For many months the students from the JU Institute of Sociology interviewed women with physical, visual and auditory impairment, hoping that they would get to know and understand the problems encountered by handicapped people in their everyday life in Kraków. Not only did they talk, but the also tried to experience some of those difficulties first hand – they used public transportation while sitting in a wheelchair and telephoned various doctor's offices to inquire if they are accessible for handicapped patients.

One of the outcomes of their activity was a film screened on 29 January in the JU Auditorium Maximum. The projection was viewed by a numerous audience including handicapped people along with their friends and family and Kraków's city council members as well as non-government organization, higher education and cultural institution representatives.

The authors of the project did not limit themselves to merely describing the situation and explaining the reasons for the problems, which is unusual in sociology. "Usually the work of a sociologist does not exceed a certain point, but we wanted to change something," stated the project's coordinator, Dr Beata Kowalska from the JU Institute of Sociology. The research has shown that there are many more barriers left to break down in the city, though the situation is not identical in every case.

"On the one side of the spectrum there are institutions open to dialogue and suggestions. For instance, we managed to organise an audio-described film festival in the Kino Kika cinema. On the other side there is, for example, the healthcare system, where there is a lot of room for improvement," said Dr Kowalska.

In the film, both the students and the handicapped admit that working on it proved to be a very emotional experience. "This project has changed a lot of us," observed one of the students. One of the handicapped women that is using a wheelchair said that the project made her "come out of her shell" and she stopped being terrified of using public transportation.

The research also resulted in a report – advice on breaking the aforementioned barriers. Another result is a list of medical facilities in Kraków accessible for the physically impaired handicapped patients.

The Kraków without barriers? research project was a part of a larger endeavour, the aim of which is to assess the current state of the handicapped and developing a new social policy for them. This larger project is realised by the Faculty of Humanities of the AGH University of Science and Technology and financed by the National Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Fund.