At DABC, we strive to build ongoing relationships with external stakeholders, other organizations, and the larger community through direct service, educational outreach, advocacy, and research. We recognize that in order to have successful and meaningful community engagement we have to build and maintain these relationships on a foundation of trust, compassion, respect and equitable practices. We commit to fostering meaningful connection with people across communities, sectors and disciplines to cultivate a genuine interconnected network working together towards accessibility, equity and inclusion for people with disabilities across British Columbia. 

The principles below will guide our practices in initiating, sustaining and meaningfully contributing to our community engagement. This document is used in combination with our guiding principles in order to govern the work that we do.  

Respect 

We treat everyone with respect in all aspects of community engagement and expect the same treatment for our staff, members and community. We take account of and value the diversity inherent in our own communities. We are guided by principles of intersectionality, accessibility, inclusion, decolonization, human rights, diversity, and equity.  

Openness to Learning 

We listen to and learn from the perspectives and needs of our community members and partner organizations and respond accordingly. We strive to take an intersectional approach to the work we do. 

Equity 

We recognize the impact of structural inequities, and strive to provide parity in access, opportunity and resource distribution to all community members. We will encourage and support all organizations we collaborate with to hold a high standard for equitable and accessible practices. We commit to holding ourselves and our partnerships accountable to our impact on our communities. 

Transparency 

We strive to be open and clear about our processes, sponsors, donors, outcomes and goals. We committed to being open with our community to build a relationship of trust in the work that we do. We commit to valuing transparency and making appropriate referrals for our clients. We value feedback from our clients regarding our referrals and supporting organizations within our community.  

Reciprocity 

We promote a culture of participation within our organization and communities to ensure ongoing support between partnerships that we create in order to promote reciprocal and sustainable action.