It is very important for us to provide everybody with the best conditions for acquiring or recovering various types of professional skills. Occupational therapy workshops and vocational development centers (Polish – ZAZ) play a vital role in the rehabilitation process whose main goal is to enable disabled people to find a job. In 2016 only we allocated more than half a million PLN for those kinds of entities.
Occupational therapy workshops (WTZ)
Among tasks performed by district self-governments, the largest part of PFRON’s funding is allocated for occupational therapy workshops.
Workshops are independent entities, both in terms of organization and finance, whose purpose is to proactively support the professional and social rehabilitation of disabled people and to provide disabled people unable to work with opportunities of social and professional rehabilitation through acquisition or restoration of skills necessary for being employed.
In Poland there are more than 720 occupational therapy workshops attended by 26 thousand disabled people.
Vocational development centers (ZAZ)
Among tasks performed by provincial self-governments, the largest part of PFRON’s funding is allocated for vocational development centers.
Vocational development centers are independent entities, both in terms of organization and finance, whose purpose is to hire people with a severe and moderate disability, diagnosed with autism, mental retardation or mental illness. ZAZ are an important social economy project. They prepare for work and enable employment of nearly 4 thousand people – mainly those with a severe disability.