Joseph Schovanec

Born in Paris in 1981, Joseph Schovanec is the son of political refugees from the former Czechoslovakia. When he was a child, there was not yet any school support tailored to autistic children. His schooling was irregular and marked by bullying. His family introduced him to books in several languages. According to his account, he learned to read and write before he could speak; for a long time, he found writing easier than speaking. Reading Jules Verne in several languages helped him understand language.

In high school, Joseph became a very good student. A principal who saw him arriving very early offered to let him stay if he aimed for the highest honors in the baccalaureate. Some teachers accepted his different way of functioning and made room for him in the classroom. At 17, his sister enrolled him at Sciences Po Paris. There he encountered social codes and an environment far removed from his own, where many people seemed already to have a network and a plan. This experience showed him that succeeding at school is not always enough to enter working life.

After Sciences Po, Joseph describes a period of psychiatric care and medication, which he characterizes as burdensome and ill-suited. He was mainly seeking help with putting together a résumé or understanding certain social codes. He then turned to philosophy and completed a dissertation on Heidegger and Jewishness in 2009. He learned several languages; Hebrew helped him meet other people. He studied in Israel, then lived in Tehran, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in philosophy during Ahmadinejad’s presidency. For him, learning also makes it possible to find one’s place among others.

Joseph became increasingly involved in autism, at a time when French-speaking autistic adults were still little visible. Encounters led to job opportunities: he wrote speeches for Amou Bouakaz, a deputy mayor of Paris, and then for other political figures. He says he wrote a text signed by Stéphane Hessel, without giving its title or providing a verifiable reference. According to his account, he may also have worked with Ségolène Neuville, then Secretary of State responsible for people with disabilities, and for Europa for about eight years. These experiences showed him the limits of institutions and the importance of connecting ideas across countries.

Joseph has lived in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, for more than seven years. Part-time, he works at the University of Louvain with around 70 students with disabilities, about ten of whom he works with more regularly. Some use eye tracking to communicate. He is interested in the way they think, their passions and their love of learning. He also takes part in “Voyage en Autistan,” a series broadcast on Canal+. His advice to young people: an activity you enjoy can become a profession, and changing contexts can help you find your place.