Polish Post against the exclusion of disabled people
Poczta Polska is adapting its infrastructure to the needs of people with disabilities. In 2017–2018, the company adapted another 120 branches. Poczta Polska also offers solutions to facilitate the use of postal services for people with disabilities, including free in-home service. This service is used by 27,000 people.
Elevators have been installed in some branches, thresholds have been removed, mailboxes have been lowered, and special ramps have been constructed. Over the past two years, 120 branches have been modernized in this way.
The company offers a range of services directly aimed at people with disabilities. Pursuant to Article 26 of the Postal Law, Poczta Polska is obligated to accept free-of-charge mail sent by or addressed to blind people. Poczta Polska follows a similar procedure for mail addressed to or sent by libraries or organizations for the blind and partially sighted. The list of entities designated to send mail free of charge is established by a regulation issued by the Minister of Family, Labor, and Social Policy, in conjunction with the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Over the past three years, the volume of mail sent by both individuals and entities authorized to send mail free of charge has increased. For comparison: in 2016, over 87,000 letters and over 15,000 parcels were sent free of charge, while last year, over 100,000 letters and over 16,000 parcels were handled free of charge.
At the request of interested parties, Poczta Polska (Polish Post) offers direct mail delivery to wheelchair users and the blind and partially sighted. Thanks to this service, mail is always delivered directly to the recipient, eliminating the need to collect it at a post office. Even regular mail delivered to mailboxes can be delivered directly by the postman to the registered recipient, who has been registered and entered into a special register at the post office. Disabled people who require this service can also have their mail delivered to them by the postman. This service requires prior notification to the post office. This method allows unregistered mail to be sent by purchasing a stamp from the postman.
Currently, over 27,000 applications have been submitted for this service at home, bypassing the post office and mailbox. Information regarding this free service is available at all post offices nationwide, and it's also worth asking postmen about it.