QUESTIONNAIRE LITHUANIA

EBU Questionnaire Survey on the education, vocational training and rehabilitation of blind and partially sighted women across the 27 EU Member States

September 2008

 

Name: Audra Jozenaite

Organisation: Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Visually Handicapped

Country: Lithuania

e-mail address: audra@lass.lt

Telephone number: +3705 2624866

I. Attendance to special or mainstream schools


1. - Is it possible for blind and partially sighted children to attend special schools in your country?
Answer Yes End answer

 
2. Is it possible for blind and partially sighted children to attend mainstream schools in your country?
Answer Yes End answer

 If No, please explain:

 


3. - In case there are both special and mainstream schools do the majority of visually impaired girls attend (Please tick one of the following):

Special schools.
Mainstream schools Answer Yes End answer
Don’t know 
No information or statistics available in my country
Please explain:


4. – Do male and female pupils and students in practice have the same rights and opportunities to access the education system at all levels?
 Answer No End answer

 5. – Do female pupils and students receive in special education adequate support measures among the following:
- Books in Braille or large print                                  Answer Yes End answer
- Recorded texts                                                          Answer Yes End answer
- Braillers                                                                      Answer Yes End answer
- PCs with speech synthesizers or Braille display  Answer Not always End answer
- Texts in electronic format                                         Answer sometimes End answer
- Financial support                                                      Answer Yes End answer
- Support teachers                                                      Answer Yes End answer
- Assistants at home                                                   Answer No End answer
- Other (explanation)


6. - From your point of view, is this support in special education equally available to blind and partially sighted boys and girls?
Answer Yes End answer

If no, please explain

7. – Do female pupils and students receive in mainstream education adequate support measures among the following:

- Books in Braille or large print                                 Answer Yes End answer
- Recorded texts                                                         Answer No End answer
- Braillers                                                                     Answer Yes End answer
- PCs with speech synthesizers or Braille display  Answer No End answer
- Texts in electronic format                                        Answer No End answer
- Financial support                                                     Answer Yes End answer
- Support teachers                                                     Answer No End answer  
- Assistants at home                                                 Answer Yes End answer  
- Other (explanation)
 


8. - From your point of view, is this support in mainstream education equally available to blind and partially sighted boys and girls?
Answer yes End answer

If no, please explain Answer Generally, support is not enough End answer

9. – From your point of view and experience are the teachers of blind and partially sighted women and girls qualified enough?
Answer  No End answer

If no, please explain Answer  The teachers working in the two special schools are experienced enough, though not in all fields (like body language, sexual education) but generally there is lack of experienced special teachers working in mainstream schools. End answer

 

II. Comparison between female and male pupils and students


10. – Do female pupils and students in practice have the same opportunities to participate in the general education system on an equal basis with male pupils and students?
Answer  Yes End answer
No information/statistics available in my country
Don’t know


11. – Which qualifications do the majority of blind and partially sighted women have (Please tick one of the following)?
- Primary school level 
- Secondary School level
- Vocational training courses
- University level
- Postgraduate level
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know
- Other (Please explain) Answer  It is a difficult question to answer. If we take the older women category, the majority women have only primary education. For the younger generation it is very different. The greatest majority have secondary school level and every year more and more young low vision girls strive for the higher education. End answer

12. – Do blind and partially sighted women access the academic career on an equal basis with blind and partially sighted men?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know

If no, please explain.  Answer  Our observation is that though every year more and more young visually impaired girls enter universities, they less seldom access academic caree then males. End answer

 

III. Physical education

13. – Is it possible for blind and partially sighted girls to participate in physical education classes on an equal basis with non disabled girls?
Answer  No End answer
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know

14. - Is it possible for blind and partially sighted girls to participate in physical education classes on an equal basis with their blind and partially sighted male peers?
Answer  No End answer
- No information available in my country
- Don’t know

15. – Are there specific services, centres or courses for sports activities aimed at a better awareness of the potential and physical skills of visually impaired women?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know

16. – Are there any courses for visually impaired women aimed at acquiring a proper posture and adequate body language?
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain: Answer  The Lithuanian Association of the blind and visually Handicapped had organized the first course on body language this year, but that was the first project of this kind. End answer

IV. Rehabilitation


17. – Do blind and partially sighted women access rehabilitation services and centres on an equal basis with blind and partially sighted men?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain:Answer  At the moment in Lithuania rehabilitation services system is being reorganized, though we believe the new system will not discriminate blind and partially sighted women End answer
 

18. – Do blind and partially sighted girls attend specific daily living courses?
Answer  Yes but only in special schools End answer
- Don’t know

19. – Are there any personal care/look-good/makeup courses?
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If yes, please specify

 


V. Reproductive health education


20. – Do young blind and partially sighted women have the opportunity to attend general and specific sexual education and is it possible for them to get information and training materials in accessible format?
Answer  Yes End answer
- Don’t know

 


VI. Music education


21. – As music education is highly formative for everybody and playing a musical instrument facilitates integration, do women have the opportunity the opportunity in your country to access music education either as amateurs or as professionals?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know


22. – Are there any visually impaired women who teach music education?
- In special schools Answer  Yes  End answer
- In mainstream schools Answer  Yes  End answer
If no, please explain.


23. – Are there any blind or partially sighted women who have established themselves as concert performers?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
 

VII. Other training courses


24. – Have there ever been any leadership courses, neuro-linguistic programming courses or public speaking courses open to or mainly targeted at blind and partially sighted women?
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know

25. – Are these courses:
- organised regularly
- never organised Answer  Yes  End answer
- organized but women did not participate

26. – Who offers these training courses?
- mainstream services
- special services for blind and partially sighted persons?
 


VIII. Vocational training centres


27. – Are there any special vocational training centres carrying out courses for blind and partially sighted women?
Answer  No End answer

28. – Is it possible for blind and partially sighted women to attend vocational training courses in mainstream facilities?
Answer  Yes  End answer

29. – Do those attending vocational training courses receive texts/notes/handouts in accessible formats?
Answer  Yes  End answer

30. – Are blind and partially sighted women supported by specialized staff?
- At school Answer  Yes End answer
- At university Answer  No End answer
- At vocational training centres Answer  Yes  End answer
- Other (please explain)
 

IX. Access to information


31. - Do visually impaired women have access to new technologies and information on an equal basis:

- with visually impaired men
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know

- with non disabled persons
Answer  No End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country


32. – Do blind and partially sighted women get technical aids in order to access information? :
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know


If yes, where is it offered?
- At school Answer  Yes  End answer
- At university Answer  Yes  End answer
- At work Answer  Yes  End answer
- At home
Other (please, specify)


33. – If yes, what kind of support is received? (Please explain) Answer  Braillers, special software, reading book devices, etc.  End answer
 

 


X. Mobility and transport


34. - From your point of view, do blind and partially sighted girls and
women benefit from special support facilities/concessions when travelling to school or university?
Answer  Yes  End answer

If yes, what kind of support?
- Financial aid
- Reduced fares on public transport for them Answer  Yes End answer
- Reduced fares on public transport for their accompanying persons Answer  Yes End answer
-Taxis Free-of-charge
- Permanent personal assistant
- Special transport for disabled people
 Other (Please explain)

 

35. – Do blind and partially sighted women have the same level of mobility independence as blind and partially sighted men?
- No
Answer  No information/statistics available in my country End answer 
- Don’t know
If no, please explain:Answer  It is only general observation that partially sighted men have greater level of mobility  End answer 


36. - When travelling to school, university or training courses blind and partially sighted women mainly move (Please tick one of the following):
Answer  Accompanied by a family member End answer
- Alone, with a white cane
- With a guide dog
- With a GPS and a white cane
- With a GPS
- Accompanied by paid staff
Answer  Accompanied by a volunteer End answer


XI. E.U. impact

37. – Do you think that the European Union has had any impact on the status of blind and partially sighted women in your country?
Yes, a positive impact
Yes, a decisive impact
Please explain your choice

No impact
Please explain

Yes, but a negative impact
Please explain

Don't know
Answer  No information available   End answer
Other (please explain)


38. – To sum up, do you think that education, vocational training and rehabilitation in your country are carried out along the lines of the dictates of the equal opportunities policy?
Answer  Yes End answer
- No information/statistics available in my country
- Don’t know
If no, please explain


39. – Do you have any expectations with regard to (Please tick one or more of the following):

Answer  Education End answer
Answer  Vocational training End answer
Answer  Leadership and Capacity Building courses End answer
Answer  Mobility End answer
Answer  Access to information End answer
Other (please explain)

 

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