“I’m angry,” says Michaël Jérémiasz, former wheelchair tennis champion

Many associations deplore the fact that there is no portfolio dedicated to Disability within the new government.

“I am angry because I don’t understand”protests Michaël Jérémiasz, former Paralympic athlete and wheelchair tennis champion, invited Wednesday, September 25 on franceinfo. In Michel Barnier’s government, there is no Minister for Disability. Paul Christophe, from the Horizons party, was appointed Minister for Solidarity, Autonomy and Equality between Women and Men, a title that does not include the word Disability. However, he promised on X that “disability will be at the heart of [s]on commitment”.

The day after the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Michaël Jérémiasz does not “don’t understand” this choice, “because there was a collective desire to take an interest in this subject and to say to ourselves that there was nothing that justified people not being full citizens, and so we were expecting the opposite, that is to say a very strong announcement and a committed roadmap”explains the former champion. “I listened to the speeches of most of the ministers, and the word disability did not come up”he regrets, while “This question concerns 12 million people and almost as many caregivers”. “It’s not at all the focus of our concerns”he sighs.

He recalls that“on average you have to do 50 kilometers per day for a person to go and do a physical activity when they are disabled, that is the reality in France, and yet we have admired all these Paralympic champions”. “What are we doing concretely so that sports associations can equip themselves with equipment adapted to demand, and can be trained to welcome anyone?”he asks. “We’re talking about public health issues, here, we’re not talking about training champions, we’re talking about creating social bonds, because that’s what sport is for.”insists the para-athlete.

“We are the most discriminated minority in our country, according to the Defender of Rights, for more than 7 years, we are just asking for the application of the Declaration of Human Rights of 1848 and to be equal in rights. We are not equal in rights in a country like ours in 2024 and it is intolerable.”

Michaël Jérémiasz, former wheelchair tennis champion

on franceinfo

Michaël Jérémiasz would like to have “a sort of coordinator, a Minister for Disability who ensures that the Prime Minister’s roadmap is applied in each ministry”citing the example of “Minister of National Education” Who, “If he doesn’t have someone behind him, with every decision, the question of Disability will be put below, as with the question of AESH [les accompagnants des élèves en situation de handicap] which are seriously lacking in numbers and qualifications and which prevent our children, and later our high school and university students, from gaining qualifications and therefore employment.”