Marie-Hélène Mathieu

Marie-Hélène Mathieu (born 4 July 1929) is a French disability rights activist. She is co-founder of the international movement Faith and Light; with Jean Vanier, she has dedicated her life’s work to people with disabilities and to their families and friends.

Through her testimonies, Marie-Hélène Mathieu continues to be involved in the lives of these support structures that she has created, in order to ensure that the person with a disability, irrespective of the severity, finds their unique, rightful place in society.

Biography Mathieu was born in Tournus, Saône-et-Loire.

In the 1950s, Mathieu began studying to become an (special needs teacher) under Father Henri Bissonnier. The association aims to support families, encourage a response to their distress and offer them new hope, particularly through the introduction of a permanent place of welcome and financial support for Christian associations and establishments.

In 1968, alongside the lectures and meetings, Marie-Hélène Mathieu created Ombres et Lumière (Shadows and Light), the OCH magazine aimed at people with disabilities, their families and friends. 1988: First woman to give an Easter address at Notre-Dame de Paris. 2005: (Papal Medal) 2003: Award from the French National Academy of Education and Social Studies 1976: Knight of the National Order of Merit (France)