Disability. Emmanuel Macron announces a new strategy for autism and neurodevelopmental disorders

A few months before the end of his mandate, Emmanuel Macron presented, this Friday, several measures intended to continue the policies undertaken in favor of people with disabilities. The Head of State announced the launch “at the end of the year” of a new national strategy for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), including autism, aimed in particular at “better support” for the people concerned, particularly those in “complex” situations.

“At the end of this year, we will launch work on a new national strategy for autism and neurodevelopmental disorders for the period 2027-2032, with three priorities,” indicated the President of the Republic in a speech delivered during the National Disability Conference (CNH), a major meeting which takes place every three years to set the course for disability policies.

The strategy will make it possible to “better identify and support the people concerned from a very young age”. It will also be about “strengthening responses for adolescents and adults” and “providing more solutions to complex situations”, according to the Head of State. The strategy will be developed with the people concerned, their families, associations, professionals and researchers, according to Emmanuel Macron. It will take over from the previous strategy planned for 2023 to 2027. The president promised to work “until the last quarter of an hour” of his mandate on the subject of disability.

Facilitate access to culture

During the national conference, he announced a roadmap including 65 measures aimed at making daily life easier for people with disabilities. “Too many people still face obstacles that limit their autonomy,” he stressed. Among these measures: strengthening the accessibility of online public procedures, train stations or even continuing to support learning and access to employment for people with disabilities.

Culture is also among the sectors targeted by the new measures announced during the CNH. Emmanuel Macron particularly wants to improve access to reading for people with disabilities. “Reading for all must become the norm and no longer the exception,” he said. A national portal for accessible and adapted publishing must therefore be finalized and deployed from 2028. The president also announced that he wanted to “increase the number of cinema screenings accessible to all people with disabilities”.