tives for the disabled and the blind should be functioning, with a total of 98,826 employees. Of that number, 67,624 are disabled, and 20,953 are on category I or II disability pensions.
*Often policies related to mental health disorders include people with mental retardation or neurological disorders.
Workers' and employers' organisations
There is no available data on the activities of workers' and employers' organisations in this field. It is our impression, however, that neither employers' organisations, nor trade unions are interested in the employment and retention of people with mental health disorders. Employers seem to be afraid of employing people with mental health disorders, possibly reflecting Polish society's more general attitude of anxiety towards the mentally ill. In times of high unemployment (over 13%) the mentally ill cannot get regular paid jobs. There is no information on any initiatives on the part of employers or trade unions to improve this situation.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
The growing role of NGOs in Poland has generated some positive expectations. In 1997, a catalogue of "non-governmental organisations and institutions acting on behalf of the disabled" listed 5577 NGOs. About 6% of these organisations included assistance to people disabled due to mental health disorders or retardation among their statutory goals. These NGOs are usually small foundations established by families with disabled children and have at most a few dozen members.
The major NGOs in Poland, i.e. the Polish Red Cross, the Polish Committee for Social Aid, and Caritas Polska, have not created any specialised organisational structures to deal with the problems of people with mental health disorders. In contrast, organisations that benefit the mentally retarded* are relatively well developed and can serve as models for organisations devoted to people with mental illness.
*Depending on the country, the terms mental retardation and intellectual disabilities are often used interchangeably.
* The Polish Association on behalf of the Mentally Retarded, which seceded from the Society of the Friends of Children in 1963, now has 125 regional sections comprising 28 000 members. The goals of the Association are: to strive for a level playing field for the mentally retarded; to create conditions for upholding their human rights; and to promote their active participation in community life. This is accomplished through activities such as the promotion of legal regulations concerning the provision of care, medical treatment, education, and employment of the mentally retarded, and training and education of parents, professionals, and volunteers.
* The international movement for the mentally retarded, their families and friends, Faith and Light, is another NGO active in the area of mental retardation. It is dedicated to young people and provides support to persons with mental retardation and their families. It helps the mentally retarded become self-sufficient and attain spiritual and emotional maturity.
* The Coalition for Mental Health, which is the only organisation to co-operate with the World Federation for Mental Health, could become a key partner in the project on mental health in the workplace. It was established in 1993, and, in 1997, was granted legal status as a nation-wide association, with headquarters in Warsaw and five regional sections.
