Needs of disabled people are often misunderstood. Despite social security benefits provided by the state necessary for them to get by, as well as assistance offered by their families, most of the disabled prefer and, most importantly, are able to work on their own. This is not only dictated by economic reasons, but also by ambition – the opportunity to work serves as a barrier against exclusion. These needs are recognised in the Pomeranian province. Many initiatives are undertaken in the region to support people with physical and intellectual disability.
Coffee in CieKawa
Intellectual disability does not bar those affected by it from learning a trade and becoming the very best in it. This is regularly proven by the Ciekawa social cooperative. One to its most recent initiatives is the cieKawa café, which will soon be opened in Swietojanska Street in Gdansk. Its staff is made up of disabled people supported by the cooperative who are being trained by the best baristas. You will also be able to eat a sweet dessert and delicious dumplings in the café. CieKawa still raises money on the wspieram.to crowdfunding platform for its “beating heart” – a coffee machine.
Cooperative Brewery
With fingers crossed for the future baristas, let us appreciate a similar initiative started by the Browar Spoldzielczy cooperative brewery from Puck, which is owned by the Dalba social cooperative. Craft beer, which becomes more and more popular in Pomerania and Tricity, is made here by intellectually disabled brewers. These people treat work as a form of a therapy which allows them to feel independent. The cooperative brewery was found to be “The Best Social Company of 2017” by PWC, a renowned company, which happens to operate in Tricity.
What Other Employers Are Open for Disabled People?
These two praiseworthy initiatives are not the exception. The needs of disabled people are recognised by the Polish Post which regularly recruits suitable candidates. An interesting idea to counter social exclusion of disabled people is also to involve them in cultural activities. An excellent example of this is the “Przystanek Szekspir” initiative launched by the authorities of the Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre. Thanks to this project, people with Down syndrome are involved in helping the theatre audience. It is worth mentioning that actors who perform before disabled audiences in other initiatives are also a part of this undertaking.
Tricity and Pomerania for Disabled People
Those who suffer from physical disability encounter other barriers, such as inadequate infrastructure. However, this kind of disability does not prevent people from realising their ambitions and pursuing a career in many business, for instance in IT. The Pomeranian Science and Technology Park is a disabled friendly area that is free of infrastructural barriers. Here, people on wheelchairs are successfully able to find a job or develop their own projects. This is also the case in many leading businesses in Tricity.
Also transportation-related barriers disappear under our very eyes. In 2014, SKM (Tricity commuter rail service provider) spent PLN 124 million on modernisation of railway carriages to accommodate for the needs of the disabled. A similar modernisation project has also been undertaken by Przewozy Regionalne rail operator on the links from Tricity. There is no shortage of grass-roots initiatives which support the independence of disabled people. One of the more interesting projects – “Universal Planning – How to Live Together and not Next to One Another” – was undertaken last year by the students of Gdansk University of Technology who prepared designs for adapting flats and houses to the needs of disabled and elderly people. All of this illustrates that Pomerania is a very interesting place to live in, even for those who often meet with exclusion in so many other places.
