The Bolesławiec branch of the Polish Association of the Blind has more than one hundred members, six of them children. However, as Kazimierz Łętowski, the branch’s president, emphasizes, there are certainly more blind and visually impaired people in our county. “Many disabilities can be hidden; there are cases in which a visually impaired wife goes for a walk with her husband. He offers her his arm. To bystanders, it may seem that everything is fine and that nothing is wrong with her,” says the organization’s president.
The branch helps such people. It supports them, just as it supported a blind man who was robbed near the railway station. He was carrying a white cane. He took out his phone and wanted to make a call. The thief snatched the mobile phone from his hand. He did not even flee particularly quickly—after all, he would not be recognized anyway.
The Bolesławiec organization prepares people for professional activity, provides social rehabilitation, and refers them either to the County Family Support Centre, the Municipal Social Welfare Centre or the County Labour Office. It organizes courses and teaches people how to work with a computer, which needs to be appropriately equipped with audio support. It is simply not true that blind or visually impaired people cannot work with computers—or, for example, on a helpline. In fact, they can even become massage therapists.
In everyday life, devices such as “talking” blood-pressure monitors, blood glucose meters and phones are helpful. The Bolesławiec PZN branch cooperates with companies that produce this type of equipment, advises people on which device to choose and helps them write an application for funding.
It is worth remembering this, especially since many people lose their sight suddenly—as a result of an accident, an assault or diabetes.
A Celebration at the Old Theatre
The celebration for blind and visually impaired people will take place on 11 October (Friday) at the Old Theatre. The event will feature, among others, the excellent Lira choir from Ostrów Wielkopolski, made up exclusively of blind and visually impaired people. It begins at 2:00 p.m.. Admission is free.
The Bolesławiec PZN branch is located at 6c Staroszkolna Street and is open on Wednesdays (from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.). More information is available by phone: 75 734 25 39 and 608 314 799.
(information: GA)