the book that frees speech

Ondine is 11 years old. She is passionate about swimming and loves the moments shared with her best friend, Laura. With her other classmates, she feels different because she wears a hearing aid which causes her to be teased. She then took refuge in intensive training with her uncle Mathieu who was also her trainer. Being underwater brings the lightness and colors that the little girl lost on dry land. Until this day of victory when Ondine, now 13 years old, physically collapses and opens her voice to revelations that change the course of her life. The book A bubble in the ocean, in bookstores since January 9, 2025, intends to break the taboos of sexual violence against children with disabilities. Six questions to its author, Coralie Diere.

Handicap.fr: Why did you decide to write on this theme?
Coralie Animals : I have been a psychologist specializing in child protection for 17 years. I work in particular in homes, also called “children’s homes”. I see a lot of young patients and notice that childhood, disability and sexual violence are often part of the same picture. There are indeed many more children with disabilities who disclose sexual violence. The figures show it: the latter are five times more likely to be victims. Their dependence, isolation and communication difficulties contribute to further weakening them.

H.fr: What are your missions?
CD : In a children’s home, I do not practice therapy but I see young people at their request. They come as many times as they want and if they reveal facts to me, I have the obligation to make a report, then to accompany them in the process, from the gendarmerie to the trial. They are placed because of deficiencies or family violence. Often, the aggressor comes from the immediate circle, the child comes into contact with him or met him (before his placement) in his daily life. It could be a family friend, a relative, a mother… It’s very taboo but it happens more often than you think.

H.fr: How was born A bubble in the ocean ?
CD : With my fellow educators, we realized that there were not many tools for preventing sexual violence and even fewer dedicated to the issue of disability. It was difficult to find the right words to speak to these young people. Writing therefore appeared to be a necessity.

The inspiration for the title A bubble in the ocean goes back a long way, it comes from a collection of poems written when I was a little girl. I didn’t want to forget the child I was, who wondered about the world.

H.fr: Why did you choose to illustrate the text?
CD : After writing the texts, we had to find someone who could illustrate them in order to soften the point. It was useful, for example, to image the aggressor and the attack. I also wanted to highlight the alteration of colors in cases of depression or psychological disorders. This book and its colors reflect Ondine’s psychological states, without being a dark and pessimistic description of her life. Furthermore, drawing is part of the objective of being accessible to young people.

H.fr: Who is Ondine? Is it inspired by a young person you supported?
CD : Ondine is the voice of all the children I have heard but who are not always heard by the Justice system. Often, there was no trial but dismissals. And then Ondine was shaped by my personal experiences. It must send the message that we must be attentive to children with disabilities, who are more vulnerable to sexual assault. In general, we must be so when it comes to all children who are different and who must be integrated into society.

Especially since within children’s homes, many young people have MDPH files (Departmental House for Disabled People), this is a very represented population. With my “psych” course and other readings, I am confronted daily with the question of disability and trauma.

H.fr: Who is this book intended for?
CD : My goal? To make this book accessible to a wide audience of young people and adults, that is why it has been transcribed into Braille and an audio version. It is also a tool book with a self-test, essential prevention messages, and a support book for parents and professionals. Copies were distributed in CDIs and posters in medical practices and schools.

So far, it has been positively received by professional privileged partners. They told me that it was “an essential tool”. Staff from children’s homes and general practitioners, for their part, affirmed that there was no existing tool. I hope this book isn’t just a bubble in the ocean… It needs to spread everywhere.

© Book cover