For people with disabilities, getting around can be tough. When it comes to nature, it can be even tougher. A Polish foundation has enlisted the help of people with special needs to make nature reserves more accessible.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00Monika is a 26-year-old Polish woman who uses a wheelchair.
00:04For her, commuting around the city of Gdansk on Poland's Baltic coast is a daily struggle.
00:10Monika leads an active and independent life.
00:13She is studying pedagogic therapy because she wants to help others who face similar challenges.
00:31Poland has a population of roughly 38 million.
00:35About 5 million people in the country, that's over 12% of the population, have special needs.
00:41It's a reality that is often overlooked by society and politicians alike.
01:01For the first time in Poland, the foundation Akcja Balticka, or Baltic Action,
01:07has invited people with special needs to assess whether nature reserves in the region are sufficiently accessible.
01:13The foundation chose 28 locations around the coast.
01:17The respective municipalities will later receive feedback on what needs to be done
01:21to make these reserves accessible for people with special needs.
01:25Monika is one of the inspectors.
01:30This group has been named Team Bird Legband,
01:34after the legbands that are put on birds for tracking and identification purposes.
01:38All of the group's members are nature lovers.
01:42They love nature.
01:44They love nature.
01:46They love nature.
01:48They love nature.
01:50They love nature.
01:52They love nature.
01:54They love nature.
01:57All of the group's members are nature lovers.
02:00The group includes Monika, who uses a wheelchair,
02:03a man with autism, a blind woman, and a fit and lively 88-year-old woman.
02:08They all want to spend more time in nature, but often cannot access such areas.
02:27In the town of Kosokowo, change has already started to happen.
02:31In 2024, the municipality hired a person with special needs
02:35to act as a representative for people with disabilities.
02:57The district of Puk on the Baltic Sea
03:00is a popular destination for year-round bird watching.
03:04It also has the potential to be popular with people with special needs,
03:08but the infrastructure in several places is not accessible for everyone.
03:12Many reconstruction projects look good on paper,
03:15but the architects often overlook, or do not understand,
03:19the needs of people with disabilities.
03:27Here is a barrier, or somewhere else a fence.
03:30There are various things that make it difficult for me to observe,
03:34or to enjoy the place where I am.
03:37Monika loves being out in nature,
03:40and looks forward to being able to enjoy the entire trail soon.
03:46For me, this is the end of the trip,
03:49because there is still sand and mud,
03:52and I will not be able to move on my own,
03:55so I need a second person.
03:57Monika and the others on team Bird Legband
04:00hope that the feedback they give to the municipalities
04:03will be taken seriously,
04:05and that the infrastructure will be adapted accordingly.
04:08This would encourage people with special needs
04:11to be more active and spend more time in nature.