During the 23rd edition of REHA FOR THE BLIND IN POLAND, the winners of the IDOL 2025 competition were announced. IDOL is an exceptional initiative recognising individuals, organisations, and companies working to improve accessibility and social inclusion. Thanks to their efforts, everyday life for people with disabilities becomes easier, and the world grows more open, inclusive, and welcoming for all.
INTERNATIONAL IDOL
3rd PLACE: Oren Ganor (Israel) manages social services at the Jerusalem Institute for the Blind. He develops high-quality programmes for blind and partially sighted people from across the country, expanding their opportunities for integration into society. He is the initiator of a wide range of activities and enables blind and partially sighted individuals to learn new things, particularly in the areas of technology and accessibility. He has successfully raised public awareness of visual impairment and is helping to foster more positive attitudes towards blind people.
2nd PLACE: Elemine Elghotob (Mauritania) – his key achievements can be summarised as follows: raising awareness, supporting lifestyle change, and highlighting the significant role that the visually impaired community can play in society. He also works effectively in the field of education, promoting both theoretical and practical learning tailored to the perceptual capabilities of people with visual impairments.
1st PLACE: Chiranjivi Paudel (Nepal), blind from birth, founded the organisation Seeing Hands Nepal in 2010 with the aim of creating employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired people. He has employed many individuals over the years. His two massage clinics, located in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, have provided work for more than 30 blind professionals. To date, over 150,000 tourists have used their services, promoting the idea of inclusive tourism. Mr Paudel has been recognised with national awards for social entrepreneurship in Nepal and has received TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence.
COMMUNITY IDOL
3rd PLACE – Jolanta Janiec is the director of the Municipal Public Library in Hrubieszów and a librarian with over 20 years of experience. She is a finalist of the Librarian of the Year competition and a recipient of the Olga Rok Scholarship. A cultural animator and educator, she has for many years been developing modern and accessible library initiatives for the local community. (LUBLIN VOIVODESHIP)
3rd PLACE – Sylwia Owczarek is a visual artist, museum educator, and accessibility specialist. Holding a doctorate in fine arts, she is associated with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław, where she runs programmes for people with disabilities, including "Rozrusznik bez barier" ("Barrier-Free Starter"). In her work, she uses tactile graphics, audio-olfactory trails, and her own concept of "plain exhibition language," advancing access to art and social inclusion. (LOWER SILESIAN VOIVODESHIP)
2nd PLACE – Edyta Sieradzka is an expert in the employment of people with disabilities in Poland, specialising in subsidies, reimbursements, and benefits related to PFRON (the State Fund for the Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities). A graduate of Opole University of Technology and holder of an MBA from the University of Economics in Wrocław, she is the author of books on the economics of employing people with disabilities. Between 2009 and 2023 she served as Vice-President of the Board of OBPON.org, and currently collaborates with the Federation of Polish Entrepreneurs and organisations supporting people with disabilities. She represents the FPP on the National Advisory Council for People with Disabilities. In 2016, she was awarded the title of "Leader of the 25-Year Disability Support System." (OPOLE VOIVODESHIP)
1st PLACE – Grzegorz Kłak is a blind traveller and masseur who, after losing his sight in an explosion during military service, refused to give up an active life. Together with his wife Magdalena, he won three awards at the 27th National Travellers' Meeting KOLOSY, including for becoming the first blind person to complete the Crown of Polish Mountains. He has also climbed Mount Aragats in Armenia. He is active in sport, practising kayaking, tandem cycling, and golf, and his passion is reflected in numerous tourism awards and distinctions. Grzegorz shows that disability does not limit one's dreams – if anything, it inspires people to push beyond their boundaries. (LUBUSZ VOIVODESHIP)
IDOL IN THE CATEGORY: INSTITUTION OPEN TO THE BLIND
3rd PLACE – Accessibility Office of the City of Opole is the institution responsible for improving the accessibility of urban space for people with disabilities. It carries out projects such as tactile maps, high-contrast markings, tactile graphic plans, and navigation markers for blind people. It also organises educational workshops, helping to make Opole a more welcoming and inclusive city. (OPOLE VOIVODESHIP)
2nd PLACE – Zofia Nałkowska Municipal Public Library in Wołomin is an institution committed to meeting the needs of people with visual impairments. Its initiatives include "Kawiarenka Słowa" ("Word Café") with audio-described film screenings, podcast training sessions, "Multi-Sensory Cultural Trips," and literary meetings under the banner "Listen and Talk," creating a space for integration and accessible culture. (MASOVIAN VOIVODESHIP)
1st PLACE – District Support Centre "Parasol" in Zielona Góra is a place that has for many years been supporting people with disabilities, including those who are blind or visually impaired. It offers day support, rehabilitation, the development of life skills, and social integration in an atmosphere of empathy and understanding. (LUBUSZ VOIVODESHIP)
IDOL IN THE CATEGORY: MEDIA
3rd PLACE – Aleksandra Kuś is a journalist at Radio DOXA in Opole, where she has worked for 5 years. She hosts morning programmes and the show "Strefa WIP – Wierzę i Pytam" ("WIP Zone – I Believe and I Ask"), as well as broadcasts covering the life of the Church and the diocese. In her work, she passionately tackles topics relating to people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments, giving a platform to their experiences and stories. (OPOLE VOIVODESHIP)
2nd PLACE – Biuletyn Informacyjny Osób Niepełnosprawnych (niepelnosprawnilublin.pl) is a portal run by the Lublin Forum of Organisations of People with Disabilities. Largely created by volunteers with disabilities, it serves as a knowledge base and news hub, covering everything from legal advice and support offers to event coverage, NGO projects, and inspiring stories from people across the region. (LUBLIN VOIVODESHIP)
1st PLACE – Radio Zielona Góra is a local media outlet that supports community initiatives and the work of our Foundation. Through its coverage and promotion of projects and events, it gives them regional reach, making it an important partner and ally in building public awareness and social inclusion. (LUBUSZ VOIVODESHIP)
SPECIAL IDOL
Mr Zaki Ali is the chairman of the Association of the Blind in Cairo. He has successfully taught Braille, English, and computer skills to over 60 blind children in Cairo. He has participated in numerous events, festivals, and seminars on accessibility and accessible solutions for blind people. The association he leads is currently preparing courses covering English, French, computer skills, and Braille.
Director Alicja Szatkowska is a psychologist, co-founder, and President of the Milicz Association of Friends of Children and People with Disabilities. Together with her colleagues, she has built a comprehensive support system for people with disabilities and their families in the smallest county in Poland, covering individuals with all types of disabilities from birth through every stage of education. The organisation runs an Occupational Therapy Workshop, a Community Self-Help Centre (type D), supported living apartments, respite care, personal assistance services, and a catering Social Cooperative. She is currently overseeing the construction of a residential home with 12 apartments for people with disabilities. She has received numerous awards and distinctions for her work, and in her personal life, she is above all the mother of four children.
Ms Monika Adamska is a special needs educator, teacher, and community therapist. For many years, she has wholeheartedly supported all those in need, regardless of their circumstances. She has been involved in volunteering from a young age, inspiring and engaging her students in a wide range of initiatives, teaching them the values of empathy, openness, and mutual support. Her passion, dedication, and desire to make the world a better place make her a deeply valued member of her community. She supports not only people with disabilities, but anyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation.
Ms Anna Bugaj is a qualified occupational therapist who has worked with people with visual impairments for over 20 years. Throughout her career, she has helped countless individuals develop personalised rehabilitation plans and select appropriate assistive equipment, guiding them as they find their footing in a new reality. She always shares her knowledge and experience to help others overcome the challenges of everyday life. She herself lives with a dual disability. Her mission is to break down barriers and help everyone discover and fulfil their potential.
Ms Karolina Fiszer is a curator in the Education Department of the National Museum of Agriculture and the Agri-Food Industry in Szreniawa. She is a museum educator and accessibility coordinator, the author of publications on accessibility in museology, and the creator of numerous projects aimed at making the museum accessible to people with a range of disabilities. She is the initiator of a conference series entitled "Włączamy w kulturę" ("Including in Culture"), focused on making culture available to groups at risk of social exclusion. She is also the author of audio descriptions and museum audio tours. For the past 10 years, she has been steadily opening up new museum spaces and temporary exhibitions to wider audiences, and organises integration events and meetings that actively engage blind people in the museum's busy events calendar in Szreniawa.
Ms Paulina Konys is a graduate of the Maria Grzegorzewska University of Special Education in the fields of Typhlopedagogy and Social Care Pedagogy, as well as the Warsaw Pedagogical University named after Janusz Korczak, where she studied Career Counselling. She works as a Recruiter and HR Specialist. She has been professionally involved with the blind community for 12 years, and as a volunteer for nearly 20. She is an outstanding adapter, producing all manner of Braille materials for the Foundation, private individuals, schools, and various institutions. Hundreds of works have come from her hands, used daily by blind readers.
Ms Katarzyna Piątkowska holds a Master's degree from the University of Wales and the Ryszard Łazarski University of Commerce and Law, where she studied International Business. She is a long-standing volunteer of the Szansa Foundation and was among the first to implement ViewPlus Tiger raised-print graphic technology, used in the tactile illustrations featured in the transparent guidebooks published by the Foundation. She is the creator of thousands of illustrations depicting, among other things, architecture, works of art, and maps and floor plans of various venues. She supports the Foundation in producing numerous publications, both in standard print and Braille. Professionally, she works in spatial adaptation, and is the creator of countless Braille signage plates and tactile graphic plans designed in the spirit of universal design.
Ms Renata Wardecka is a community activist and enthusiast who has been working in the non-profit sector for over a decade. She is involved in education, sport, and culture, with her efforts focused on supporting children, young people, and senior citizens facing difficult life circumstances. Between 1992 and 1995 she was involved in the launch of the monthly magazine "HELP – jesteśmy razem" ("HELP – We Are Together"). From 2001 to 2003 she served as a voluntary board member of the "Podaruj Życie" Foundation for Children with Brain Tumours. From 2005, she was active in the Parafiada Association, where she co-initiated the programme "Katyń… ocalić od zapomnienia" ("Katyń… Save from Oblivion"). In 2011 she founded the BO WARTO Foundation ("Because It's Worth It"). She has sat on numerous social dialogue bodies, serving as a member of the Presidium of the Social Forum of the City of Warsaw and as coordinator of the Educational Forum of the Masovian Voivode. For several years she was a member of the Board of Founders of the Szansa dla Niewidomych Foundation, contributing to work on behalf of people with disabilities and championing the idea of equal access to information, education, and culture.