ABSTRACT
In Poland, unfortunately, for many years after the war the view was held that elderly and disabled persons constitute a small and not active part of the society. It had been thought that these people need only medical and social assistance. Ministry of Administration, Local Economy and Environmental Protection, when commissioning the theme of research, initially limited the scope of the study to the problems concerning pedestrian traffic of disabled persons. In Poland neither investigations nor analyses of behaviour of disabled persons in urban traffic have been made. In the new constructions, reconstructions or modernizations one of the basic criterion of usable value of the structures has to be their accessibility for disabled persons. The implementation of the idea “barrier free design” need not be associated with construction of new special and additional facilities. Resistance against applying even simplest solutions is the result of lack of knowledge and interest as well as of organizational and administrative indolence.
