About me

     

Bonjour. My name is Alexis. I’m a french occupationnal therapist transitionning to being FabManager. I’m joining the FabAcademy because I search new ways to make the world more inclusive for people with disability and I think helping them getting more access to FabLabs is one of them. I’d like to enhance my skills to accompany people in their project and transmit the knowledge they need.

My career

At first, I’ve been working in a rehabilitation center mostly with persons with physical and cognitive disabilities for 8 years.

Aside from pure rehabilitation, most of my work was finding solutions for compensate for situations of disability and promoting empowerment. I prescribed a lot of assistive technologies from wheelchair to automatic can opener. Sometimes I created my own design for specific assistive device. For exemple, I created system to help my patient playing bass guitar after a stroke or for another one I madewith the help of technical services, a specific nurse call bell that can be used with the feet. I also provided advice on modifying domestic spaces to make them more accessible and I partnered with builders for their implementation.

Then, wanting to help people being more autonomous once their back home, I chose to work in a mobile health team. There, I was confront with all kind of disabilities (physical, cognitive, mental, sensorial, developmental). I’m not specialized in any kind but i always tried to help them understanding and expressing their needs and then accompany them in their project. I developped some skills in encouraging motivation through activities, highlighting people’s internal resources and helping them develop them and finding life project.

Now, I d’like to develop an approach of empowerment through FabLab as a tool for developping own assistive technologies, but also skills for social and professional reintegration of people with disabilities.

It exists in France a Community of Rehab LAb, integrated FabLabs in RehabCenter. I also met the HumanLab in Rennes where people with disability have created their own space to create their projects.

My project aligns with these goals, but I would prefer it to be integrated into traditional FabLabs to allow for greater inclusion and interaction between people with and without disabilities.

Background

I came from a small village of Britannia in the Broceliande country, known for its forest and arthurian legends. As a result, I grew up amidst the stories of the Knights of the Round Table, and I often wandered near the lake of the enchantress Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, the Fountain of Youth (doesn’t work anymore), and in Morgan’s Valley of No Return (someone put arrows so we can get out of it).

Here some nice places in the forest: Merlin’s Tomb, Excalibur Rock an the Fairy Mirror.

After my studies, I moved in Paris region for work. I finally settled in Auvers-sur-Oise, a lovely town that owes its international renown to impressionist painters like Charles-François Daubigny, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, and Vincent van Gogh, who came here to find their inspiration. Vincent Van Gogh painted 70 of his paintings here during the last months of his life. He died here and is buried in the communal cemetery.

I lived in this part of the town that Pissaro painted. It has quite changed over time, but it still retains a bit of its picturesque charm.

And the mostly famous Eglise d’Auvers painted by Van Gogh

My Hobbies

I’m interested in all kind of thing often changing activities to fulfill my curiosity. I’m a player of all kind (video games, boardgames, TTRPG). I enjoy fantasy, fantastic and science fiction through games, series, movies or (audio)book.
I’m also a science enthusiast, learning a bit through podcast and vulgarisation video. I also made amateur astronomical observations for few years.
I practiced music (drums, guitar) but not so much now.
I’m also kind of sporty, especially in martial arts despite being not really good at it. I had practiced Judo, Capoeira, Medieval Swordfight, Tae Kwon Do, and I’m debuting in Wing Chun.