Handir – Disability, Access to Nature, and Remediation

The project aims to explore inequalities in access to nature through the relatively understudied lens of the challenges faced by people with disabilities in reaching forests, waterfronts, or mountains. By seeking to define and characterize these spaces based on their accessibility, the Handir project aims to establish an accessibility framework and compile an inventory of existing initiatives.

From a theoretical perspective, the concept of “remediation” is used as a framework for analyzing major policy directions, land-use decisions, and individual adaptation strategies.

The project is led by geographer Camille Girault, whose work focuses on environmental values and inequalities, as well as relationships with nature and the mountains. It is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministerial Delegation for Accessibility (DMA), where Marie Lemière is pursuing a dissertation on public policies and geographic data related to access to nature for people with disabilities.

The study sites include both protected mountain areas (Vanoise National Park, nature reserves) and ordinary natural areas, some of which are integrated into urban areas. The Handir project also aims to foster interdisciplinary scientific collaboration on this topic.