Although she has Down syndrome

Eleanor Lalo is the first person with a disability in France to hold a public office

• Eleanor Lallo was not deterred by her disability from doing her job to the fullest.

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• The city of Arras, where Lalo works.

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Eleanor Lalo, with Down syndrome, is the first, and so far only, person to be elected to public office in France.

Last year, she was assigned the responsibility of inclusion and happiness in the city of Arras, injecting new energy into the decisions made by this city.

Along with Mayor Frédéric Letwerk, this city has benefited from Lalo's live experience and innovative ideas for inclusion, and her ability to shape most of the city's initiatives, from education to transportation to tourism.

"I am a very committed and dynamic person," she says of herself. "I love to work with people abroad."

This woman has become a household name in Arras and regularly receives compliments from locals for her dedication to her work.

“I want to fulfill the responsibilities that the local authorities have placed in my hands, to be happy, to make others happy, and to love what I do,” she says.

Her commitment to what she was mandated to do appears to be paying off, as Lalo has officially been awarded the prestigious National Order of Merit, France's second highest national honor after the Legion of Honor.

As she looks forward to her second phase of six years in office, Lalo is not only helping the city rethink what inclusion means, but also helping change minds about what it means to live with a disability, as well as what people with cognitive disabilities can achieve.

Her job as a city council member is just one of her many activities, working 15 hours a week at the local hospital in the billing department, overseeing a busy volunteer schedule, and serving as a spokeswoman for the Les Amis Eleanor Association, a group that works with parents of children with 'Syndrome'. Dawn is a board member of Down Up, a non-profit organization launched by her father to gain more recognition from the community for people with intellectual disabilities.

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Seven years ago, she co-wrote her autobiography, "Down Syndrome, So What?" and it was featured in a documentary about living with Down syndrome, but it was her work as a city councilor that sparked her passion.

Inspired by a recent trip to London, he presented three projects currently underway: traffic lights that change colors and give verbal instructions for pedestrians to walk or wait for people with visual or hearing impairments, street signs that are easily visible to children or people in wheelchairs, And the "Musawa" project, which is supposed to be launched next summer, to unite people with disabilities through sports and cultural activities.

Lalo is also helping the city launch the area's first "alert", a concept derived from Amsterdam that triggers fun reminders to urge locals to better clean their city, such as placing a picture of a basketball hoop on top of a trash can to invite people to properly dispose of trash.

She also set her sights on creating the first dog park in Arras.

“After that trip, I was really inspired,” Lalo says. “For me, people with disabilities, understanding or non-understanding, are full members of society, and they have a right to what everyone else should.”

The mere presence of Lalo in this position has turned Arras into a model for the possibility of inclusion of people with disabilities in society, and that could have an impact on cities across France, says sociologist at the University of Paris Dauphine and a specialist in politics and disability rights, Pierre-Yves Baudeau.

“We need more people with disabilities in political positions who can speak for themselves and say, 'These are our obstacles to mobility,'" says Dr. Bodo. "This is what we need to make change."

• Seven years ago, Lalo participated in writing her autobiography titled “Down Syndrome, So What?”, and it was shown in a documentary about living with Down Syndrome, but her work as a member of the city council ignited her passion.

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