Le Cottage is a medically-supervised care facility, which accommodate adults with disabilities, presenting autism spectrum disorders or pervasive developmental disorders. At 10 am, we join Aubin, a sports educator, who leads a joyful group of people with disabilities on a 5-kilometer walk starting from the facility.
“Usually, on Tuesday mornings, we practice circus arts with this group, but the partner canceled,” says Aubin. “In those moments, I replace it with another activity, but always outside the facility. Not only do they need it to feel good, but it’s also essential for their development!” Sports activity, more than just keeping fit, is a fantastic opportunity for socialization. This is Aubin’s conviction. “When we go out, whether to the pool or for a walk, they learn to respect a framework, rules, and a way of behaving.” It’s not always easy, but the regularity of activities brings results. Romain, one of the residents, loves to walk ahead, for example. “At first, it was difficult to hold him back. Today, he naturally waits at every intersection, even turns around to find the group.”
Aubin, Sports Educator at the Life Home and Medicalized Reception Center Le Cottage.
“Being outside allows beneficiaries to open up. Families see the changes directly!” says Aubin.
“Our goal is for each person to participate in 2 sports activities each week,” explains Aubin. For this, he relies on the diversity of activities offered, the first strength of the sports dimension at Le Cottage. The people supported can thus follow activities they like, without forcing themselves. Each has an adapted path. Johann, for example, proudly tells us he does archery, badminton, and goes swimming. Geoffrey does athletics on Thursday evenings in a club.
And this is the second strength of the sports project at Le Cottage: organising activities with traditional clubs whenever possible, in a logic of diversity and adapted sports. This is the case for the afternoon activity. At 1:30 pm, Aubin and 3 other accompanied people, Julien, Lucie, and Arland, join a hiking club for a “health hike” as they do every week.
A dozen people eagerly await the small group from Le Cottage. And it’s reciprocal! Upon getting out of the car, Lucie approaches the hikers and greets them in her way, gently touching their arms, one after the other. Despite Julien, Lucie, and Arland’s communication and social interaction difficulties, these haven’t prevented complicity from forming within the group. “They are nice, they recognize us, they communicate with us…” reveals François, one of the hikers. “I had never been in contact with people with disabilities before they joined the club… And I think everyone is happy; it brings something to all of us: it’s pleasant, and we feel useful to them too.”
This observation will be verified directly at the end of the day. After leaving the hiking group, we return to Le Cottage around 4 pm. For the last activity of the day, we leave the center to go to the imposing La Défense district. The goal: the Vertigo race, a vertical race organized by PLAY International, an association also part of Groupe SOS. Geoffrey, Jordy, Tristan, and Emmanuel will take turns climbing the 42 floors of the CB21 Tower, accompanied by Aubin and Océane, a monitoring educator from Le Cottage who joined us especially for the occasion.
Amid the crowd of runners, the atmosphere is electric and warm. Our 4 athletes are fully immersed in it, dancing and clapping to the rhythm of the music. Some participants, speakers, and volunteers around them visibly noticed the disability, but far from being bothered, they smile at the intensity with which this moment is lived by Le Cottage team. Not impressed by the event’s scale, Emmanuel continues to dance until it’s time to start the race.
“One day, during a race, Tristan put his bib on backward. So that he wouldn’t be seen as apart, other club members decided to put their bibs on backward too. I was very touched by this solidarity!” says François, father of Tristan, who is supported at the Cottage.
The final time of their race hardly matters in the end. The experience of the moment, living in society, their presence at a public event is much more precious. Not because this experience is unique, but because it calls for others. Our four runners of the day will not stop their race towards inclusion here. The not-so-secret goal: to take them to the Marathon For All (Marathon pour Tous) of the 2024 Olympic Games. Physically, will they be ready? No one knows yet, not even Aubin. Socially and psychologically, however, they already are. And that is surely the most remarkable sports achievement.
20 November 2024
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