The most important thing is to understand that the world is ready and can accommodate everyone. By learning to accept, we will be able to overcome the completely natural fear of otherness. After all, people with intellectual disabilities love, feel, and experience emotions just as much as we do. It’s time to help them reach higher for new opportunities by saying out loud “I am”. Just like you and me,” explains Małgorzata Bulczak, President of the Ja Samo Foundation, which on a daily basis is looking for solutions that allow for the dignified inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in adult life.

By saying “I Am Too” we open up to the world faster?

The idea for an open approach to intellectual disability was born during my stay in Switzerland. I saw the great maturity of that society and the active involvement of the business community in activities supporting the work of people with disabilities.

As part of donations?

Giving work. Companies outsource simple works to people with disabilities, which can be done on the premises of the commissioning company or in a foundation that supports the work of the people in their care. Stamps are a good example. After all, they can be easily printed on envelopes, but Swiss entrepreneurs are convinced that measurable help is more important than automation. Companies find and offer easy jobs that they outsource to people with disabilities through foundations. They are paid for their work, because the society wants people with disabilities not to end up on the streets, but to feel part of a given community, being sure that their work is needed and that they are socially useful.

Did a spark of inspiration help to instill the idea in the Polish reality?

I thought that the most important thing was to change my thinking. The old state of affairs makes us beggars when we try to help people with disabilities, and this is how we are often perceived by business.

Why?

We go around and ask, and it is customary for everyone to avoid us as much as they can, assuming that it is the duty of the state to take care of foundations and people with disabilities. Companies prefer to make an in-kind donation rather than money. However, in order to build jobs, we don’t need chocolates, books or puzzles, we need money and orders from business. For me, this is a clear signal that it is high time for a change.

How did you start?

When we started the Foundation, we focused on supporting parents, providing the best therapy and education. We focused on these activities with the conviction that there is no need to boast about them. It turned out that as long as we are not visible, we cannot count on the 1% and the active approach of business. So I decided it was time to make ourselves visible. The groundbreaking first step is the ball, which will kick off the #jestem campaign.

What does it mean?

I’m here and I’m alive. Each of us can say that we are here and now. This is a sense of the uniqueness of the moment. We want to speak out about our children, showing that the otherness of a person with Down syndrome does not interfere with anything. They love as we do, they rejoice, they grieve, they experience events. They are social people, cordially disposed towards others, focused on contact with other people. Fear of the other, the unknown, causes society to push them to the margins. Through our activities, we want to emphasize their capabilities, supported independence, and at the same time what they can give to the society both through work and personal contact.

Will it be possible to change the thinking of entrepreneurs?

That’s what I’m hoping for, but I see the goal much more broadly. At the same time, the consciousness of their peers must be changed. They are the ones who will create the future world of work and approaches to engaging people with Down syndrome. The action itself will #Jestem take place on the international day of Down syndrome. Twenty-one lectures on the first day of spring, showing that people with Down syndrome love their lives as much as we do. This year, we decided that we did not want to take part in an action that could be described as a kind of manifesto. We want to start talking and showing school students who people with Down syndrome are

Where will the lectures take place?

The heart of the event will be the Centre for Rare Diseases. The remaining twenty meetings will be held in schools and universities. By definition, their content will be the same and the execution will be similar. We are thinking about workshops so that each of us can feel in the skin of such a person.

What will happen at the ball?

At the ball, we are raising funds to equip our new therapeutic and educational center, where we plan to set up a kindergarten, expand therapy and education, as well as start broader activities of supported work, which is why an important element of the ball is a charity auction, the funds from which are allocated entirely for this purpose. On 2 February, at the Shakespeare Theatre, invited guests will have the opportunity to bid on unique items.

Why theatre?

Because our pupils work in the service of the spectators. They have been given a great professional opportunity and we are happy to see that they are fulfilling their duties fantastically. Initially, it astonished the viewers, but now our “I am” turns out to be completely natural.

What will you be able to bid on, among other things?

All-day rental of the prestigious Sky Club in Olivia Business Centre with the care of the supervising team. This is a treat, because the luxurious space at the top of the Olivia Tower building is a place greatly appreciated by entrepreneurs. It allows you to organize meetings and conferences for 120 people. Another interesting proposition is participation in the Business Sailing League regatta in 2019 as a crew member on the Olivia Business Centre yacht, whose navigator will be Mateusz Kusznierewicz. The winner will be able to choose any round of the competition and participate in the regatta throughout the day, as one of four crew members. The sea adventure will begin with theoretical training, then preparation for the regatta, then a series of 6 races, and finally a summary, award ceremony and a joint dinner.

_{The mission of the Foundation for Development Support “Me Too” is all activities for the development, education and social integration of children, adolescents and adults with developmental and functioning disorders, in particular people with Down syndrome. More about the foundation}