Côte-d'Or. They organize inclusive holidays: "It's a constant hunt to find suitable sites."
During a stay organized by the Vacances en fêtes association, vacationers with disabilities spent an afternoon at the therapeutic farm in Pouilly-en-Auxois. These stays are essential but difficult to organize, according to the association's president, Dominique Bouillot.
Fifteen years ago, Dominique Bouillot founded the Vacances en fêtes association. He still chairs the organization today. He began this endeavor after spending most of his career in a completely different field.
"After working in music for 20 years, I rediscovered the disability sector, working as an employee in a home in Semur-en-Auxois. Knowing that originally, I had training as a special needs educator," confides this very active septuagenarian, who also manages a boat rental company in Saint-Jean-de-Losne .
"I realized that when looking for a structure to support people with disabilities during the holidays, it was a bit of a jungle. There were small associations that did the job quite well. And large ones that practiced mass tourism. When you take care of 500 or 1,000 vacationers, it's inevitably a factory. You have to take into account the specificities of the target audience, and that didn't seem to me to meet the needs. So in 2010, I decided to create Vacances en fêtes. And as a musician, I wanted to organize artistic stays. And over time, we diversified, particularly into the themes of animals and nature."
Dominique Bouillot, a Nivernais who has lived in Côte-d'Or for a long time, founded the Vacances en fêtes association in 2010. Photo Sylvaine Guerault
The vacationers targeted by the association, most of whom live in shelters or even at their parents' homes, also require careful choice of where to stay. "It starts with planning the trip. Many organizations offer vacations by the sea or in the mountains. But from Côte-d'Or, it's necessarily far away, outside the Jura. We limit ourselves to Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Because people with severe disabilities have a hard time coping with long journeys, lasting eight to ten hours," continues Dominique Bouillot.
"Then, we have to find places adapted to people with impaired mobility. Bunk beds are banned, everything has to be on the ground floor, or the building has to be equipped with an elevator... The offers are necessarily limited and it's a constant hunt. Especially since the fire that killed eleven people in a gîte in Alsace two years ago, the standards have become much stricter for gîtes that want to accommodate disabled people. And they risk getting even tougher after the one that cost the lives of five people last week in Charente . This is a good thing, but the problem is that many owners refuse to invest in complying with the standards, because it represents a significant investment. This further limits the offer."
Another challenge is anticipating vacationers' health issues. "Before a stay, we systematically contact private nurses near the vacation site. Over the years, we've built a network, and it's easier," explains the president of Vacances en fêtes. He also points out the increasing difficulty each year in recruiting competent activity leaders to support this vulnerable group.
Pouilly-en-Auxois - At the Isis farm, the barriers fall
During a stay organized by the Vacances en fêtes association, vacationers with disabilities spent an afternoon at the therapeutic farm in Pouilly-en-Auxois. A friendly atmosphere, gatherings, and animal encounters were on the agenda."My favorite activity is painting," says Brigitte. "And for me, it's pottery; I make bowls and cups," adds Jean-Louis enthusiastically. At the Isis farm in Pouilly-en-Auxois, these vacationers are visiting a therapeutic facility. "We organize adapted stays for dependent adults, we make sure they have a great vacation," explains Jennifer Desserteau, the vacation manager at Vacances en fêtes.
Over the course of a summer, the association welcomes 150 vacationers, "more than half of whom are regulars, they come back regularly." The association offers stays ranging from four nights to two weeks, consisting of eight to 13 vacationers supervised by at least four activity leaders. "We do themed stays, around the arts or animal mediation. We had a music stay, a relaxation and well-being stay. Currently, we are on a watercolor stay. Every morning, vacationers have an activity on site and in the afternoon, it's the turn of visits and outings," adds the manager, teased at the same time by David, one of the vacationers, who throws her straw from the hay bales.
A summer camp atmosphere"They all have mental disabilities—schizophrenia, autism, Down syndrome—or motor disabilities. For example, Brigitte is hemiplegic." A good atmosphere reigns between vacationers and companions during this afternoon, an atmosphere desired and defended by Jennifer Desserteau and her teams. "It's a very family-oriented association . For example, with Brigitte and Jean-Louis, we are so happy to see each other again: I met them at least four years ago during my first stays. We create a bond with them." A summer camp atmosphere hangs over the farm, between jokes and bursts of laughter, with participants like Didier, nicknamed "the big joker." "If next week we go canoeing, we can put Christophe [the activity leader] in the water," suggests Isabelle to amuse the group.
“I loved seeing the donkey, it was a perfect outing.”On Wednesday, August 6, Cathy, owner of the Isis farm , introduced the small animals to the holidaymakers sitting on bales of hay. Captivated, they were amazed, and some asked to pet them. A chinchilla showed its snout: "It's a rat," joked Jean-Marc, provoking laughter. Some were afraid, some kept quiet and admired, and others were just waiting for one thing: to carry them in their hands. Next mission: pick wild carrots, enter the parakeets' cage, and feed them. "Look, look!" shouted Jean-Louis and his gang, surprised by the birds landing on their shoulders. The visit ended in front of the large animals, the horses, and the donkey. A snack rounded off the afternoon, and led to further discussions: "I loved seeing the donkey; it was a perfect outing," concluded Jean-Marc.
Angelo Di Fuzio
Le Bien Public
