by Łukasz Orylski
In memory of Slawek Besowski
When I was making research for my MA thesis about the political attitudes of disabled Polish citizens, I found information that a man from Poland, Slawomir Besowski is a member of the Board in Disabled People International Europe. It was my first occasion to contact Sławek. Unfortunately, I did not take this opportunity because I decided that I had enough data to finish my work. It was the year 2006. Ten years later, I lost my first paid job, and I wasn’t sure what I should do with my professional life. Somewhere on the Internet, I found information that Sławek is organizing a series of seminars about the rights of disabled persons in the context of human rights. The invitation was addressed to the disabled persons who don’t know much about the topic but would like to increase their knowledge. Although I was interested in the human rights approach to disability for a couple of years, I decided to apply. A couple of weeks later, I received a phone call from an unknown number. It was Slawek calling. He informed me that due to the restricted funds, he didn’t approve my candidature because he prefers less experienced persons to take part in the seminars. I responded that I could resign from the food organized for the participants and come to Warsaw with my sandwiches. I can also pay for the hotel ,but I have to participate! Hearing such a declaration, Slawek said he must think about it. One day after, he called me back. He said that he welcomes me on board, but as a “contribution”” I have to prepare a presentation about the history of the IL movement.
So did I. In early September 2016 I traveled from Poznan to one of the hotels in Warsaw to attend the first of the four seminars entitled “Human rights are our rights ‘. Upon the participants, I saw a man in a wheelchair in his fifties, with an athletic posture. I didn’t know that at this time, Slawek was the oldest wheelchair rugby player in Poland. Neither did I know that he had completed a course at the School of Human Rights – an institution widely known by NGO activists, especially during the nineties.
It was easy to “break the ice” with Slawek during the seminars. He openly talked with us, even about his airplane accident, as a consequence of which he became impaired. At the same time, Sławek was very engaged and demanding during the seminars. As one of the “homeworks” between the seminars, he obliged us to read the whole text of the CRPD in English and compare it with the Polish translation. For me, the most important moment was the meeting with Professor Adam Bodnar, the Polish Ombudsman during that time. Before this time, I had a feeling that personal assistance coherent with IL standards was a brilliant idea but impossible to introduce in Poland because of financial reasons. I also believed that small institutions are the maximum we can achieve in Poland for the same reason. During the seminars, Slawek has done many efforts to convince us that we should fight to achieve personal assistance guaranteed by a law act and full deinstitutionalization. In my case, he succeeded. So I followed him.
Although Slawek was about 25 years older than me, we quickly had a strong feeling of common views on disability and activism. That probably was why he invited me to join the Disability Human Rights Centre Poland (an ENIL member), which he has just funded. Slawek was very active in his advocacy work, especially from 2017 to his ultimate death. He participated in an NGO Expert Group that prepared an independent proposal of the DI Strategy. He was one of the consultors of the Polish Strategy for Support Persons with Disabilities. He was a member of a team that prepared the analysis concerning possibilities of implementation of the PA law into the Polish legal system as well as the analysis of the PA system and personal budget in the selected European countries. He coordinated translating the General Comments number 5,6 and 7 into Polish. He trained the civil servants working for the City of Warsaw and local disabled leaders in the area of CRPD. He was very active during the Annual Congresses of Persons with Disabilities and during the ENIL Regional Members Meeting in September 2018 in Warsaw. At the latter event, I saw him face to face for the last time. In all the work he has done, he was supported by his wife, Marta.
Slawek was very consequent in his human-rights approach to disability and the opposition against the “Convention in a name only” solutions. He was very distanced from the service providers outside the disability community as well as from mono-disability groups. To quote his own words, he disliked “the persons who would like to teach us, the disabled, how we should cry.” He had two biggest professional dreams. One was to replace all the 24h institutions with systems of support based on the local community. The other was the implementation of the PA law in Poland. He was very inspired by the Slovenian PA law. He prefers honesty over diplomacy. Even in my opinion, he often was too harsh to his opponents.
During the pandemic, we have seen each other only via the Internet. But it was also the time time of hard work. Thanks to Slawek, I have the first occasion to talk with Adolf Ratzka, Jamie Boling, and Kapka Panayotowa. There were months when I saw Slawek each day. Even my son, a three-year-old at that time, recognized him. Sławek also supported me during the dramatic moments in my private life. When we had more time, Slawek often told me some anecdotes from his professional or private life.
We were involved in another advocacy project when I was informed that Slawek had urgently passed away during his holidays on 27th August 2021. I didn’t have the opportunity to thank him for his friendship, sharing knowledge and experience. The only way for me to do it now is to continue his work.
