The Rights of the disabled
ENDisability is the long term impairment of health, originated out of the disorders of the body state and functions as well as the interaction of the unfavorable environment factors, reduction of the possibilities of participation in public life, also the reduction of the activity possibilities. The disabled have the same rights as other members of the society. They are provided with the same opportunities for education, work, spending the leisure time, participation in the public, political and community life. The special measures improving the situation of the disabled are provided only in cases when the mentioned conditions and measures are not effective. The legal situation of the disabled persons in Lithuania is regulated by approximately 70 legal acts of general and special nature. The provisions of social integration of the disabled are included into all main legal acts, regulating the health care, pensions, social services, social assistance benefits, prescription of compensatory technique, prosthesis and surgical assistance, transportation privileges, education, environment adjustment and other issues. During 2002–2004 the legal base for the implementation of the rights of the disabled persons was supplemented by the very important laws and other legal acts: by the new wording of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the Social Integration of the Disabled, the Activity Plan for the Year of the Disabled in Lithuania, approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania by the Decision No. 159 as of 3 February 2003, the Strategy of the Supply of the Technical Assistance Means for the Disabled during 2004–2010, approved by the Order No A1-114 as of 30 April 2004 of the Minister of Social Protection and Labor, the Rules of the Establishment of Special Needs and the Terms for the Meeting of Them, approved by Resolution No A1-283 of the Minister of Social Protection and Labor on 17 December 2004 as well as others.“The National Social Integration Programme of the Disabled for 2003–2012” (hereinafter referred to as Programme) approved by Resolution No 850 as of 7 June 2002 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania has the long-term programme effect for the implementation of the rights of the disabled. To sum it up what has been stated above, the conclusion may be drawn that the proper legal base regulating the rights of the disabled has been formed in Lithuania corresponding to the economic possibilities of the state and seeking to ensure the needs of the disabled. However, the importance of its improvement still remains in the agenda of the state. First of all, it is important to achieve that all legal acts regulating the public life would consolidate the rights of the disabled, provide the safeguarding guarantees. Moreover, the legal acts need to define the responsibility of different management levels (state, districts and municipal) for the implementation of the rights of the disabled, to coordinate the functions of all these institutions as well as to ensure the inter-institutional cooperation. The mentioned requirements are provided in the mentioned Programme as well as Measures for its implementation. The attitude of the citizens to the situation of the disabled in Lithuania is quite a critical one. The results of the sociologic research carried on 8 June 2003 showed that Lithuanian citizens positively evaluated the certain improvement of the protection of the rights of the disabled. However, the majority of them think that the general situation of the disabled is bad. The main unsolved issues are as follows: bad employment possibilities and conditions for the disabled; especially huge inconveniencies in the public transport; insufficient medical care and other. The absolute number of people approves the fact that the state should allocate more means for the improvement of the situation of the disabled from the state budget [p. 257-258].
