In Saint-Barth,

During her official visit to Saint-Barthélemy on April 8 and 9, Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq met with all those involved in the healthcare sector in connection with her mission as Minister Delegate for Autonomy and Disability (JSB1611). The government representative met with the families of children at the Institut médico-éducatif d'Anse des Cayes. Then, after a visit to the Direction territoriale de la cohésion sociale, the Minister sat down in the Swedish house built under the Gustavia lighthouse. This was an opportunity to meet all the players from the organizations and associations that support people with disabilities on the island. Starting with Handi-Relais, through its president Manuella Lédée. In a lengthy speech, she gave a comprehensive overview of the issues facing Saint-Barth.

A penalizing name
Of course, Manuelle Lédée recalled the many actions carried out by Handi-Relais throughout the year, which are not limited to the Handi-Color event. Taking a contextual approach, the President lamented the fact that "the use, even today, of the term 'Northern Islands' in certain official documents from the Regional Health Agency regularly penalizes the island of Saint-Barthélemy.le de Saint-Barthélemy, because when a call for projects calls for the creation of a service or structure on the territory of the Iles du Nord, for example, the services are designed and created, as a priority, for the island of Saint-Martin". Even so, Manuella Lédée notes "a positive evolution". However, she is concerned about the distribution of places when a Maison d'accueil spécialisée is created. "We'd like to have a guarantee that the project leader will never consider moving them to a neighboring island if he or she feels that setting them up locally represents constraints he or she hadn't foreseen," she tells the Minister.

"From the moment of diagnosis, everything becomes complicated".
Manuella Lédée underlines the financial commitment made by the Collectivité over many years to certain structures, but also to families. As the president of Handi-Relais points out, families have also always been able to "count on the support of the team from the social cohesion department, which managed the Maison départementale des personnes handicapées". But she also insists that, in Saint-Barth, "disability remains a path strewn with pitfalls" because, "from the diagnosis phase onwards, everything becomes complicated". Travel to Guadeloupe or France to consult specialists, problems with adapted schooling, etc., are all part of the process.
She stresses the lack or absence of support for pupils with disabilities (AESH), without whom "the child's schooling is often doomed to failure". And Manuella Lédée reminds the Minister: "Every child with a disability whose schooling in an ordinary environment is a success is one less child in care in a specialized structure. "
The president of Handi-Relais also refers to the delays in setting up the structures announced since 2022: the IME (although it opened at the end of 2023, albeit in temporary premises), the MAS and the Pôle Handicap at Saint-Jean. She also stresses the difficulties arising from staff turnover. "It's imperative to rethink certain variables in order to attract and retain professionals on our island", she declares, mentioning the "revaluation of salaries" as a solution to be explored.