In practical terms, the implemented criteria and solutions include a number of useful amenities, such as ensuring appropriate widths of corridors and passageways, providing additional solutions in toilets, or adding new functionalities to the room booking system in order to make it easier to use for people with disabilities. In order to receive the certificate, the building had to meet all requirements verified during an on-site audit carried out by the Integration Foundation. Experts from Integration cooperated with Polpharma from the beginning of the modernization process, i.e. from 2018, suggesting the necessary solutions already at the stage of architectural planning.
The award of the “Building without Barriers” certificate confirms Polpharma’s sustained effort to support people with disabilities. For many years, the company has been committed to activities aimed at improving accessibility and overcoming barriers, as well as increasing labour market opportunities for, and participation rate of persons with disabilities. The company has been a signatory to the Diversity Charter since 2015. In 2019, it joined the Partnership for Accessibility under the Accessibility Plus Programme implemented by the Ministry for Regional Funds and Policy, in cooperation with local governments, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organisations. The programme aims to ensure that people with special needs have free access to goods, services and social as well as public life. In 2019, too, Polpharma’s employees took part in an Ideathon and collaborated with other companies to develop solutions promoting the employment of persons with disabilities. In 2020, Polpharma became a partner of the “Digital Hero” project launched by the Digital Poland Foundation in order to support persons with disabilities by providing them with specialist training and equipment necessary to perform job duties remotely. The support reached four persons in the care of the Leżę i Pracuję Foundation.