Thank you to Rasa Rudaitienė who is a PhD student and Social Inclusion and Leadership Research Laboratory member at Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania and has written this blog post reflecting on her Short-Term Scientific Mission. Her research focuses on social inclusion, career participation, and disability studies and she is an active participant in the BOPALIM and COCAG COST actions as well as a member of the PSGENEQ gender equality project.

One of the greatest strengths of the COST Action COCAG network is its ability to bring together researchers from different countries to discuss career issues that extend beyond national contexts. My recent Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at Universiti Sains Malaysia was an excellent example of how international collaboration can create space for recent ideas and critical dialogue.

During the STSM, I worked with colleagues to develop the foundations of a joint review paper on career accessibility for persons with disabilities, comparing perspectives from Lithuania and Malaysia.



Rather than focusing only on individual career development, our discussions explored career accessibility through a critical lens, asking how institutional structures, social policies, labor markets, and cultural contexts shape career opportunities for people with disabilities.

Although Lithuania and Malaysia differ in their welfare systems, labor markets, and policy environments, many of issues proved to be surprisingly similar. Across both contexts, questions emerged about inclusion, equal opportunities, accessibility, and the extent to which career systems respond to structural inequalities.

One of the most valuable outcomes of the STSM was opportunity to exchange perspectives across different cultural and academic contexts. Critical discussions with colleagues challenged assumptions, highlighted alternative interpretations of career accessibility, and demonstrated how comparative research can deepen our understanding of contemporary caree

📌 From Lithuania to Malaysia: Building Critical Conversations on Career Accessibility (Cuttack)
🏢 Critical Perspectives on Career and Career Guidance (COCAG)
📍 Cuttack