The mother of an adult son with a disability contacted us. He wanted to use the lift at the Powiatowe Centrum Pomocy Rodzinie (PCPR) on Monday, February 18.

“We wanted to enter the building. To do so, we used the bell, that is, the call system. It is used to summon someone who helps a person with a disability enter the building. That is how it works at the courthouse. We press the bell, an employee comes out, helps wheel the wheelchair into the elevator, and opens the doors. The employee is trained to assist a person with a disability.

In the case of the Powiatowe Centrum Pomocy Rodzinie, the woman merely put her hand through the window and tried to activate the elevator with a remote control. Unfortunately, it did not work. We waited, but only after I rang the bell several times and informed her that the elevator still was not working did the woman come out, saying: ‘It is not working again, because it is constantly not working.’”

As a result, the man with a disability was unable to enter the building that day, and another woman replied to his mother, who had complained about the lift.

“This elevator works sometimes and sometimes it does not. I have no idea what determines it. Once I used it to go up with my son, and then I had to carry the wheelchair down myself because nobody even bothered to help. It is the same everywhere with these elevators. They are there because regulations require them, but nowhere does it say that they have to work.”

PCPR is an institution affiliated with the Starostwo Powiatowe, established to help people with disabilities in various areas. Its responsibilities range from awarding assistance funds to collecting applications for rehabilitation stays. All matters involving people with disabilities are handled in the “Round Building”, the building at J. Piłsudskiego Square. The building was never adapted to the needs of people with disabilities, so after PCPR was moved there, an external elevator (lift) was installed. People most often come to the building on behalf of people with disabilities to handle matters for them, but when a person with a disability arrives, problems begin.

We asked Ilona Parejko, spokesperson for the Starostwo Powiatowe, about the matter; her official response is presented below. We also checked whether the elevator in the “Round Building” was working, and it was operating on February 25.

“On the day when the mother and her son with a disability were unable to enter the building, the elevator was not broken. An employee of PCPR saw you through the window and activated the lift. The platform went down. When it became clear that there were technical problems, several employees of the starosty immediately went outside the building and offered assistance. A service technician was also called immediately and arrived after approximately two hours. In accordance with the contract, the platform is serviced once a month. The technician determined that the safety brake (the red button) had been activated—accidentally or deliberately—which made it impossible to use the elevator.

Of course, I am aware of the problems that people with disabilities and their caregivers face in everyday life. They deserve absolute respect, kindness and assistance. I assure you that PCPR employees are empathetic and do not leave anyone without support.

The Editor asks me why nobody from the staff released the safety brake. As I have already written, it was noticed that the lock was engaged. PCPR employees neither have the expertise nor the authorization to repair the platform. That is why the lift undergoes specialized inspections every month.”

After reading both sides’ accounts, several questions arise. Did the elevator start working after the press intervened, or had it always worked and people with disabilities simply not known how to operate it? Had it always worked, but employees did not know how to operate it or were not helpful enough to assist people with disabilities in using it? Or is the elevator too complicated to use simply and conveniently? Readers can discuss this in the comments. Let us hope this is the last negative information about this elevator that readers share with us.