The European Business Network (EBN) presented on Thursday as part of their monthly breakfast presentation 'Work and employment of persons with disabilities' in Vilnius. The minister of Social Security Linas Kukuraitis, himself a former Lecturer of Social Work at Vilnius University was the keynote speaker. Jonas Ruškus, Professor at Vytautas Magnus University, a specialist in employment for disabled people and a member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the United Nations spoke about the situation of disabled people in Lithuania, the challenges and the progress made so far.
Although Lithuania is committed to improving the life of persons with disabilities and has made some progress after regaining independence, there is still a long road ahead before it reaches levels achieved in Canada, Britain, two countries that have a human right approach. Shifts in societal mentality, outdated classification procedures and a lingering Soviet legacy are some of the obstacles that the government needs to overcome to provide the weaker groups with a more meaningful existence.