A PhD holder with nonverbal autism named 2022 "Person Without Barriers"

The contest has been organised each year in the last two decades by Friends of Integration Association. Its goal is to promote people with disabilities whose dedication and social attitude motivate others to overcoming their own barriers.

This year's "Person Without Barriers" award went to Maciej Oksztulski, the only nonverbal autistic person in Poland who passed A-level exam and - thanks to the grades achieved in science contests - got enrolled into a university. He then wrote an M.A. thesis on the situation of autistic people Podlasie region job market, and later managed to get a PhD degree.

"I'm absolutely glad the society gets more involved - and with greater empathy - in the initiatives addressed to people with disabilites and austism," Oksztulski said when accepting the statuette.

He added that the words of admiration he was receiving were giving him hope in the success of future endeavours he would undertake for the benefit of people with autism spectrum disorder. "I will try with all my might, with God's help and support from kind people, to change the world for better," he stressed.

The title of "Person Without Barriers of Two Decades" was awarded to the late Piotr Pawłowski, a journalist and social activist, who dedicated 25 years of his life to work aimed at removing architectural, digital, social, and legal barriers that disabled people have to struggle with.

In 1982, Pawłowski broke his spine after jumping into the water and became fully paralysed. He created and was editor-in-chief of an information platform for people with disabilites - "Intergracja" magazine, niepełnosprawni.pl portal, and "Misja Integracja" TV show. He was also the originator of "Polska bez barier" programme.

Piotr Pawłowski's wife and current chairperson of Integration Foundation - Ewa Pawłowska - accepted the statuette and said that her husband "was changing the world with love, openness, gratitude, and goodness". "I would like to thank Piotr for getting to experience this goodness. I would like to thank the people I had the pleasure to meet thanks to Piotr, and to thank those who were involved - and still are - in this process of changing the world for better," she added.

An 18-year-old Miłosz Bronisz received the audience award for a blog on accessiblity he runs with his friend "Gosia i Miłosz testują Poznań" (Gosia and Miłosz Testing Poznań). The two visit bars, restaurants, cultural venues, and other interesting places in Poznań, and assess them with regards to accessibility to people on wheelchairs and with prostheses.

A sportsperson and runner with Down syndrome, Filip Walecki, received the audience award for sharing his training and running experiences on social media profile "Filip na 21-szym biegu" (Filip on the 21st gear).

For the first time in the history of the contest, a "Young Person Without Barriers" award was granted. It went to 16-year-old Jan Gawroński, a social activist who addresses issues important for people with autism spectrum disorder. In September this year, he launched yet another social campaign "Autism-friendly School", for the first time under the auspices of Poland's Commissioner for Human Rights Marcin Wiącek.

Three other persons were awarded at the event: Agnieszka Filipkowska - a local councillor from Gliwice who is fighting to make her city more accessible, sportsperson Krzysztof Stern, and rally driver Bartosz Ostałowski.

The "Person Without Barriers" award contest has been inititiated in 2003 by "Integracja" magazine, to mark the the European Year of People with Disabilities. The contest formula has been extended in 2011 by the audience award - readers of niepelnosprawni.pl portal and "Integracja" magazine. The special award is being granted since 2012, whereas the prize for internet personalities - since 2016.