The concept of entreprezeneurship skills of disabled persons

Entrepreneurship skills are emphasized as one of the strategic aims of the development of human potential in European Union. The concept of entrepreneurship in European documents is twofold: in a broad sense it is understood as personal initiative, creativity and responsibility, and more specifically – as an ability to initiate and develop one’s enterprise. The article presents a research which was aimed at exploring a structure of entrepreneurship skills of disabled persons, as it is perceived by 4 groups of respondents: teachers, parents of pupils with special needs, representatives of open labor market of Lithuania (employers), and experts from France. These four groups have completed questionnaires/scales that consisted of a number of personal, social and pre-vocational skills – each of them had to be assessed in a 5 point scale. Results allowed identifying a hierarchical order of the most relevant skills which respondents associated with a person’s ability to enter and successfully participate in the labor market. The research revealed, that teachers mostly focused on pupil’s ability to be a member of community, parents concentrated on personal features of their child, while employers, as well as foreign experts, emphasized working abilities. The unfolded structure of expected entrepreneurship skills of a disabled person implies some adjustments in educational programs in order to develop initiative, responsibility and other features, which constitute the competence of entrepreneurshipVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij