QUESTIONNAIRE LITHUANIA

EBU Questionnaire Survey on the situation of blind and partially sighted people
across the 27 EU Member States

September 2007

 

Name: Audra Jozėnaitė

Organisation: Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Visually Handicapped

Country: Lithuania

e-mail address: audra@lass.lt

Telephone number: +3705 2624866


1/ Benefits


1.1. Does your country have any form of benefits system/ allowance for blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

1.2. If yes, is this allowance sufficient or does it need to be increased ?
Answer Needs to be increased End answer


2/ Transport / Mobility

 
2.1. Does your country provide blind and partially sighted people with any form of assistance for access to public transportation?
Answer Yes End answer

2.2. If yes, in what form?
 

2.2.1. Facilities allowing a better accessibility of public transport for blind and partially sighted people:
Answer Yes End answer

2.2.2. Financial aid:
Answer Yes End answer

2.2.3. If yes, is this assistance available :
At reduced cost. Answer Yes End answer 
Free of charge. 
Other (please explain)
Don’t know
 


2.3. Are there any measures facilitating the mobility of blind of partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

 2.3.1 If yes, are they:

Financing of guide dogs.
Tactile paving. Answer Yes in very few places End answer
Provision of auditory means of communication. Answer Yes in largest towns of Lithuania End answer
Provision of auditory signals at crosswalks. Answer Yes End answer
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.
 


2.4. Concerning accessibility / transport in general, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
 Answer The greatest wish of blind people is remove barriers from the pedestrian area.
Tactile signs showing the crosswalks start. End answer


3/ Employment


3.1. Are private companies under any obligation to recruit a certain number of disabled people?
Answer Yes (but does not function) End answer

3.2. Are some jobs reserved in priority for:

3.2.1. Disabled people?
Answer Don’t know End answer

3.2.2. Blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Don’t know End answer


3.3. Are there any targeted wage subsidies or bonus for employers who recruit blind and partially sighted people?
Bonus.
Targeted wage subsidies. Answer  Yes End answer
 Answer  Other (explanation) Contributions for adaptation of working places and working environment.  End answer
Don’t know.


3.4. Does your country have sheltered workshops or any other kind of structure employing only blind and partially sighted people?
Answer  Yes: In Lithuania we have social enterprises for the blind End answer

3.5. Are there any other incentives in your country to facilitate blind and partially sighted people’s employment?
Answer  Don’t know  End answer


3.6. What is the situation with regard to the employment of blind and partially sighted women:
Under-employment. Answer  Yes   End answer
Discrimination in recruitment.
Discrimination in wages.
Don’t know.

3.7. Concerning employment in general, what kind of suggestion for improvement do you have?
Answer The new law on employment does not stimulate employment of persons having severe disability. There is a need to make greater distinction between the positive measures for persons having moderate and severe disability. End answer



4/ Education


4.1. Does your country have specialized schools for blind of partially sighted children?
Answer  Yes End answer

4.2. Is it possible for blind of partially sighted children to attend mainstream schools?
Answer Yes End answer

4.2.1. If yes, are there any support services for blind and partially sighted children?

Provision of books in Braille. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of Braille writing devices. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of adapted electronic devices.Answer Yes End answer
Support by specially trained teachers. Answer Yes End answer
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.



4.3. Can blind or partially sighted students at university benefit from some form of financial aid to purchase an adapted computer?
Answer Yes End answer


4.4. With regard to education in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer Greater access to information End answer



5. REHABILITATION CENTRES FOR BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE


5.1. Does your country have any rehabilitation centre for blind or partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer 


5.2. Concerning rehabilitation centres, what suggestions for improvement do you have?
Increase the number of centres.
Improve existing centres. 
Increase the capacity of the centre. Answer Yes End answer 
Improve the training of staff (auxiliary nursing staff, special education teacher …) Answer Yes End answer 
Modernise the methods of rehabilitation to daily life.  Answer Yes End answer
Modernise professional training. Answer Yes End answer 
Other (please explain)
Don’t know.


5.3. Have you noted any progress in these areas?
Answer  No (please explain) End answer

5.3.1. If no, did you notice a decline in the quality of the rehabilitation measures for blind and partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

 

6/ VOCATIONAL TRAINING


6.1. Does your country have a specialized vocational training centre for employed or unemployed blind and partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer

6.2. Can blind or partially sighted employed or unemployed people attend mainstream vocational training centres?
Answer Yes End answer

6.3. If yes, are there any support services for the blind and partially sighted?
Provision of books in Braille. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of Braille writing devices. Answer Yes End answer
Provision of adapted electronic devices. Answer Yes End answer
Support by specially trained teachers. Answer Yes End answer
Other (please explain)
Don’t know  

6.4. Have these measures been adopted since your country’s accession to the EU or did they exist before?
 Answer New End answer

6.5. With regard to vocational training in general, what kind of suggestions for improvement do you have?
Answer The old system of specialized vocational training under our Association’s system has been ruined and new system of vocational training of blind and partially sighted does not function yet. End answer
 


 

7. ACCESSIBILITY OF ICTs


7.1. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for blind people of all age categories:
At school. Answer Yes End answer
At university. Answer Yes. only some End answer
At work. Answer Yes End answer
At home.
What kind of support ? (Please explain)
Answer The system of provision of ICTs for blind and partially sighted people in Lithuania is undergoing great changes. Since January 2007 blind and partially sighted people can have ICTs from regional assistive technology centres.
As for ICTs for blind and partially sighted children in mainstream education much depends upon the persistence of teachers and parents. Some children can have ICTs, some not. End answer


7.2. Is it possible to obtain support for ICTs for partially sighted people of all age categories ?
At school. Answer Yes End answer
At university. Answer Yes some End answer
At work. Answer Yes End answer
At home.
What kind of support ? (Please explain)
Answer with the same limits as stated above End answer




8/ E-GOVERNMENT

 

8.1. How do you evaluate the accessibility of public websites (E-government; documents, forum, services, interactive pages, etc.)
Very good.
Good.
Answer  Medium.  End answer
Bad.
Very bad.
(Please explain): Answer  The greatest problem of those public websites which are accessible for blind people is the shortage of information in the version for disabled.
Many public websites, i.e. department of statistics still are not accessible for blind people. End answer


8.2. Is your government doing anything to make E-government websites accessible to blind and partially sighted people?
Answer Yes End answer
(Please explain): Answer The government provides subsidies to different public institutions to make E-government websites accessible to blind and partially sighted people. End answer




9/ EU INFLUENCE


9. Do you think that the EU has had a positive influence on the situation of blind and partially sighted people in your country ?
Answer Yes End answer
(Please explain): Answer No doubts: EU has had a positive influence on the situation of blind and partially sighted people in respect of social inclusion. End answer

 


10/ Finally, do you have any expectation with regard to your country’s belonging to the EU?


10. Do you have expectations with regard to:
Employment.
Education.                                                             Answer Yes End answer
Vocational training.                                              Answer Yes End answer
Rehabilitation centres.                                            
Transport / mobility.                                                
Accessibility of buildings and traffic lanes.        Answer Yes End answer
Access to information (accessibility of ICTs).   Answer Yes End answer
Financial support.
Gender equality.
Other (please explain)
 

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