The Tiralo 2 amphibious wheelchair.
MARIGOT--The Orient Beach restaurant Orange Fever won the Chamber of Commerce CCISM’s first “Disability and Business” (Handicap et Entreprise) competition on Friday for its idea to assist handicapped people access the beach and have an “as close as possible” swimming experience.
The equipment is a type of amphibious wheelchair called “Tiralo 2” for people with reduced mobility who can enter seawater, The idea won Orange Fever co-proprietor Florence Scholen the 1,000-euro first prize.
CCISM launched the competition last year as part of European Week for Employment of People with Disabilities (Semaine Européenne pour l’Emploi des Personnes Handicapées (SEEPH)) November 14-20.
The competition ran until mid-December. The 2022 theme for European Week was “When will we achieve full employment for people with disabilities?”
Organised in partnership with Association for the Management of the Fund for
Professional Integration of Disabled People AGEFIPH, the free competition was open to
companies and project leaders located in St. Martin.
The Chamber signed a partnership agreement with AGEFIPH which has since been renewed for 2023. AGEFIPH accompanies businesses to implement handicap strategies.
Candidates could enter one of two categories: existing businesses with inclusion of a disability aspect and a project for the creation of a company including the disability aspect. Beyond being integrated into the SEEPH, the competition had a double objective: to raise awareness among entrepreneurs about the inclusion of disabled persons in the company and to perpetuate actions around the handicap issue in the territory.
“Unfortunately, we only had two candidates for the business category and no candidates for the project holder category, but it is the first edition and we hope to get a better response next time,” said CCISM Training Officer and Disability Contact Marie Martin.
The second candidate recognised in the competition was Jonathan Offredi, a pastry chef with his own business, SXM Macarons. He plans to train handicapped persons to work in his kitchen and learn cooking and pastry work. Although he did not receive a monetary prize, he did receive support from the Chamber and AGEFIPH to grow his business and facilitate conditions for employing the handicapped.
The prize-giving ceremony was attended by representatives of the Collectivité, Employment Office Pôle Emploi, Mission Local, and Department of Solidarity and Families.
