Chair in Disability, Employment and Occupational Health

The Chair in Disability, Employment and Occupational Health draws on the expertise developed by UPEC in the area of disabilities–particularly the university's Disability Coordinator training program–to offer an ambitious multidisciplinary, educational and scientific program, whose objective is to design and implement new solutions to promote the social and professional integration of people with disabilities.
 

In a context of low levels of qualification and employment, professional exclusion, and management difficulties, disability in the workplace is a major issue that concerns us all.
While many measures have already been put in place by law, there is still an urgent need to deploy new methods and tools to promote the social and professional integration of people with disabilities. By rethinking training, employment and well-being in the workplace, a multidisciplinary approach can be used to account for people's life goals.

The Chair's Mission: Building A More Inclusive Professional World

Together with its foundation and partners, the university aims to improve access, inclusion, and quality of life at work and, more broadly, to promote welcoming diversity and people with disabilities in the professional world. Led by Karine Gros, Associate Professor at UPEC and member of the CNCPH council on disabilities, the Chair is supported by the university's foundation, created in 2021. The Chair brings together a broad network of public authorities, professionals involved in integration and job retention, healthcare and rehabilitation providers, companies, and associations. It aims to:

• Design and roll out new training programs for people with disabilities and the wider workforce (disability advisors, recruiters, managers, health services, etc.).
• Create tools for monitoring and anticipating situations of professional exclusion using artificial intelligence to promote job retention.
• Conduct innovative research programs to improve occupational health and employment.

Committed Sponsors and Partners

The Chair is directed by the Malakoff Humanis Handicap Foundation, the premium sponsor of the Chair, and supported by OnePoint, Thales, Handiprint, 5Discovery, Agefiph, and the FIPHFP. They have all made a three-year commitment to working alongside UPEC to tackle this major societal challenge by financing this ambitious program.