At the beginning of December, the Christmas markets came to the WNS. As every year, it is possible to buy unique items made by adults with disabilities, who are wards of the Tricity organisations that run occupational therapy workshops.

The first day of the Christmas fair at WNS was opened by the Occupational Therapy Workshop ‘TRATWA’. Despite the relatively small size of their stall, the workshop's charges presented a wide range of their works: from ceramics, to cotton bags, Christmas decorations, magnets - to artistic jewellery. There promises to be more traffic on Wednesday when there will be even more exhibitors in the WNS lobby. We decided to take advantage of a quieter moment and talk to Ewa Zduńska, in charge of the team from ‘TRATWA’ at the fair.

Karolina Żuk-Wieczorkiewicz: - Christmas fairs with decorations made at occupational therapy workshops have become a kind of tradition at the University of Gdańsk. How long have you been organising them at our university?

Ewa Zduńska: - For about 20 years now. We host them twice a year: before Christmas and before Easter. At the Faculty of Social Sciences, we always try to be around Santa Claus.

- Why exactly in the Faculty of Social Sciences?

- I think it's the group of people who have the same sensitivity as us. This is an occupational therapy workshop, where we work with adults with various disabilities on a daily basis, and here we come into contact with future ‘sensitives’ and people who will work professionally in this field. Pedagogy, humanities and social sciences definitely fit in with our industry.

- I can see that the mentees also enjoy participating in the fair.

- There are 35 adults with disabilities in our workshop and all these items are made in the various workshops. However, it really is such an ‘icing on the cake’ to be able to contact the customer and receive a reaction to the finished goods. This is the greatest joy for our charges: when they can see that what they have been working on all year ends up in someone's home and makes someone happy. This is perhaps the greatest satisfaction.

‘Raft’ and other organisations running occupational therapy workshops will be hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences until 7 December and also on 11 December. Previously, the fairs were hosted by the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, the Faculty of Languages and the Faculty of History (in the building at 55 Wita Stwosza Street). On 9 and 10 December, Christmas decorations will be available for purchase at the UG Library.

Organisations participating in the Christmas fairs at the UG:

• Social Welfare Home for the intellectually disabled (Gdańsk)
• Occupational Therapy Workshop run by the Polish Association for the Mentally Disabled (Gdańsk)
• Occupational Therapy Workshops run by the Deaf and Blind Society (Gdańsk)
• Occupational Therapy Workshop ‘TRATWA’.
• Occupational Therapy Workshop run by the Foundation for Ecological Education and Health Promotion (Gdańsk)
• SPRAWNI INACZEJ’ Foundation (Gdańsk)