Poland's Accessibility Certificate — Linking Digital, Architectural & Information Accessibility to a Disability-Fund Discount

Poland's Act of 19 July 2019 on ensuring accessibility for people with special needs (Ustawa o zapewnianiu dostępności osobom ze szczególnymi potrzebami) created, under Article 15, a voluntary accessibility certificate that in a single audit covers all three accessibility dimensions defined in Article 6 of the law: architectural, digital, and information-communication accessibility — rather than treating digital accessibility as a separate track.
Certification is carried out only by independent bodies formally accredited under a March 2021 ministerial regulation and listed in a public registry; the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy publishes and periodically updates the list of certified entities. A certificate is valid for four years, and — distinctively — certified entrepreneurs become entitled to reduce their mandatory contribution to PFRON, the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, down to 5%, directly linking accessibility investment to a financial incentive.
Uptake has been modest: the Ministry's own published registry lists 29 certified entities as of August 2026, starting from the first certificate issued in October 2022 to a health resort hospital (Kolejowy Szpital Uzdrowiskowy) in Ciechocinek — meaning fewer than 30 organisations nationwide had certified in almost four years of the scheme being live. The certificate design is genuine and its incentive structure notable, but its real-world reach so far is limited relative to Poland's public and private sector.

Read the full analysis: https://funduszeunijne.gov.pl/strony/o-funduszach/fundusze-europejskie-bez-barier/dostepnosc/ustawa/certyfikacja-dostepnosci/