On April 23, 2026, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Fund for the Integration of People with Disabilities in the Public Sector (FIPHFP), the University of Reunion Island received the Public Employment & Disability Trophy in the "Universal Accessibility" categoryThis distinction was awarded during a ceremony held at Domaine des Palmiers in Saint-Paul, bringing together the public employers in Réunion most committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities.

One winning project out of 27 applications

The jury of experts, assembled to evaluate the 27 applications received in Reunion Island, selected the university for its project entitled "For better accessibility of distance learning", led by Pierre Reynaud, digital accessibility expert and academic director of the University Diploma of
Digital Accessibility Referent (DU RAN).

The DU RAN: a pioneering training program, designed to be accessible

At the heart of the award-winning project is the creation in 2023 of University Diploma in Digital Accessibility Consulting (DU RAN)This fully online course, accessible to people with disabilities, was a first in French higher education. Hosted on the Moodle learning platform, it served as a true laboratory for pedagogical experimentation, pushing the boundaries of usability and ergonomics to promote more inclusive teaching.
The first graduating class, in June 2024, included 21 laureates, including 7 trainees with disabilities. The second cohort, with 26 participantsis currently in training.

A tangible impact for 19,000 students

The work carried out within the framework of the DU RAN has resulted in a significant improvement in the accessibility of all the university's Moodle platformsbenefiting its 19,000 students. A multidisciplinary team — composed of instructional designers, accessibility experts and users with disabilities — regularly evaluates all components of the platform, resources and activities.

National and international influence

The university widely disseminated its results to the French-speaking Moodle community through conferences, webinars, and publications. It contributed to a interministerial working group piloted by the Mentor platform (mentor.gouv.fr), leading to the publication of original guides for designing accessible online training courses, distributed under an open license. The team also facilitated 5 talks at MoodleMoot 2024 and 2025, bringing together more than 500 participants per year.

Qualified for the national final

The winners of the Réunion stage are automatically qualified for the national final of the "Trophies of Trophies"scheduled for July 2, 2026 in Paris.
The University of Reunion will represent the commitment of higher education to real, sustainable and transferable digital accessibility.