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Poland's first inclusive business incubator launched

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship was established at the Wroclaw Technology Park (WPT) to support barrier-free business, promote integration in business and professional and social activity of people with disabilities. For 5 years, companies from various industries that are at the beginning of their business path can develop here.

On Friday, 28 May 2021, the Integrative Business Incubator "Skrzynia" started its activity. It was established in the Wroclaw Technology Park in cooperation with the Wroclaw Without Barriers Office (Wroclaw Bez Barier). The organizers emphasize that the incubator is perfectly in line with the activities of the city of Wroclaw, which has long been striving to make the urban space accessible without barriers and in the widest possible range.

- We want Wroclaw to be a real city without barriers. Thanks to such projects as the Integrative Business Incubator "Skrzynia", created by WPT, we bring our activities to the next level. It is here that Wroclaw entrepreneurship, vibrant with energy and creativity, will be able to develop even faster, using the diversity and talents of our city's inhabitants. Most importantly, all this without barriers. I am glad that it is in Wroclaw, in the WPT, where the first business incubator in Poland was established, which integrates business and people with disabilities. We are a great example for other cities and local governments. Let's work together, without barriers. - says Jacek Sutryk, President of Wroclaw.

Judyta Pożerniuk from the Para-NORMAL Activity Foundation talks about the WPT Business Incubator: it's a very innovative place.

- It is unusual and unique in Poland. It integrates disabled and non-disabled persons, especially in business matters. I am delighted with the incubator and I hope that many people will hear about this place. - Judyta Pożerniuk, Para-NORMAL Activity Foundation.

Skrzynia - Poland's first Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship

Over 30 NGOs, public institutions, companies and universities have been involved in the project. All this was done in order to make its offer as relevant as possible to the needs of enterprises, especially those run by and employing people with disabilities. The name of the Incubator is not accidental. What will be in this place is part of the long-standing activity of the late Bartłomiej Skrzyński, who died in September 2020.

During the opening of the incubator, a mural with the image of Bartek Skrzyński, created by the skont.pl art group, was unveiled. Moved, Magdalena Kokot, sister of the late Bartek Skrzyński, said during the opening that this was one of the last big projects he was involved in.

- The Incubator would not exist without the late Bartek "Skrzynia" Skrzyński. It is thanks to his initiative that we created this unique place and community, which is united by the common idea of building a better, positive world without barriers. It is to commemorate his contribution to our project that the WPT Integration Business Incubator was named "Skrzynia". - says Maciej Potocki, President of Wroclaw Technology Park.

- Choosing him as a patron of the incubator is quite a commitment. Bartek did not recognize half-measures, he was completely and totally involved. He always had an idea how to improve something and what to do to remove physical, architectural and mental barriers. He was a titan of work and a hero of life. I hope that you, too, will never lack strength and motivation to change the world for everyone, including people with disabilities, into a more friendly and accessible place. -  emphasize Magdalena Kokot, sister of the late Bartek Skrzyński.

Disability is not a barrier

The creation of the Integrative Business Incubator was inaugurated in September 2020. The late Bartłomiej Skrzyński, then director of the Wroclaw Without Barriers Office, was heavily involved in its creation. He said that one of the most important goals of the project was to show that disability is not a barrier to employment, employment or self-employment, and that cooperation and mutual openness can bring concrete benefits to the market. One way to achieve this is to promote the stories of companies and individuals who have already achieved success.

The number of such examples is constantly growing, but we can still do more. The creation of a place where we will realistically remove barriers to the development of professional activity for people with disabilities is an extremely important project, a challenge that we have set ourselves together with the WPT and project partners. I believe that our actions concerning the professional zone for people with disabilities can activate this part of our social life said in 2020 Bartłomiej Skrzyński.

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship - comprehensive offer

The offer of The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship is available to all entrepreneurs who are at the initial stage of development of their company.

  • They can use expert support and infrastructure of WPT on preferential terms for 5 years.
  • Additional specialized support can be found in the Incubator for companies run by people with disabilities and for companies that employ them or want to employ them.

- The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship is a place where entrepreneurs and specialists from different industries can develop their businesses and careers side by side, without any barriers. It is not only a building fully adapted to the needs of people with disabilities, but also a comprehensive offer focused on integration, cooperation and accessibility. At WPT we believe that the future must be designed, among others, by supporting various forms of entrepreneurship. The Incubator is an example of that. I hope that thanks to it we will all see that the world without barriers is a better world for all of us. - Maciej Potocki, President of WPT

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship - offices for rent

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship is first of all accessibility, which is symbolised by its very logotype - IIP, abbreviation from The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship, in Braille.

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship offers preferential access to office space adapted to the needs of people with disabilities as well as consulting and training services.

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship - Information Centre for People with Disabilities

The Information Centre at the Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship provides a one-stop shop for information on employment, business start-up and employment for people with disabilities. Various types of training and workshops are planned.

The WPT is also organizing a series of webinars "Business without Barriers", and from June 2021 "Entrepreneurship without Barriers" podcasts will be available, presenting stories of people with disabilities who realize themselves in their professional and private lives.

The Skrzynia Integration Incubator of Entrepreneurship - a building without barriers

The Incubator's activity would not be possible without adjusting its headquarters to the needs of people with disabilities, which is located in one of the WPT buildings at 16 h Fabryczna Street in Wroclaw.

Wroclaw Technology Park ensured its full accessibility both inside and outside the building.

  • The immediate surroundings of the Incubator are paved with special cobblestones facilitating the movement of wheelchair users.
  • Near the building there are designated and clearly marked parking spaces for people with disabilities. In the building itself there is an elevator enabling to get to each floor, equipped with a hands-free system supporting the hearing impaired and buttons with Braille markings.
  • All doors in the facility have been marked with yellow markers to facilitate movement for the visually impaired. Each of the rooms in the Incubator is marked with a special plate - basic information about what is in the given office, its translation into Braille and identification via QR code are placed on it.
  • The reception desk in the Incubator is equipped with an induction loop, which facilitates communication with people wearing hearing aids.
  • At the reception you can also use the application "Communication without barriers", which allows you to connect with a sign language interpreter. A TOTUPOINT system has also been installed in the building, providing blind people with clear information on how to navigate all of its floors.
  • People with disabilities can work in offices adapted to their needs, use a quiet and relaxation area and accessible bathrooms. At every stage of the activities they are assisted by qualified WPT staff who, among others, are trained to communicate in sign language.