Poland's Road to Freedom.
Atlas for the blind and partially sighted

POLISH TIFLOGRAPHY

Foundation of the Polish Blind and
Blind and partially sighted "Trakt" Foundation

WARSAW 2021

ISBN 978-83-959377-4-3

PUBLISHING SERIES: POLSKA TYFLOGRAFIA NO. 17

Authors: Józef Mendruń, Mariusz Olczyk

Editorial team: Piotr Komoda (Chairman of the Team), Izabela Galicka, Stanisław Kasperec, Paweł Miąsik, Mariusz Olczyk, Ryszard Sitarczuk

Tiflocartography: Mariusz Olczyk (www.tyflomapy.pl)

Author of historical texts and map consultant: Krzysztof Gutowski

Layout, typesetting of text: Agnieszka Stachyra

Content and language editing: Stanisław Kasperec

Proofreading: Maria Urszula Kasperec

HTML version editing: Sylwester Orzeszko

Printing of colour and relief maps: Zakłady Graficzne S.C. Halina Bartoszek, Piotr Kalusiński 3 Olsztyńska Street, 63-400 Ostrów Wielkopolski

Braille book and brochure printing: P.H.U. Impuls Ryszard Dziewa, ul. Powstania Styczniowego 95d/2, 20-706 Lublin

Publisher: Foundation of the Polish Blind and Visually Impaired Trakt",
www.trakt.org.pl
al. Bohaterów Września 9 lok. 104, 00-973 Warsaw

WARSAW 2021

ISBN 978-83-959377-4-3

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Józef Mendruń - was born on 14 November 1939 in the village of Borki Wielkie near Tarnopol. As a child he almost completely lost his sight due to an unexploded shell. He graduated from primary school in Laski, obtained a journeyman's diploma in the weaver's profession, and in 1968 received a master's degree at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Warsaw.

After his studies, in 1969 he started to work at the Department of Rehabilitation of the Main Board of the PZN as an instructor for the newly blind. From 1970 he was the head of the Warsaw District of the PZN, and from 1974 he was the head of the Tyflological Department of the Main Board. He served as manager and director of the Association, twice as Secretary General.

He was active in many Polish and international associations for people with disabilities. In 1991, he founded the Deaf and Blind Aid Society and in 2005, together with other funders, the Polish Blind and Visually Impaired Foundation "Trakt".

In 2000, he was awarded the Anne Sullivan Medal. He raised generations of people committed to working for the visually impaired community. A completely ordinary and at the same time extraordinary man, whose achievements could be shared by many people. The projects carried out for many years at the "Trakt" Foundation, addressed to children, schoolchildren and adults, disseminating knowledge in a modern information society - these are the statutory objectives which will be pursued in the coming years in accordance with the idea which was the basis for the establishment of the Foundation - the idea of helping the blind and visually impaired, and to which Józef Mendruń devoted his entire professional life.

He died on 26 January 2021.