A LAND WITHOUT BARRIERS 

A model solution for the disabled 

A summary of the project prepared
as a part of the Regional Operational Programme
of Łódź Voivodeship for years 2007-2013

   The authorities of Poddębice and Zadzim districts have undertaken to implement this programme, being aware of the importance of the phenomenon of disability and numerous technical and environmental barriers that limit the access to public institutions (schools, offices or cultural institutions). These obstacles restrict or even make impossible a rise in the number of the disabled active on the labour market and, in turn, severely limit their social and family life, depriving them of their civil rights.

   The existing conditions and the necessity of solving the problems of the disabled have induced the local government to apply a comprehensive approach to the phenomenon of disability by the means of implementing the programme “A Land without Barriers,” which involves the following areas:
1. Space without barriers
2. Sport, recreation, and leisure without barriers
3. Culture without barriers
4. Education, training, and employment without barriers
5. Medical care and rehabilitation without barriers


1.    Space without barriers

   The priority in this area is to eliminate architectural, urban planning, transport, and technical barriers that limit or impede access to many basic areas of life. The most challenging issue for the authors of the programme is to adjust technical standards of such privately owned facilities as shops, restaurants,  or service centres to the elementary needs of the disabled.

   The access to public space will be provided by placing in the area information legible for the possibly largest group of users. Proper marking of streets, different spots, and buildings, installing lighting and traffic lights, illuminating monuments, and highlighting recreational urban areas will constitute the basic components enabling proper sense of direction as well as efficient transport.
   The means of mass transport, coordination and integration of its various forms, and availability of infrastructure such as bus stops and information systems for passengers are of key importance for access to urban spaces.
   The local bus station will be improved to meet the needs of the disabled and it will take over the role of the primary transportation facility.
   The local government is going to cooperate with private firms in setting up minibuses playing the role of taxis for the disabled and offering them specially designed safety belts, air conditioning, and cameras allowing to monitor the rear of the vehicles.
   The market square—the shopping arcade will become an accessible  place of everyday shopping for the disabled and it will offer a them large number of new jobs.  

2.    Sport, recreation, and leisure without barriers

   Sport, recreation, competition, and tourism are the basic areas of activeness which should be offered to the disabled in order to allow them to overcome their own limitations.
   The project “A Land without Barriers” will provide an array of specialized facilities by transforming the existing infrastructure in both districts. The diversity of the project is its major advantage. It also offers the possibility of continuation of treatment provided by the local health care centres.

The Garden of Senses

   The Garden of Senses will be created in the Park and Palace Complex in Poddębice. It will be used to stimulate all human senses and illustrate how multidimensionally all five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) can coexist with the sense of balance and direction. It will be a perfect place for play, relaxation, reflection, meditation, contemplation, and conversation. Recreation and art will be used as a form of treatment aimed at stimulating lost abilities and functions of the disabled. The park will be divided into the following sectors: 1 – smell; 2 – taste; 3 - hearing; 4 - touch; 5 - sight; 6 - balance; 7 - sense of direction.

Water Paradise—a sports and recreation centre

   This innovative project combining functions of recreation, leisure, play, and rehabilitation will be created on the basis of the existing complex of outdoor swimming pools and other attractive infrastructure. The pools will be built in different sizes and depths. They will also be equipped with different safety devices and other facilities easing the use of the complex. Slides, water effects, possibilities of diving and an exceptional design of the surroundings will make that place unique but fully accessible for the disabled.

Recreation by Water– Byczyna near Poddębice

   The complex of ponds situated near the town in the vicinity of a forest will be a place of leisure, water sports, and fishing. All possible facilities for the disabled are anticipated to be built in Byczyna, including catering establishments.

Championship sports:

Beach sports—Grammar School—An indoor building        

   A safe place of recreation designed for the disabled. Spectacular competition will be possible because the object was built in size prescribed by the rules of popular team games. The project will be developed with the use of the existing infrastructure of the Grammar School in Poddębice.

Leszkomin – Poddębice route

   The road system between Leszkomin and Poddębice is an example of innovative engineering. It is technically and organizationally adapted to the needs of the disabled. The roads are run by Zadzim and Poddębice districts, which use them to organize sports and recreational events for the disabled. The social and cultural institutions situated along the route will be adapted for use by the disabled. Farm tourism will also be developed in the area.

3.    Culture without barriers

   The aspiration to include the disabled in the cultural and artistic life will be fulfilled in the Centre of Creative Work Poddębice-Zadzim. The centre will be created on the basis of three existing institutions:  the Community Centre in Poddębice, the building of the Evangelical-Augsburg church in Poddębice, and the disused Park and Palace Complex in Zadzim.
   In the interiors of the former palace in Zadzim (now serving the purpose of a community centre) the disabled will be realizing their artistic passions or, in the case of beginners, they will be perfecting their skills. Different activity clubs and workshops will be organized according to the demand.
   Amateur art will be developed along with renowned art. The specificity of workshops that last more than one day requires making properly converted accommodation places available to workshop participants. The former palace in Zadzim, surrounded by a park of dozen or so hectares, will be converted into such accommodation places. Several rooms will also be used as the accommodation base serving guests and participants during other events connected with the “Land without Barriers” project.

   The building of the Evangelical-Augsburg church situated in the park surrounding the palace in Poddębice will be converted into a theatre and a screening room without losing its original religious purpose. The conversion will allow people with impaired mobility to go in and out of the building easily. People with impaired sight and hearing will have the quality and amount of impressions they receive maximized.

4.    Education, training, and employment without barriers

   The long-term aim of professional rehabilitation is, on the one hand, to prepare the disabled to submit their offers to the labour market and, on the other hand, to stimulate potential employers to create new jobs for them, which would be in accordance with their physical and mental possibilities and possessed qualifications.
   Activities aiming at creating and integrating educational system at all levels (including primary, grammar, and secondary schools) will constitute the basis for achieving that goal. The system will be fully synchronized with vocational education, particularly with the Integrated Vocational School.
   The Hotbed of Enterprise will favour setting up companies run by the disabled. Integrated schools must recognise and respond to diversified needs of their students by applying different styles and tempi of learning and guaranteeing everybody proper education thanks to properly chosen curricula and correctly organized didactic-educational processes.

   The essence of the programme in the previously described area will be the assurance of the continuation of education by setting up an integrated kindergarten, primary school, grammar school, and finally secondary and vocational schools and ways of continuing education for the disabled. Such an integrated educational system would ease the adaptation offers issued by schools at higher educational levels for the needs of the disabled. The Centre of Creative Work will be a supplement to the system, discovering talents and raising qualifications among people making use of its services.
   The realization of the Project will help to create a coherent system of introducing the disabled to the labour market. It will also help them to get new qualifications and skills or to improve the existing ones as well as to discover new talents.

5.    Treatment and rehabilitation

   The aim of rehabilitation is to lessen or soothe the results of illnesses or injuries and to correct inborn defects with the use of medicinal means. The most important methods used in rehabilitation are: kinesiotherapy (including such specialist methods as the Vojta technique, the McKenzie technique, the Petro technique, and the Rood technique), physiotherapy, electrotherapy, the use of electromagnetic current, heliotherapy, and cryotherapy.
   In Poddębice there is a modern County Hospital with rich rehabilitation base. It is characterised by modern rehabilitation rooms, splendid medical equipment and well trained medical staff. The hospital will guarantee an extensive rehabilitation offer, including mud treatment. There will be additional forms of help available—sign language courses for families or rental of specialist rehabilitation equipment.