"In France, we're archaic when it comes to the issue of disability." - Interview with Denis Fournier.

U-Exist: Hello Denis, could you introduce yourself for our readers?

Denis Fournier: My name is Denis, I'm 52 years old, and in real life I've been a manager at Orange for 25 years, managing around 30 people. My second activity is as a part-time lecturer at the IUT in Lens, where I give management courses for Bac+3 students. I also give training courses as a self-employed contractor for a training center. I was an amputee at the age of 18 following a knee angiosarcoma. I'm fitted with DDH, a special device with a shell prosthesis, involving total amputation of the left lower limb. 

UE: You're familiar with U-Exist, aren't you?

DF: Yes, right from the start. It all started when my prosthetist surprised me by putting a patch on my prosthesis. When I discovered it, I wondered what it was. It was fun and playful, so I consulted the catalog, and each time I renew, I choose a different little fantasy each time.

UE: How did you go about customizing your prosthesis?

DF: I wear U-Dress cosmetic stockings exclusively, and I'm very happy with them because they give me a lot more choice and I can match them to my outfits.

UE: How did you feel about wearing a prosthesis before the possibility of customization?

DF: I was already wearing shorts back then, but more in a private setting when people knew me. When I discovered U-Dress, I took it as a game, on the playful side. People ask a lot of questions: "What is it, where does it come from?" and so on. 

UE: How do you feel about being asked questions?

DF: I live it well. I'm not ashamed of my disability, I don't hide it at all. I've lived with it for 35 years now, and I talk about it freely. I also give lectures on management, disability and top-level sport, because I do some. So I talk about it totally freely, without any problem.

UE: What sports do you practice?

DF: I play wheelchair basketball, I've been on the French team, I've taken part in the European Cups, and I've played for a few clubs in the region: Villeneuve d'Ascq, Lille and Cambrai. I played quite a bit on the parquets of France, and was one of the first to wear the U-Dress, which enabled other amputee buddies to get their own. It democratizes things a bit, and means we don't have to live with the flesh-colored stockings we all had before the existence of these products, which I call "granny stockings".

UE: How do you choose your prostheses?

DF: I often choose them with my daughter. 90% of the time, it's under a pair of pants, but in summer, I completely assume it. It's like an accessory, a bow tie or a tie, for example.

UE: You said you were a regular speaker on the subject of disability?

DF: Yes, I'm a disability correspondent for Orange France, and I've been involved for 15 years in training managers to deal with people with disabilities. By word of mouth, I've also had the opportunity to raise awareness of disability issues for other major groups, as well as in schools. 

UE: What are the main messages you want to convey?

DF: Of course, I'm talking about both visible and invisible disabilities, but I'd like to emphasize that today, although progress is being made on disability, we're not going as far as our neighbors, particularly in the Nordic countries. My message is: don't be afraid to hire someone with a disability. Statistics show that these people are less absent than others. Disability shouldn't be a barrier to work, and there's no reason why one person should be less competent than another. Most of the time, they'll feel obliged and will even work harder. That's the message I'm trying to get across: don't be afraid of disability. Today, we fear it, but it can affect family, children and friends in the space of a fraction of a second, due to a car, motorcycle or bicycle accident... I'm trying to democratize, in my own small way, the vision of disability.

"In France, we're completely archaic when it comes to disability issues."

EU: You mentioned our Scandinavian neighbors. How do you think we compare with them?

DF: We're bad. In terms of respect and the way we present things, I've been to several countries with the basketball team, and I can confirm that in France, we're completely archaic when it comes to the issue of disability. It hasn't been integrated in the way it should have been for the last twenty years or so, and there's still a divide. To give an example, in sport we have a French Handisport Federation, whereas in many other countries, this separation does not exist. If you play basketball, you're affiliated to the country's basketball federation, period. Some countries even force top-level able-bodied teams to have a disabled sports team, forcing them to integrate disabled sports with able-bodied sports. In France, we're a long way from that. Infrastructure is also lagging far behind. Just as we are about to host the Olympic Games in Paris, one metro station in three is not accessible, which is absurd. Buses have curbs, making access difficult. When you're in a wheelchair and you have to take the train, you can't do it at the last minute, you have to call the SNCF so that a ramp can be put in place. We're light years away.

UE: In practical terms, what difference does it make to our neighbors not to dissociate the handi federations?

DF: I'll take the example of basketball, because that's what I know best. In Germany, Spain, Italy and England, disabled basketball players are professionals. They earn a salary similar to that of able-bodied players and enjoy the same benefits, because they are an integral part of top-level clubs. In France, this does not exist at all. Two clubs, Dijon and Châlon-sur-Saône, have tried to set this up, but they are the first two.

"The French Handisport Federation rejects professionalism."

UE: Does this mean that no disabled person in France can become a professional sportsperson?

DF: In France today, the French Handisport Federation refuses to accept professionalism. But in other countries, it's accepted. Elsewhere than in France, a disabled basketball player can be a professional, he can make a living out of the sport and be paid by his club. That doesn't happen here.

UE: What do you think accounts for this gap?

DF: The problem lies with the federations and the positions some of them hold. Instead of making handisport progress, as they sometimes boast in the media, they're taking it backwards. If you look at the number of handisport medals won, it's not thanks to the federations. It's the top-level athletes themselves who find sponsors to enable them to work, train and have their equipment financed, enabling them to win Olympic medals. Unfortunately, they are more commercial than sporting.

UE: What's your take on the Paralympic Games?

DF: It's good because it's on display for the whole world to see, and we'll certainly be talking about it, but for me it's a shot in the dark. We've been talking about it for a year, associating disabled sports with able-bodied ones for demonstrations on the Trocadero... However, I'm convinced that after September 15, 2024, disabled athletes will be put aside, and they'll be brought out again at the next Olympics. There's no continuity in the Olympic movement, no willingness to say we're going to work for the next Games, and so on. Among all the federations, there's no real support, even though we've known for six years that the Olympics would be held here. We could have prepared much better to win more medals.

EU: And in terms of visibility?

DF: I've never seen so many commercials featuring people with disabilities, so it's great. But there's also the "quota" aspect. Some companies have always played the game, and I'm thinking of EDF in particular, which has always been a partner of all disabled athletes. They make it easier for top-level athletes to get involved by hiring them and giving them time to train, for example. There are few companies in France that play the game the way they do.

"The sponsor of a disabled athlete gets no return on investment. This is clearly an act of patronage."

UE: Can you think of any other examples of athletes with complex situations?

DF: I have a cyclist friend who, despite his distinctions as a three-time European champion and two-time world champion, had to finance lighter wheels for his race himself. The federation provided no financial support, even recognizing his Olympic medal potential. Although he has found a sponsor to help him, he faces restrictions at the Olympic Games, as he cannot display his sponsor's logo on his jersey due to federation regulations. As a result, the sponsor gets no return on his investment, and this is clearly an act of patronage.

I also met a handicapped golfer with a left arm amputation who enjoys para-golf. Despite her role as president of para-golf for Hauts-de-France, and soon at national level, she faces considerable challenges in the world of golf due to separate federations. 

Today, we are witnessing captivating high-level handisport, but visibility in the media and particularly on television is limited. Rather than broadcasting these events to democratize them and raise public awareness, we are exposed to increasingly mind-numbing content. On France 2, we probably consider that quotas are sufficiently filled when a disabled athlete appears once a week for 10 minutes to talk about his or her discipline...

UE: Is there a difference in the way handisport is perceived in different countries? 

DF: As far as the Olympic Games in France are concerned, tickets for handisport competitions are offered at 1 euro, whereas in England, the venues are packed. In France, we often only show athletes who are already guaranteed a medal, and neglect those who are fighting for the chance to compete. It's as if we're not watching the same sport, even though it's basically the same thing. A disabled friend of mine played with the Chicago Bulls in the United States, and the arenas were packed. In Italy, too, handisport matches draw big crowds, because the athletes there are considered top-level professionals. That's the difference between France and other countries. 

UE: Do you think the problem lies with education? 

DF: Absolutely. Around three quarters of disabled children do not achieve a sufficient level of education. The level of schooling is low because the necessary support is not in place.

UE: How do you explain this difference in levels? 

DF: Instead of placing children with disabilities in special centers, it would be smarter to integrate them with other children, to show that disability doesn't prevent them from having a brain like everyone else. Unlike other countries like Scandinavia, where children in wheelchairs go to school with the others, in France, disability is often hidden and shown only when it's convenient. Perhaps it's time for a paradigm shift.