4th March 2026
According to data from the National Audit Office, at the beginning of 2025 around 80 % of buildings in Lithuania were still not accessible for people with disabilities. The public believes this should change – almost 8 out of 10 residents agree that public spaces should be made accessible, even if it is expensive. These attitudes were revealed in a survey commissioned by the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson.
Toilets remain a problem
The survey also showed that 77 % of respondents agree that toilets in public places – such as cafés, shopping centres, gas stations, or cinemas – should be made accessible for people with disabilities.
According to Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson Birutė Sabatauskaitė, this remains a persistent issue: “We have received several complaints about public places that do not have toilets suitable for people with disabilities, most often cafés and restaurants. In shopping centres, people with disabilities face other difficulties – accessible toilets are installed, but they are often locked. In such cases, people must look for shopping centre staff, call the indicated phone numbers, or use video intercoms through which employees are supposed to determine whether a person actually has a disability.”
The Ombudsperson emphasises that not all disabilities are visibly apparent, and such procedures for accessing toilets undermine a person’s dignity and limit their independence.
The Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson has repeatedly issued recommendations to various service providers that accessible toilets for people with disabilities should not be locked. If this is unavoidable, easy and quick unlocking must be ensured.
Greater support among women
The latest data also show gender differences: women in Lithuania more often than men support adapting public spaces and workplaces for people with disabilities, particularly when it comes to toilet accessibility. 82 % of women and 71 % of men support the need for accessible toilets.
“Different assessments may be related to everyday experiences. Women more often take care of small children or other relatives, and they also more frequently encounter inaccessible infrastructure when moving with strollers or accompanying family members. It can be assumed that for these reasons they are more sensitive to the consequences of an inaccessible environment,” says B. Sabatauskaitė.
Difficult to imagine living independently
When asked whether a person who unexpectedly acquired a disability (for example after an injury) could live independently in Lithuania, more than half (51 %) of respondents answered – only partially. Another 35 % believe that independent living would be difficult or impossible.
“We see that society understands the gaps in services, infrastructure, and the organisation of support. Paradoxically, there are still people who do not believe that making the environment suitable for people with disabilities is necessary,” says B. Sabatauskaitė. According to her, strategic attention from the government is also needed to ensure the accessibility of various public services, including those located in cultural heritage buildings.
The report of the Commission for the Monitoring of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities reflects public opinion – independent living in Lithuania is still not systematically ensured. Community services are lacking, often limited in scope or insufficiently individualised, and some people with disabilities remain dependent on the assistance of relatives or live in care institutions.
The representative survey of Lithuanian residents was conducted on December13–22, 2025, by Spinter tyrimai. A total of 1,01 people aged 18 and over were interviewed.