Polish Society for Rehabilitation of the Disabled – over 60 years of activity for people with disabilities

The paper presents the origins and development of the Polish Society for Re­ha­bilita­tion of the Disabled (PTWK) focused on key activities. Organizing the local structures was shown on the example of Gorzów Wielkopolski. The paper was prepared based on the methodology of historical research. The author studied historical sources, normative acts, press, reports, memoirs and oral accounts, and available literature. So far Henryk Wasz­kowski has written a few articles on the origin and development of the Polish Society for Rehabilitation of the Disabled. This paper uses such research methods as analytical, synthetic, comparative, inductive and deductive. The processes were based on existing sources and in-depth analysis of the subject. The facts have been verified repeatedly and in several stages. Even though PTWK has undergone transformations over the sixty years of its existence, the motto "the best cure is movement and activity" always stay valid. The organization has been important in the promotion and development of rehabilitation, physical recreation, tourism for people with disabilities, as well as in the education and training of professionals. The activities carried out at the level of the regional branches in the following decades responded to the needs of the local communities. The activity guaranteed the various needs of people with disabilities.