome.
Finally, the week ends with a meal with people with disabilities, attended by staff and students.
This initiative is appreciated both internally and externally. Every year, 60 to 80 students take part, thanks to adjustments to their timetables. Similarly, academic partners appreciate this initiative, which enhances the school's image. I think it's a real "plus" for our future managers."
