Enabling the masses

According to the State Fund for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRON), only about 20 percent of Poland's disabled people of working age are employed, a significantly lower figure than the EU average of 47 percent. Despite this, their participation in the labor market is decreasing.

The government has instituted various tax reliefs and other financial incentives aimed at encouraging businesses to employ disabled people. However, it seems that these measures have not had the desired result.

"Employers prefer to pay more taxes and not hire the disabled," says Ludwik Mizera from PFRON. "It is the fear of extra medical assistance for the disabled or unexpected sick leave that deters employers," adds Artur Pozorek from the office of the Mazovian voivodship.

There is also the problem of unstable legal regulations, as the law that deals with disabled employment has changed 47 times since 1997, and is set to change again soon. "We are preparing a new bill but are waiting for the EU directives," explains Mirosław Mielniczuk from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

"The fears and prejudices of employers are unfounded," claims Wanda Maciejewska from the Polish Organization of Disabled People's Employers (POPON). "These people are often really good workers. Besides," she adds, "the profits of activating this group are not only social but economic."

"We see a chance in modern technologies," declares Kazimierz Lemańczyk, president of New Work for the Blind (Nowa Praca Niewidomych). "There are more and more disabled people with a university degree," he said.

To promote the employment of disabled people, POPON is organizing the second "Lodołamacze" (Icebreakers) contest. The first contest attracted 220 employers.