Hi Maureen,

The May BC Communities Ending Poverty CoP hosted Dr. Mike Prescott from the Disability Alliance of BC to discuss the Accessible Organizations Project – from resources available to challenges and key factors of success as local governments and organizations across BC move towards collaborative implementation of requirements inherent to the Accessible BC Act – including establishing a committee, developing a plan, and creating a public feedback mechanism. Representatives from Penticton, the Comox Valley Regional Social Planning Society, and Cranbrook shared their experiences so far.

You can now access the recording (Passcode: 8p1=gQzz ) and PowerPoint presentation from the call.

Key Takeaways

• Disability Alliance of BC acts as a conduit between legislation and available resources

  to help communities and organizations meet conditions outlined in the BC Disabilities Act.

•  

  Communities can embed accessibility and inclusion as a way of being innovative, finding new ways to address existing challenges; focusing on shared challenges creates a strong foundation for the work.
• Important to have a positive vision, start with community strengths, build relationships and meaningful engagement with people with disabilities from the start, and ensure this can be sustained over time.

• Resort Municipality of Whistler and the City of Surrey are two examples of communities leading the work, embedding accessibility into the 'DNA' of the organization.

•  

  Penticton formed a Committee of City Council Task Force to ensure both capacity and a direct link between the City and community - understanding engagement takes time, they are 'developing a plan to create a plan'.
• Comox Valley Social Planning Society is working with communities across the region to avoid duplication; also working with SPARCBC to conduct accessibility audit, exploring the use of apps to aid with accessibility planning.
• Wayfinding (the challenge of getting from point A to point B) is one of the most important things communities can start with when it comes to accessibility planning.

Featured Opportunities 

WEBINAR | MAY 24 10 am - 11 am PT - Building Sustainable Collaborations - Stories of Building and Restructuring 

WEBINAR | JUNE 21 10 am - 11 am PT - Authentically Sharing Power with Youth

SERIES | The End of Poverty Pathways - Publication, Podcast, Online Course

OPPORTUNITY | Join Tamarack's Communities Ending Poverty network - Learn more or reach out to Jill for further information!

Thank you to everyone who attended. Our next call will be July 18 - TBD - please reach out if you have a topic to explore!

Best,

Jill Zacharias (she/her)

BC Manager of Growth and Impact - Communities Ending Poverty
Vibrant Communities - Tamarack Institute

250.814.3875
www.tamarackcommunity.ca

Settler on the traditional land of four nations:  the Sinixt, the Ktunaxa, the Secwepemc and the Syilx.