It was Tuesday morning, live from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR), that the creation of the Félix-Antoine Prize was formalized, in honor of Félix-Antoine Aubert-Morasse.
The brand new award will aim to recognize and promote initiatives promoting an inclusive environment for people living with intellectual disabilities or neurodiversity.
“Félix-Antoine’s role was major here and he was the first to participate in my regular classes, and then opened the door to others,” said Paul Gaudet, educational advisor in educational technologies and responsible for courses in the Department of Education Sciences. I still remember when he came to see me and stressed that he too wanted to take part in regular classes, like the other students. It is an honor that belongs to him today and which was made possible, in particular thanks to Françoise Morasse, who being Félix-Antoine’s mother also wanted to promote inclusion, and to the Foundation (of UQTR) who came on board with us. »
“The Félix-Antoine Prize will not reward academic results because that was not the primary intention and there are many other distinctions to judge results. The jury will instead base itself on the involvement of the people in place, whether students or members of staff. They are all eligible! (…) Félix-Antoine’s contribution is global today. I had people from France, Switzerland and Belgium who came to attend my classes to see how we could achieve this integration which is impossible in their eyes, at home. This fall, someone from Germany came to analyze our way of doing things. »
Marc Ayotte, now retired, collaborated for a long time with Mr. Gaudet and worked for 25 years on the UQTR work floor, just like Félix-Antoine. For her part, Véronique Busby accompanied him as a speaker for many years.
“In 2005, I made my debut at CRDI and Paul included Félix-Antoine in his class, which would pave the way for integrating the visibility of other participants within the university community,” she testified. . The environment in which they operate is so welcoming, inclusive and enriching for their social role and development. »
“Being able to participate and having witnessed your development is a great source of motivation for me, both on a personal and professional level. Thank you to the Foundation for awarding the Félix-Antoine distinction scholarship which will aim to reward rewarding inclusion projects and the integration of people with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder. »
The first round of nominations is open and will close on January 15. To submit a nomination, or make a donation for the prize, visit www.uqtr.ca/prix-felix-antoine. The first winner will be revealed on February 10 during the UQTR Foundation Scholarship Awards Gala.
