Problems and barriers in everyday life of people with physical disabilities

Introduction. People with disabilities often experience marginalization and are excluded from public life, which causes their alienation and isolation. It is extremely relevant to remove all the economical, architectural, legal and transportation barriers by using the instruments of local politics. These actions would definitely improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Aim. The main aim of the research was to evaluate the level of adaptation of Primary Health Care facilities in Cracow for the people with disabilities.

Material and methods. The research material was collected by unstandardized observation technique. The research tool was an original observation sheet. The research included 44 Primary Health Care facilities in Cracow. The research was conducted in February 2014.

Results. The level of adaptation of surveyed facilities for people with disabilities is insufficient. More than a quarter (27.5%) of storied clinics did not have technical capabilities which enable relocation to higher storeys. More than half of surveyed facilities (53.5%) have parking lot, which do not meet the established criteria. In many cases, there was lack of parking spaces for disabled people. Only 12% of surveyed clinics have automatic doors allowing easy access to the building.

Conclusions. Most of the surveyed facilities do not meet the universal design guidelines. It is necessary to introduce new solutions and to modernize Health Care facilities in order to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Nursing Topics 2014; 22 (2): 178–183