According to our observations, one of the biggest civic issues in Śląskie Voivodesip is the fact that individuals with disabilities have difficulty with engaging in public life. According to the research from the Supreme Audit Office many of the local government units are not equipped to serve individuals with disabilities. We have concluded that in the last 20 years the Civic Councils on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities have been operating, there is still no concept for what the councils need in terms of support, as well as cooperation with the local governments. As a result, the councils are primarily reduced to a once-a-year opinion filing on the budget allocations by districts from the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People. Another major problem is the lack of cooperation between the councils.

We will organize workshops for members of the councils in Śląskie Voivodeship. So far, the councils have a limited influence over the public policy, but through increasing the knowledge of their members, their potential will be accessed to a fuller extent. Together, we will work on a strategy and standards for all the councils, and we will present them during a conference. We will invite all the council members from Śląskie Voivodeship and representatives of the relevant government offices to the event. In five of the districts, we will implement pilot programs based on the newly minted ideas. Representatives from these pilot councils will talk about their experiences and share their reflections during seminars that we will organize for the councils from Śląskie, Opolskie, and Dolnośląskie Voivodeships. This way, more councils will have an opportunity to learn about the effects of our work and will have a better chance to hear about the new ideas for their development and create networks with other councils.