Vilnius march urges lifelong support for people with disabilities

Participants in a march in Vilnius called for people with intellectual or multiple disabilities to have the right to live full lives, LRT reported. Organisers said families raising children with disabilities are overlooked in the government’s family support package, while participants also highlighted barriers to employment.

People with disabilities, their parents and social workers marched along Gediminas Avenue, a central street in the capital, to draw attention to the need for support throughout life. Organisers urged Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė to review services for people with disabilities according to age and ensure they are available across all stages of life.

One participant, Gediminas, said he was glad to have recently found work in construction, but that finding a job had been difficult. He said employers had rejected him because of his disability.

Birutė, a mother of a person with a disability, said more supported living arrangements and meaningful activities were needed for adults whose parents have died or can no longer care for them. Social workers also said their field faces staff shortages and low pay, with take-home salaries around 1,000 euros a month.

Ramunė Lebedytė-Undzėnienė, head of the Viltis association, said families raising children with intellectual disabilities need more help and understanding. The minister acknowledged that the range of services was not sufficient, but could not say whether the government would increase subsidies for businesses employing people with disabilities next year.

The ministry has frozen employment support funding for the next three years. More than 25 million euros a year is planned for subsidies and workplace adaptations. Non-governmental organisations say two-thirds of the 150,000 working-age people with disabilities are unemployed.