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The Right to an Education
By Nicolas Joncour
Translated into English from French by:
Laurence Le Blet, Nicholas’ mother
A
decent life in France is practically imposlove that I do not feel alone. I think I have the
sible for an autistic student, especially
right to denounce my condition and my social
if you are nonverbal like me. In spediscrimination as long as I would suffer of it.
cial schools there is no real education, and the
The right to a dignified life is my fight, and I
psychiatric hospital remains the norm. As my
recently joined the ENIL Youth Network to cremother encounters more and more difficulties
ate change. Nonverbal autistic people demand
to enroll me in a normal school, the only solurecognition of their right to a real education.
tion to an equal opportunity
is maybe to leave France.
“A decent life in France My life would be rather
I want to go to university
is practically impossible simple if people would conto study the Holocaust as
sider me as a person rather
for
an
autistic
student,
people with disabilities are
than a thing to eradicate. I
especially
if
you
are
still destined to horrific fates.
want my intelligence to be
recognized without having
nonverbal like me.”
My hope is to study history
to meet the low expectations
and the Holocaust, a subject that has intrigued
of people who doubt me. The peculiarity of my
me for almost six years. Specifically, Operation
disability is that I understand very well what
T4, which is the eradication of the people with
kind of people I have to deal with. The inability
disabilities by the Nazis. Perhaps the Holocaust
to defend myself makes me vulnerable to all atinterests me because I feel the discrimination in
tacks. Not being able to express oneself orally is
relation to my disability. The eyes of others are
a very hard way to live.
like deportation camps without return for me.
People do not consider my written prose withWithout my mother I would likely be in a psyout doubt. Not even my relatives who do not
chiatric hospital. The right to education defiunderstand autism. To be recognized, mentalinitely remains the domain of utopia. The more I
ties must change, and the way we move, having
grow, the more I realize I do not have my place
no eye contact and no speech, shouldn’t exclude
in society. I have to fight to deserve to dream.
us from living a fulfilled life. For this to happen,
My disability, autism and dyspraxia, makes me
we need the right to education, an education
look like a mentally-challenged person. People
which mustn’t be negotiable and should be actalk to me as if I am a small child, and they
cessible to all.
watch my gestures as if I am a monster.
The reality is that all their looks are like the slam
of a cattle wagon door. My connections towards
the victims of Operation T4 are very strong,
and my reality joins their fatal destiny. I have
faith that helps me, and God gives me so much
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ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
“My life would be
rather simple
if people would
consider me as
a person rather
than a thing
to eradicate.”
Nicolas Joncour is a 16-year-old nonverbal autistic student who types. He lives in France and is
homeschooled and in mainstream school for a few
hours per week.
Follow him on Facebook and visit his blog.
ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
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