MAY 8, 2023 - REGISTRATION FOR THE CONFERENCE STARTS!
Preparations for this day began several months ago. The first meeting was full of excitement and joy that now we will be able to organize the ISBA conference in Wroclaw. Needless to say, there was fear at that time. But it's such an anxiety that gives wings and is familiar to even the greatest artists...
Then there were talks and searches. Topics of conversation, partners, authorities. All this to make this year's edition of the conference well remembered. It was worth it… Already in March we compiled a list of people and organizations that will conduct workshops at our conference. We wrote about it on our website and in the newsletter. However, we love to build tension - that's why we will announce the detailed program of the conference just in a moment. What you can already do is to get acquainted with our conference key note speakers.
Nevertheless the day is coming, the day that should be marked on your calendar. The day on which we will open registration for our conference i.e. May 8, 2023!
Then you will also be able to see in detail how the 8 plenary sessions, 36 workshops, discussion panels and networking panels will be arranged. And there's no denying it - it's also the best time to book your place at the ISBA conference. Because it's worth it and the number of places for Conference participants is limited...
We already have this date marked on our calendars. And how about you? Better do it now.
ISBA CONFERENCE: a database of nearby accommodation accessible to people with special needs
As we received numerous enquiries, we have compiled a list of available hotels that are accessible to people with special needs and are located near Concordia Design, the venue for the ISBA conference. Of course, if you have no special needs, feel free to use the standard accommodation offer. We have checked the hotels on our list and know they are comfortable. The staff speak several languages and there are catering facilities on site.
If you plan to stay in Wrocław for longer than just the duration of our conference, we encourage you to browse the attractions we listed. Please pack comfortable shoes, in case you wish to visit the ZOO, or swimming gear, if you plan to visit the Aquapark. Please check out other sections on our website to see what else might be of interest to you during your stay in Wrocław.
1 double room fully adapted (sleeping area for a person with disabilities and one for a carer)
Other rooms spacious, without architectural barriers
Wheelchair ramps
Contrasts
To enquire about the possibility to accommodate an assistance/service dog at the hotel, please call the manager - the hotel is reluctant to accept pets unless they are small
Poor (sometimes no) contrast between walls and floor
Extra fee for assistance/service dog - 40 PLN per day
Lower Silesia #EqualInPassion
We have already described the beauty of Wrocław, the city that is hosting our conference. Now, we wish to show you the region of Lower Silesia that you will be visiting. To this end we invite you to watch the promotional film made by our friends from the Lower Silesian Marshal's Office, which has just been submitted to the CIFFT Circuit 2023 - a global competition, in which Video Ads and Promotional Films for tourism destinations compete for the prestigious title of the World's Best Tourism Film. The film is a real feat (you will find the link below) - it shows the side of Lower Silesia that we find delightful - a friendly place for cycling amateurs and professionals. The film also demonstrates that Lower Silesia is a region for everyone - including people with special needs, who will also find suitable places for cycling here, as we are all #EqualInPassion.
By winning the award at the festival, Lower Silesia will gain valuable points that qualify for the World Tourism Film Awards. Please, cheer for Lower Silesia, so it can join the illustrious group of winners that includes: Madrid Destino, Turismo Andalucía, Hungary Convention Bureau, Business Iceland, Lithuania Travel, Uganda Tourism Board and Tourism Australia.
Before it happens, however, let us meet for our conference. Ticket sales start soon. If you wish to be kept in the loop please subscribe to our newsletter here: https://isba.me/about-isba/#section-newsletter
Murals – Wrocław’s street art
Introduction
Murals are large-format paintings covering the walls of city buildings. Colourful walls and courtyards certainly prevent Wrocław's neighbourhoods from being dull or ordinary. Following the city’s mural trail can be one of the interesting ways of exploring the city when you come to the ISBA 2023 conference. The city guidebooks will tell you all about monuments and tourist sites, but during this unusual walk you will gain a different perspective on Wrocław. You may find some hidden gems in seemingly ordinary courtyards and streets.
Nadodrze
Our journey starts in Nadodrze, where we can see street art by artists from Poland, Great Britain and Italy. Some of the Nadodrze tenement houses have been transformed due to the revitalisation projects carried out by the city, while others have been decorated by artists and the local community. Most of the murals in Nadodrze were created by artists invited by Wrocław's BWA (Contemporary Art Gallery) as part of their Out of Sth project. The courtyard between Jedności Narodowej and Roosevelta Streets is quite unique – it is actually a great outdoor art gallery. All we need to do is to cross over to Nadodrze to find ourselves in another world, full of art. 250-metre-tall paintings surround us on all sides. The walls are covered by ocean blues, garden greens and blooming flowers, there are various creatures, the coral reef, dinosaurs and quadrupeds captured in mid-movement. Every image here looks quite alive. The courtyard has been transformed by local residents working together with artists from Wrocław. It demonstrates how effectively we can create a sense of local belonging. Walking around the courtyard, we get the feeling that we are participating in the daily life of the residents from nearby houses, and the pained figures seem very vivid and realistic. Some are portraits of residents themselves. The murals tell us the story of their hobbies and passions (also which sports club they cheer for), their favourite pets. There is a poem and a sculpture of a very special big cat that also lives in Wrocław. On the other side of the street, there are even more paintings - at 18 Rossevelta Street, we will find murals related to Polish history, at number 24 - portraits of Polish women who were important figures in Polish history - from Saint Jadwiga, the Queen of Poland, to the athlete Irena Szewińska. There are murals inspired by the work of the world's greatest painters and the courtyard walls host tributes to van Gogh, Munch, Wyspiański, Chagall and Frida Kahlo. Still in Nadodrze, at 43 Rydgiera Street, there is a heart made of 430 ceramic tiles, created by people who live or work in Nadodrze: children, young people, adults, NGO activists, artists and others. Each of the makers has put a piece of their heart and their artistic skills into the project.
Rynek - the City Square
The location between Ruska Street and Św. Antoniego Street hosts an exceptionally colourful courtyard, the walls of which have been painted by various artists. There is an octopus, a sea turtle and many other creatures. After dark, the spot at 46a Ruska Street can also be admired in the glow of neon lights.
The Botanical Garden and its vicinity
We do not always need to travel far to admire mural paintings in Wrocław, some of them will reveal themselves during our daily commute by tram or while walking along the city's main street - especially if you happen to be at the intersection of Sienkiewicza and Wyszyńskiego streets. The mural on the tenement house at number 36 was one of the first to be created in Wrocław. It depicts Wrocław buildings illuminated by the light of street lamps. The painting also features apple trees, leaves, a black cat and a bicycle put against the wall.
Wyspa Słodowa
We propose to end our walk in one of Wrocław residents' favourite spots - the island called Wyspa Słodowa. The entire side wall of one of the tenement houses on the island is covered by a mural depicting a mysterious lady - a white and black figure dressed in an elaborate dress made of padlocks,
We propose to end our walk in one of Wrocław residents' favourite spots - the island called Wyspa Słodowa. The entire side wall of one of the tenement houses on the island is covered by a mural depicting a mysterious lady - a white and black figure dressed in an elaborate dress made of padlocks,
she even swallows one of them. It is the work of an internationally renowned artist called Blu, who thus decorated the capital of Lower Silesia. The Concordia Design location - our venue for this year's conference - also features a mural, one made by the artist Alicja Biała. The painting covers over 500 square metres and focuses on the importance of a mindful approach to others in today's fast-moving world, the significance of going slow, in respect of the everyday, enabling contact with nature. The mural includes both real-life characters and imaginary creatures, all placed within a landscape of four horizontal planes located on the walls and the ceilings. When you come to ISBA 2023, you will have the opportunity to see the city's street art with your own eyes, enhanced by the colours painted by the autumn, adding its own charm to all outdoor art galleries you visit. Please, feel welcome to join us!
We have just finished accepting workshop proposals from people and institutions that will participate in our conference – we now know, that are going to have inspiring meetings.
You have sent forty different proposals for discussions and presentations. The Conference Committee has now selected 36 topics that will be part of our conference. We are all very excited, as our presenters and panellists will be joining us from 13 countries and 5 continents. We will have an opportunity to meet speakers from the US, Canada, Chile, United Kingdon, Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, India, Australia, Iceland and Croatia. We will soon publish a detailed list of topics on our webpage.
If you wish to be kept in the loop please subscribe to our free newsletter.
Respite care comes in many shapes and forms. So do the needs of people who may benefit from it, as well as the entities who provide it. One of such providers is the Foundation Wroclaw Hospice for Children, which for the last three years, since 2020, has been developing the only facility in westernmost part of Poland that is capable of providing temporary, professional and free stays for children with terminal, chronic and incurable diseases.
The "KOKOSZKA" Respite Care Home features beautiful rooms designed by students and lecturers from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, and will soon open in the city. The centre will also include rooms with en-suite bathrooms, kitchen facilities, training and educational spaces (including a conference room), a section designed for rehabilitation sessions, and integration spaces. The centre surface is approximately 1,500 square metres.
It is important to note that the visual communication design, as well as the arrangement of individual rooms, including some furnishing elements, which take into account specific needs of children living with diseases, have been developed by the students and lecturers at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. The photographs present the final outlook of the centre facilities.
This is where art combines with goodness – a topic we will also discuss during our conference in Wrocław. Please save the dates! Click the link below to learn about the conference fee: https://isba.me/registration/
Non-residential summer camp for children and youth with disabilities.
Non-residential summer camp for children and youth with disabilities is yet another form of respite care services, much needed and eagerly awaited by carers. In the city of Wrocław, such services are provided e.g., by „Potrafię Pomóc” Foundation and IMAGO Foundation.
Summer holidays tend to be a difficult time for carers of children and young people with disabilities. In Poland, the school year ends towards the end of June, and the school doors only open again more than two months later - on the 1st of September. Kindergartens and other facilities for children and young people usually also close for the holiday period. Yet, people who have full-time jobs can only take an average of 26 days off per year. This means that parents of children and young people with disabilities are faced with a difficult situation, especially those raising their child on their own. Parents cannot really afford to skip work for the whole duration of school holidays, and grandparents or relatives are not always able to provide specialist care, which sometimes requires constant supervision and a lot of expert knowledge. Hiring a qualified carer is very expensive, and mostly out of reach for parents of children with disabilities who also need to pay for rehabilitation, therapy, specialised equipment, and are often struggling financially. Thus, finding adequate care options for the summer holiday period tends to be crucial for both parents and permanent carers.
The „Potrafię Pomóc” foundation has been organizing non-residential supper camps for many years. Since 2019, the camp curriculum and schedules have been designed in line with the requirements of children and youth with severe and coexisting disabilities who require the highest level of care. During the enrolment process working parents are given priority.
A distinctive feature of the non-residential summer camp organized by the foundation involves activities designed for small groups, with one caregiver per two children. The activities and groups are tailored to the participants' abilities and needs, and designed in a way to be as fun as possible!
The summer camp staff includes special educators, therapists and a nurse with ICU qualifications. The Rehabilitation and Education Centre for Exceptional Children in Wrocław, which hosts summer camp activities, is fully adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. The centre has a nurse's office equipped with e.g., an oxygen concentrator, pulse oximeter, BMV resuscitator, suction machine and other specialised equipment.
Zosia, who was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, has been participating in the non-residential summer camp activities for many years. Her mother, Agnieszka, is an independent, working parent. In 2019, she talked about the summer camp to a journalist from Wroclaw.pl:
It is an invaluable support for all of us. Zosia is having a great time, participating in special activities such as music therapy, and I have the opportunity to work, run my errands and even have a bit of rest during the holiday season.
Crucially, due to generous support from local authorities, the summer camp activities are offered to participants free of charge, since the project is part of a public task run by the Wrocław City Hall. The camp is open to children and young people aged 2,5 - 24 years, who have a disability certificate/ruling stating their level of disability, and who live or study in Wrocław. In 2022, there were 42 participants in each of two two-week summer camps.
In the summer of 2022, with funding from the Municipality of Wrocław, the Imago Foundation organised its first non-residential summer camp and tested a new formula of such activities, to see how it is received by beneficiaries. It soon turned out that the idea was indeed a success, and the summer camp was fully booked within days.
The non-residential summer camp organised by the Imago Foundation was quite unique, as a large part of activities planned for each day was based on the Adventure Therapy method and taking place outdoors, in the green areas of Wrocław. Adventure Therapy is a method of supporting people with disabilities in their development, which the Imago Foundation has been implementing through transnational cooperation with specialists from Spain and the Czech Republic. The method involves nature-based activities to facilitate the process of creating positive change and personal development for the participants. The activities offered during the non-residential summer camp in Wroclaw's parks and green spaces included elements of social skills training and sociotherapy, but above all else, they challenged participants to exercise their independence, discover their strengths and build their sense of agency.
Over the summer, The Imago Foundation organized three 5-day camps for 30 young people with disabilities aged between 7 and 26. The camps focused on different themes: two of them combined Adventure Therapy with animal-assisted therapy, and one camp offered both outdoor activities and indoor climbing. Both summer camp formulas met with enthusiastic welcome from both participants and their carers, with the latter having the possibility to work or simply enjoy a short break. Here is what a mother of a teenage participant, Michał, had to say about the climbing camp:
My son learned that he is able to do more that he expected. He is now more willing to take up new challenges. And group activities motivate people to want to do more - if others can do it, so can I.
As the activities on offer involved specialized skills, the summer camp staff included experts professionally involved in animal-assisted therapy (i.e., equine-, dog, alpaca-assisted therapy), therapeutic climbing instructors and Adventure Therapy facilitators with psychological, sociotherapeutic or coaching competences (the so-called Social Skills Training). Summer camp assistants and volunteers also played a vital role, as their company and smiles encouraged the participants to get more involved in the activities.
The last year's edition may have been the first non-residential summer camp organized by the Imago Foundation, but certainly not the last - even now, in the middle of winter, we are thinking about the coming summer and planning 2023 summer camp activities.
Conference venue and registration fee
It's already known! Proven and one of a kind. The place of our meeting during the ISBA conference. It is Concordia Design building located on the picturesque Malt Island in the vicinity of the historic Ostrow Tumski and a few steps from the Wroclaw Market Square. The building itself is a business and cultural center. Interesting architecture and lots of greenery around. On site, in addition to participating in the conference, you will be able to relax both inside and outside, and from there you will easily get to many attractive points in Wroclaw. We will tell you more about Concordia in the near future. In the meantime, it's worth checking: https://www.concordiadesign.pl/konferencje-wroclaw/ It is also worth knowing and saving in the calendar that registration for the ISBA 2023 conference starts on April 1. However, only for a month, i.e. from April 1 to April 30, 2023, the conference fee is available at a promotional price. The sooner you decide to participate, the better. Click the link below to learn about the conference fee: https://isba.me/registration/
Warto też wiedzieć i zapisać w kalendarzu, że 1 kwietnia rusza rejestracja na konferencję ISBA 2023. Jednak tylko przez miesiąc, czyli od 1 do 30 kwietnia 2023 opłata konferencyjna dostępna jest w promocyjnej cenie. Im wcześniej podejmiesz decyzję o udziale, tym lepiej. Kliknij link poniżej, aby zapoznać się z informacją nt. opłaty konferencyjnej. https://isba.me/pl/rejestracja/
Interview with Thomas Stoch - Senior Manager at the German Red Cross.
ISBA conferences are a great place to meet new people and establish contacts that can bear fruit in the future. One of the participants of the previous editions of the conference was Thomas Stoch - Senior Manager at the German Red Cross. Check out what their veteran thinks about ISBA conferences.
What do you think about ISBA conferences? What one need to know about ISBA conferences?
These bi-annual ISBA conferences are great to share ideas about your own work, to learn how other organizations face the challenges in their countries. The host organization, which is this year from Poland, has always a great opportunity to inform about specific national themes and initiate new networks between national institutions and international guests. ISBA conferences are great to meet other people, discuss and have fun together.
Please say a few words what is your experience with respite care. How important is this topic in your organization?
Unfortunately, respite care is not common in Germany. The support system in our country is still quite exclusive and institutionalized. Of course, the topic `inclusion´ is discussed in Germany today, legal rights are created. But in real life we are far away to live inclusive. Reality is that big organizations run specialized workshops and disabled homes. So, offering respite care is very important for my organization to fill the gap – to give people with disabilities and their families a chance for a break, to make possible an individual support and claim their rights.
ISBA conferences are probably a big injection of knowledge. Is it anything else?
Besides the great amount of knowledge and information you obtain during the conference you also get inspired and encouraged to new ideas to take back to your home country. You connect with exciting people from around the world who work on the same subject – supporting people with disabilities and their families. You bring back home a lot of inspiration and the certainty that its worth to face the challenges in your own organization.
Will we also meet you in Wroclaw? Maybe together we will convince those who are hesitating whether it is worth coming?
Of course, I am excited and looking forward to attend. Wroclaw is a wonderful and vibrant city and I am sure that this conference 2023 will be a blast! If anybody is hesitating to take part in the conference, I can say from my experiences during the many ISBA conferences I have participated in – it is always worthwhile. Meet great people, get inspired and at the end you will be infected by the ISBA virus.
The heart of the city – The Market Square in Wrocław
When you come to the ISBA Conference in September, start your journey around Wrocław with the heart of the city – the vibrant Market Square. It is one of the oldest and largest historical markets in Poland. Its foundation dates back to 1214 -1232.
In the center of the market there is a huge Town Hall of Wrocław, consisting of two parts (old, late Gothic and new one), with a beautiful clock face. This is one of the best well-preserved town halls in Poland – a true architectural gem.
Inside of the old part of the town hall there is the Museum of Bourgeois Art, which specializes in collecting and presenting objects related to Wrocław craft workshops and artists, from the earliest times to the present days. In the oldest part of the town hall – the Burghers' Hall, marble busts of outstanding personalities associated with Wrocław are exhibited. The most important meetings of the city council are held in the main hall of the building.
If we go a little bit underground, in the basement of the town hall we will find the oldest restaurant in Europe - Piwnica Świdnicka, with a short break, has been opened to customers since 1273! Among the celebrities dining here, we can mention Chopin, Słowacki or Goethe. During our conference, you must go there for a dinner or a dessert.
Continuing our stroll around the market square, it is worth stopping for a moment at the monument of the literary man Aleksander Fredro – a Polish comedy writer, memorialist and poet who produced his masterpieces in the era of Romanticism. An interesting fact is the origin of the monument: after the war in 1956 it was moved to Wrocław from Lviv and placed where the pedestal commemorating the king of Prussia was. The poet knew the city very well, but the monument was intended, above all, to commemorate the fact that many repatriates from Lviv had settled in Wrocław.
The market square is also surrounded by beautiful and colorful tenement houses. The most characteristic of them are named sonorously: “Hansel and Gretel” (“Jaś I Małgosia”), "Under the Golden Dog" or "Under the Seven Electors".
In the tenement house called "Under the Golden Sun" there is another museum – the Pan Tadeusz Museum, which was established in 2016. Of course, you will find there all the information and curiosities about "Pan Tadeusz" and its author – Adam Mickiewicz, but also interesting things about another poet – Tadeusz Różewicz.
In front of the town hall (almost in the same place as before) a historic pillory’s replica from 1492 was erected. It is worth paying attention to, especially before entering the council building, because it used to be associated with punishing the guilty ones judged in the courthouse. Legends say that the famous German sculptor Wit Stwosz was lashed under it because he was proven to have forged a bill of exchange.
Going further, we will see the famous fountains – a motive often found on Wrocław's postcards. The "Zdrój" fountain is a favorite (because of its very distinctive shape) meeting point for the residents. It consists of 29 sheets of insulated glass, each of them weighs 450 kg! Another well-known fountain, dated back to 1904, is located in the square near the University of Wrocław and presents a naked swordsman. Legend says that the man depicted on the fountain is the sculptor himself, who after arriving in Wrocław to study, drunk by other students, pledged not only all his possessions, but also his clothes while playing cards. The loser was only left with a sword – a symbol of his noble status and honor.
The Wrocław market square borders with Plac Solny, which used to be a subsidiary market square and a marketplace. The name of this place – Plac Solny (Salt Square) - comes, as you can guess, from the goods sold here: mainly salt from Wieliczka, but also honey, wax and leather goods. In the Middle Ages, local gold prospectors met up at the square. Currently, flower stalls reign here, several of them are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Anyways – come and see it by yourself!
We invite you to the capital of Lower Silesia. See you soon in September.
