Restoring dignity and confidence

Sciences-Po accessible

Sciences Po (French Political Sciences Institute) and L’Oréal share the belief that diversity is a source of wealth and that higher-education and companies should recruit from a wider pool of candidates to promote equal opportunity and reveal a growing field of potential talent.

The Sciences Po Accessible programme - set up in partnership with ARPEJEH (an association working to help young and disabled students achieve their goals) - aims to give disabled people the resources needed to successfully pursue their studies.

The first priority is to allow students applying to Sciences Po to declare their disability. Sciences Po will then take steps to tailor exam conditions to students’ needs to offset any disadvantages caused by disabilities and allow students to reveal their full potential. A referral department was also set up three years ago to promote this one-on-one relationship throughout the student’s education.

Needs-based support is part of a policy designed to promote student autonomy and involves providing the right facilities, materials adapted to different disabilities and accessible digital resources.

Sciences Po also aims to improve students’ overall career opportunities and entry into the job market by cultivating a close partnership with potential employers. This has led to a campaign to provide information on steps taken by companies to provide facilities for disabled employees. The goal is to avoid self-censorship among students when it comes to making career choices.

The L’Oréal Foundation has set up a fund to help those studying abroad and has helped finance facilities providing disabled access to the Sciences Po entrance hall at 27 rue Saint Guillaume, known as “La Péniche”, including ramps, banking facilities and hearing loops, as well as equipping a study room in the library at 30 rue Saint Guillaume with hardware such as Braille keyboards and printers.

For more information, visit www.sciences-po.fr