Poland way below EU average in employment of the disabled

According to the study by the Institute for Educational Research, this is due to a number of reasons, including the lack of an adequate career guidance system, as well as reluctance on behalf of employers to hire disabled staff.

Katarzyna Metzger, who suffers from cerebral palsy, told the Gazeta Wyborcza daily that as a volunteer, doors were open to her, but she struggled to get further.

“As a volunteer I could do everything, but when I requested full-time employment, the excuses began right away: 'You came at the wrong time', 'We have cut's, 'there is no money,'” she explained.

Anna Skupień, a spokeswoman for the Polish Organization of Employers of People with Disabilities, notes that most people are unfamilar with the state-backed incentives that exist for firms that hire disabled staff.

“The greatest advantage is the subsidising of the employee's salary, by up to 70 percent,” Skupień noted.

“Another is the reimbursement of the cost of adapting the workplace to the needs of the disabled person, or the costs of necessary training.”

At present, there are about 4.7 million disabled citizens in Poland. Nearly half are aged between 18 and 65, and most could work, if the appropriate support were provided. However, besides the 23 percent of those that could work and do so, about 1.8 million are seemingly consigned to professional oblivion. (nh)