QUESTIONNAIRE POLAND

EBU Questionnaire Survey on the situation of blind and partially sighted people
across the 27 EU Member States

September 2007

 

Name: Anna Woźniak Szymańska

Organisation: Polish Association of the Blind

Country: Poland

e-mail address: international@pzn.org.pl

Telephone number: +48 22 887 79 41


1/ Benefits


1.1. Does your country have any form of benefits system/ allowance for blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

1.2. If yes, is this allowance sufficient or does it need to be increased ?
Answer Needs to be increased End answer


2/ Transport / Mobility

 
2.1. Does your country provide blind and partially sighted people with any form of assistance for access to public transportation?
Answer No End answer

2.2. If yes, in what form?
 

2.2.1. Facilities allowing a better accessibility of public transport for blind and partially sighted people:
Answer No End answer

2.2.2. Financial aid:
Answer Yes End answer

2.2.3. If yes, is this assistance available :
At reduced cost. 
Free of charge. 
Other (please explain)
Answer Don’t know End answer
 


2.3. Are there any measures facilitating the mobility of blind of partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

 2.3.1 If yes, are they:

Financing of guide dogs. Answer Yes End answer
Tactile paving. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of auditory means of communication. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of auditory signals at crosswalks. Answer Yes End answer
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.
 

2.4. Concerning accessibility / transport in general, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
 Answer We need a system regulation, especially a law system which will regulate and improve the mobility of blind people (e.g. free assistants available at train stations and in big shops and some other public places including office buildings) End answer


3/ Employment


3.1. Are private companies under any obligation to recruit a certain number of disabled people?
Answer YesEnd answer

3.2. Are some jobs reserved in priority for:

3.2.1. Disabled people?
Answer No End answer

3.2.2. Blind or partially sighted people?
Answer No End answer


3.3. Are there any targeted wage subsidies or bonus for employers who recruit blind and partially sighted people?
Bonus.
Targeted wage subsidies. Answer  Yes End answer
Other (Please explain)
Don’t know.


3.4. Does your country have sheltered workshops or any other kind of structure employing only blind and partially sighted people?
Answer  Yes End answer

3.5. Are there any other incentives in your country to facilitate blind and partially sighted people’s employment?
Answer  No  End answer


3.6. What is the situation with regard to the employment of blind and partially sighted women:
Under-employment. Answer  Yes   End answer
Discrimination in recruitment.
Discrimination in wages.
Don’t know.

3.7. Concerning employment in general, what kind of suggestion for improvement do you have?
Answer A better system of education , development of education for all, connected to needs of labour market. End answer



4/ Education


4.1. Does your country have specialized schools for blind of partially sighted children?
Answer  Yes End answer

4.2. Is it possible for blind of partially sighted children to attend mainstream schools?
Answer Yes End answer

4.2.1. If yes, are there any support services for blind and partially sighted children?

Provision of books in Braille. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of Braille writing devices. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of adapted electronic devices.Answer Yes End answer
Support by specially trained teachers. Answer Yes, it depends on the school End answer
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.



4.3. Can blind or partially sighted students at university benefit from some form of financial aid to purchase an adapted computer?
Answer Yes End answer


4.4. With regard to education in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer Obligatory training for teachers in mainstream education, who have blind pupils, wider scope of assistance and better financial support for pupils and teachers. End answer



5. REHABILITATION CENTRES FOR BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE


5.1. Does your country have any rehabilitation centre for blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer 


5.2. Concerning rehabilitation centres, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
Increase the number of centres. 
Improve existing centres. Answer Yes End answer 
Increase the capacity of the centre. Answer Yes End answer 
Improve the training of staff (auxiliary nursing staff, special education teacher …) Answer Yes End answer 
Modernise the methods of rehabilitation to daily life. Answer Yes End answer 
Modernise professional training. Answer Yes End answer 
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.


5.3. Have you noted any progress in these areas?
Answer  Yes (explanation) The rehabilitation centres have started their work quite recently and they have to obtain a licence from the ministry of social affairs. The process of standardisation of services has started. End answer


5.3.1. If no, did you notice a decline in the quality of the rehabilitation measures for blind and partially sighted people?
Answer  No  End answer

 

6/ VOCATIONAL TRAINING


6.1. Does your country have a specialized vocational training centre for employed or unemployed blind and partially sighted people?
Answer No End answer

6.2. Can blind or partially sighted employed or unemployed people attend mainstream vocational training centres?
Answer Yes End answer

6.3. If yes, are there any support services for the blind and partially sighted?
Provision of books in Braille.
Provision of Braille writing devices.
Provision of adapted electronic devices.
Support by specially trained teachers.
Answer Other (explanation) The NGO the Estonian Association of the Blind Masseurs runs 1000 h training courses for the blind. There are also some other special training courses available, but they all are mainly project-based.  End answer  
Don’t know.

6.4. Have these measures been adopted since your country’s accession to the EU or did they exist before?
Answer Old End answer

6.5. With regard to vocational training in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer To develop the support system. To provide flexible training and re-training opportunities.  End answer
 


 

7. ACCESSIBILITY OF ICTs


7.1. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for blind people of all age categories:
At school
At university
At work.
At home.
What kind of support ? (Please explain)



7.2. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for partially sighted people of all age categories ?
At school.
At university.
At work.
At home.
What kind of support ? (Please explain)
 



8/ E-GOVERNMENT

8.1. How do you evaluate the accessibility of public websites (E-government; documents, forum, services, interactive pages, etc.)
Very good.
Good.
Medium.
Bad.
Very bad.
(Please explain):


8.2. Is your government doing anything to make E-government websites accessible to blind and partially sighted people?
 


9/ EU INFLUENCE


9. Do you think that the EU has had a positive influence on the situation of blind and partially sighted people in your country ?

(Please explain):

 


10/ Finally, do you have any expectation with regard to your country’s belonging to the EU?


10. Do you have expectations with regard to:
Employment.                                                         Answer Yes End answer
Education.                                                             Answer Yes End answer
Vocational training.                                              Answer Yes End answer
Rehabilitation centres.                                         Answer Yes End answer                                             
Transport / mobility.                                              Answer Yes End answer                                                  
Accessibility of buildings and traffic lanes.        Answer Yes End answer
Access to information (accessibility of ICTs).   Answer Yes End answer
Financial support.                                                 Answer Yes End answer
Gender equality.
Other (please explain)
 

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