OREANDA-NEWS. July 10, 2015. To accelerate mobilisation of countries, in 2008, L’Oreal set up the "Disability Initiatives” awards in a bid to reward operational entities for their concrete actions to assist the disabled. Given out every two years in the presence of Senior Management, these awards serve to highlight and share the actions undertaken by the different L'Oreal entities in France and Europe as a whole. In 2012, this competition was opened up to all group subsidiaries worldwide.

In 2008, the Professional Products Division of L’Oreal (which distributes the L’Oreal Professionnel, K?rastase, Redken, Matrix and Pureology brands in hair salons) created a partnership with the INJS (national institute for young deaf people), aimed at fostering training and integration into the workplace of students with disabilities. Students at the INJS working towards a CAP vocational training certificate or a BEP vocational diploma in hairdressing were able to follow courses developed by the Division's personnel. The curriculum covered Expert Hair care and included a Texture and Colour Workshop. A set of tools was also created to facilitate communication in salons between hearing-impaired students and customers. Each student on a hairdressing course is accompanied by a tutor working at the Division.

The group also encourages local and regional initiatives by its subsidiaries and brands. In this respect, 2011 was another year jam-packed with initiatives. Here are some of the main examples.

Officially opened in March 2012, the new Hair Research Centre based in Saint-Ouen, close to Paris, factored in statutory accessibility standards from the design stage. A more in-depth review was also launched to come up with additional features for employees with disabilities such as Braille plates under office numbers and colour coding on site maps, etc. This review also covered digital accessibility, particularly the adaptation of computer workstations to a range of disabilities.