About Comme les Autres
Becoming disabled due to an injury can turn your life upside down overnight. For most, there isn’t a manual for navigating this change, leaving newly disabled individuals with many questions and few answers. Michaël Jérémiasz experienced this firsthand after a skiing accident at 18 left him paraplegic. His greatest challenge was the realization that he couldn’t rebuild alone. With the support of loved ones, he rebuilt his life and gained newfound self-confidence. In 2011, he co-created Comme les Autres (Like Everyone Else) to offer the same support to others.
Michaël’s story is remarkable. He transformed his life after his accident in a world that was less-than-accessible, recreating routines and learning the “new normal”. He then also went on to win four Paralympic wheelchair tennis medals, and now serves as a mentor for Paralympic athletes.
His goal, however, is not to perpetuate the notion that only extraordinary wheelchair users deserve the spotlight. And while some beneficiaries have gone on to be Paralympic athletes as well, the true mission of Comme les Autres is to help all beneficiaries achieve self-sufficiency and thrive on their own terms, regardless of what their dreams are, just like everyone else. Their unique approach makes all the difference.
Adventure Sports: Facing Fears
Fear can be a significant barrier for new wheelchair users. Comme les Autres utilizes the liberating power of sports in unexpected ways to help beneficiaries overcome self-doubt and regain strength, confidence, and connection with the world.
The organization’s unique approach includes five-day adventure sports trips for 10 disabled and able-bodied participants, offering activities like skiing and off-roading. Since its inception in 2011, Comme les Autres has organized 170 adventure trips, pairing 5 disabled individuals with 5 able-bodied individuals, successfully rebuilding participants’ confidence and transforming their outlook on disability. Paragliding has a way of doing that!
“We often hold ourselves back, thinking we aren’t capable of certain things. But in the end, the only limits are the ones we create,” reflects one participant in a documentary by David Perrier capturing one such trip. Through these trips, Comme les Autres helps beneficiaries step out of their comfort zones, not only gaining confidence in their mobility but also discovering opportunities they previously thought closed off.
Personalized Program: Helping Every Individual Reach Their Goals
Comme les Autres has evolved to offer personalized support programs. “People came on the adventure trips and had an incredible boost, but their situations didn’t change when they went home,” explains Constance Billard, Development Officer. To better support beneficiaries, the organization established a comprehensive early-intervention program.
The pressing question post-accident is, “What’s next?” Comme les Autres addresses this by pairing beneficiaries with dedicated social workers and experienced disabled mentors. Each individual program, lasting at least one year, aims to ultimately foster autonomy through professional reintegration.
The program begins with a diagnostic interview to identify obstacles and create a roadmap for overcoming them. Support covers immediate needs like finding the right wheelchair and making accessibility changes at home, as well as physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
A physical fitness curriculum promotes exercise and strength training, while connection to counseling services provides psychological support. This phase of support is enhanced by adventure sports trips, workshops on mobility and health education, and monthly activities to foster community engagement.
Comme les Autres helps beneficiaries rebuild their present and envision their future. Recovery often leads to career changes, so the organization offers career exploration, resume coaching, and connections with potential employers to assist disabled individuals in rebuilding their professional lives.
Changing Perspectives
Supporting wheelchair users to live their best lives involves more than preparing them for the world; it requires changing perceptions. The third key objective of Comme les Autres is to foster community by shifting the outlook on disabled individuals.
“One of my dreams is to change the outlook of all those who are afraid of us,” states Michaël in Perrier’s documentary. The organization emphasizes that creating real change—whether in relationships, public policy, or employment opportunities—requires dialogue and shared experiences between disabled and able-bodied people.
To achieve this, Comme les Autres organizes year-round events and exchanges for both able-bodied and disabled individuals, promoting inclusive communities. The organization ensures that able-bodied participants make up half of those on its adventure trips, facilitating exchange and conversation. Making the world accessible is a collective responsibility that can only be accomplished together.
Trials and Triumphs: Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and Beyond
Through the experiences of its beneficiaries, Comme les Autres demonstrates that becoming disabled is not the end; it can even be the beginning of a new breakthrough.
Before the accident that left him in a wheelchair, David (pseudonym) feared the ocean. Post-accident, new fears emerged, and he avoided public spaces like restaurants, feeling overly conspicuous and dreading strangers’ looks. However, on an adventure sports trip with Comme les Autres in 2021, he faced old fears when surfing was on the agenda. Inspired by his peers, David took to the water and board, overcoming a lifelong limiting belief. This breakthrough helped him progress in other areas, including moving into his own place and socializing with friends again.
Beneficiaries like David prove that true success lies in independence, and that real victories come from facing fears and embracing the unknown. For others, pursuing their dreams has led them to unprecedented achievements, such as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
At 18, Eléa Charvet lost a leg in an accident and began working with Comme les Autres shortly after. Unsure about her future, the organization gave her hope as she relearned to walk and reimagined her life. On a whim, Eléa attended a Paralympic athlete recruiting event. Three years later, she was selected to represent France in the 2024 Paris Paralympics in paracanoeing! Comme les Autres supported her through the Paralympic qualifying trials, launching a campaign in 2023 to follow her journey.
In recognition of its promotion and support of Eléa and other beneficiaries with Paralympic dreams, Comme les Autres has been awarded the 2024 Paralympic Impact Label, a certification recognizing positive contributions to the Paralympic movement and broader goals of inclusivity and accessibility.
With the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, we are reminded that true strength lies in resilience and determination. Comme les Autres ensures all its beneficiaries receive the right support and opportunities, but their triumphs are ultimately their own. As Constance expresses, “The goal is for our beneficiaries to have the autonomy to choose what they want to do, whether that is to be a Paralympic athlete, or return to their jobs, start a family, and live a fulfilling life. With autonomy, all that is possible.”
Support Comme les Autres
Currently, Comme Les Autres operates across 8 regions in France, reaching 250 beneficiaries each year. In the future, Comme Les Autes seeks to continue growing across France and expand their services. Out of the 2,000 spinal-chord injuries occuring in France each year, Comme les Autres estimates 600 could benefit from their unique program every year, if the organization had the right resources.
While the work they do is currently focused in France, their focus on changing the experience and perception of disabilities is universal. Organizations around the world can learn so much from the pioneering methods and activities Comme les Autres continues to develop, making their work vital on a global scale. But in order to reach their true potential for changing the world of disabilities, Comme les Autres needs more support.
U.S.-based donors can help newly-disabled individuals rebuild their lives by making a tax-deductible donation to Comme les Autres through Friends of Fondation de France. Learn more about Comme les Autres and make your contribution through their page on our website. Your generosity will provide vital resources and support, empowering individuals to regain their independence and pursue their dreams. Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of many, turning adversity into triumph.
