This article was written by Robin Loxton, and originally appeared in the edition of DABC’s Transition magazine, Following Their Path: How disability trailblazers are guiding today’s advocacy (Fall/Winter 2025).
Read the full edition in PDF format here and in text-only format here.
If you’re interested in contributing to Transition as an individual or an organization, please email transition@dabc.ca.
This edition of Transition Magazine is dedicated to the late Pamela Horton. Pam served on DABC’s board of directors for close to thirty years. If you’d like to support Transition, we have set up a fund in Pam’s name. We so appreciate any contributions.
The Advocacy Access program of Disability Alliance BC (DABC) officially opened in 1989, at then-BC Coalition of the Disabled. I was one of the first two advocates to be hired and I continued to work with the program until 2016.
Over those 27 years, there were many victories, setbacks, happy moments and frustrations. I don’t feel comfortable calling myself a “trailblazer,” but here are some reflections on our advocacy work back then and what I think is still important today.
My reasons for becoming a disability advocate had a lot to do with understanding that the onset of disability is most often life-changing. We face loss of income, the need to repeatedly “prove” we have a disability to qualify for benefits, and a confusing muddle of information about programs that may or may not help us. All this, on top of living with a disability, can become overwhelming.
Today, technology has opened doors for many of us in the disability community. With a smartphone or laptop, some of us can get the information we need in minutes. But with the good news there are a number of concerns. Navigating the internet can be a headache, especially if we are not familiar with computers. Misinformation can send us in the wrong direction because we cannot tell the difference between the real and the fake. And we still don’t know whether Artificial Intelligence will save or doom the world in years to come.
Back when I first started with Advocacy Access, there was no internet, if you can imagine. Personal computers were expensive and not widely used. We recognized the importance of accessible, community-based information on benefits programs, so we created help sheets on key programs. The help sheets are still being updated and expanded by the program, and can be downloaded free from the DABC website.
Our program was concerned when more applications went online. We began to hear about access issues from people with disabilities, including applications for disability benefits. For many people, these forms were not any easier to fill out or send in. Too often, I heard reports of people believing they had submitted an online application only to find out it was never received. And, yes, I agree with those who would rather talk to a person than a computer when you’re looking for help.
One thing that has become much worse since I was with DABC is the availability of family doctors. There is a shocking number of us who don’t have a doctor at all or don’t have one who knows us. Maybe you’re one of them.
This is not only a a huge problem because our health needs are not being met, but it also means we have no one to fill out the forms to get health-related benefits and services. Accessing telehealth is better than nothing, but this is not the same as having a doctor who knows you and your history. For those of us who have a family doctor, one of the last things a doctor wants to do is spend time filling out lengthy forms. Government needs to do a better job of streamlining application processes and information requests.
My greatest concern as a disability advocate is the threat of poverty that continues to face our community. Over the years, we advocated more or less constantly for the government to increase the disability benefit rates.
Yes, there has been some progress. There are higher earnings and asset exemptions, and we have the new federal Canada Disability Benefit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan and sporadic increases in provincial disability benefits. But the reality is, for many of us, our incomes do not come close to keeping up with the rising costs of living and living with a disability.
The gap between income and daily living costs becomes more obvious each year because of the high cost of housing in British Columbia. The maximum shelter allowance for a single person on disability assistance is $500 per month. The average rent in September 2025 for a studio apartment in BC is $1,784.
No wonder so many of us are fearful of homelessness.
Now more than ever we need organizations like DABC to follow the path the community has been building over the last few decades. We also need DABC as a provincial cross-disability voice at the provincial level. Individuals continue to need information, advice and help around disability programs. And organizations and individuals are forging paths to expand disability advocacy into social justice arenas and intersectional work.
The job of an advocate is never done.
After leaving DABC in 2016, Robin moved to the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Living in a small town, after many years of city life, has been an adjustment. But I have come to love the vitality of this community, and appreciate and support the many people who advocate for social justice.
Open: February 3, 2026 Closes: February 27, 2026 Location: Vancouver Category: Non-Profit Legal Job Type: Full-time Salary: $65,000
Who We Are
Since 1977, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. We are a non-profit, charitable organization that champion issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities. Our mission is to promote a more inclusive and equitable society for people with all disabilities through direct services, community partnerships, systemic advocacy, research, and publications. through our direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research and publications.
Program Description
The Disability Law Clinic (DLC) provides free, confidential legal services to people with disabilities across BC. We provide summary advice and representation on certain disability-related areas of law, including:
Human rights and discrimination, including disability-related complaints to the BC Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) and federal human rights agencies
Disputes about income support for people with disabilities, especially disability assistance from BC’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. The DLC works with DABC’s Advocacy Access program on appeals of Ministry decisions. The DLC also represents clients in applications for judicial review of certain administrative decisions
Questions or disputes related to decision-making rights, especially in cases where BC’s Public Guardian and Trustee or a court-appointed committee make decisions on behalf of a person
Questions about private long-term disability insurance benefits.
The DLC currently consists of three lawyers, a full-time legal advocate, a part-time intake worker and a part-time legal assistant. We are seeking a new articling student for 1 year, ideally starting in May 2026.
Job Description
Duties of the articling student position include:
representing clients in disability-related human rights complaints to the BC Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) and federal human rights agencies
representing clients in appeals to BC’s Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal (EAAT), in cases involving disputes about provincial government disability benefits
providing research support and helping the DLC’s staff lawyers to prepare applications for judicial review applications
providing summary advice to clients on a variety of legal issues
preparing research and briefing notes to support DABC’s ongoing systemic policy advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities
delivering public legal education sessions, workshops, and materials for people with disabilities and disability-related organizations.
Reviewing DABC’s helpsheets and other publications about government disability benefits, to ensure they are accurate and up to date, and developing new helpsheets in cooperation with DABC staff
Assisting with the intake process, including: responding to inquiries from the public, going through the intake process with prospective clients, triaging requests for assistance, and ascertaining what information is needed in order to determine if a potential claim has merit
Attending DABC staff meetings and community events.
The successful applicant must:
Have completed and graduated from law school before May 2026, and be eligible to article as per the requirements of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Have experience providing services to people with disabilities and/or advocating for disability justice and/or have lived experience with a disability
Have demonstrated alignment with DABC’s vision, mission and values, including DABC’s values of accountability, mutual support, reconciliation, accessibility and intersectionality: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/about-dabc/what-we-do/
Be technologically proficient with computers and computer programs, including Microsoft Office software specifically Excel, Word and Outlook.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with clients, members and staff across many diverse backgrounds
Have up-to-date internet infrastructure and dedicated internet access
Be legally allowed to work in Canada
The following are strong assets for this position:
Knowledge of administrative law and judicial review processes, including federal and provincial human rights law
Experience representing clients in administrative tribunals
You may be expected to work at home on two or three days per week, so the ability to work independently is important.
Experience working with people in crisis and familiarity with trauma-informed practice
Experience with Clio or other legal services or data file management software
Wages and Benefits
Salary: $65,000
DABC pays the student’s salary for the 12-month Law Society Admission Program as well as the cost of the mandatory Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC). This position offers the following benefits after a three-month probationary period:
15 days of paid vacation annually
18 days of paid sick leave annually
100% of the cost of extended health and dental care benefit premiums
2 weeks of paid time off during DABC’s annual holiday office closure in December
Employee wellness benefit
Working hours and location:
This position is a [hybrid/remote] position at 5 days a week, 8 hours per day (with a one-hour paid lunch break). The successful candidate may be required to work at the Downtown Vancouver office two to three days a week, and at home the rest of the time.
The position is located in downtown Vancouver, on the traditional, ancestral and stolen lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.
Commitment to Equity
DABC is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and equitable workplace which is representative of the community we serve. We welcome those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of inclusion, anti-ableism, anti-racism and reconciliation. Applications are encouraged from members of groups that are historically disadvantaged and underrepresented, including Indigenous persons, people of colour, and people of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities. People with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. Accommodations are available during the hiring process, upon request.
To Apply:
Please submit your application to Margery Pazdor, managing lawyer, Disability Law Clinic, margery@dabc.ca using the subject heading “Job Application Articling Position” and please include the following:
Resume
Cover letter
Law school transcripts
Contact for two references
Legal writing sample – max five pages (excerpt is fine)
Applications are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on February 27, 2026. DABC welcomes all applications, however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls, please.
This editorial was written by Christine Gordon, and originally appeared in the edition of DABC’s Transition magazine, Following Their Path: How disability trailblazers are guiding today’s advocacy (Fall/Winter 2025).
Read the full edition in PDF format here and in text-only format here.
If you’re interested in contributing to Transition as an individual or an organization, please email transition@dabc.ca.
This issue of Transition honours some of the trailblazers in the disability rights movement in British Columbia.
The movement is not very old–only a couple of generations–and it has struggled to redefine disability as a social rather than an individual problem, and to wrest control of the definitions of disability away from the medical domain and lodge them squarely in the political and economic world where they rightly belong.
What makes a trailblazer? Generally, it is the force of circumstance which is encountered by individuals who are not content to live within the constraints imposed upon them. Trailblazers always have a clear vision of what the world could be. They are ingenious problem-solvers and fearless advocates. They lead by example and by taking action. In most cases, they are reluctantly thrust into the spotlight because there is a vacuum to be filled and they heed the call. Authentic trailblazers are usually not self-promoters.
In this edition of Transition, Roger Jones reflects on some of the people that he regards as trailblazers, while downplaying his own contributions as a lightning rod for galvanizing new approaches to assistive technology, accessible transportation, individualized funding and economic development. Roger has been an ambassador of the disability movement to power brokers and entrepreneurs and has mentored a whole generation of young people.
Robin Loxton describes the evolution of DABC’s Advocacy Access program and forgets to mention that he was the glue that held everything together for 27 years. His expertise in the byzantine world of disability benefits was unmatched and he applied it tirelessly not only for the individuals that he served, but also in pursuit of systemic changes that would lift people with disabilities out of poverty.
This edition is dedicated to Pam Horton. Pam was a quiet person with steely determination who never said no to an opportunity to speak truth to power. She volunteered for more committees than anyone could dream of and she took every one of them seriously.
Monica Gärtner shares some of her story of living with a genetic disability and evolving as an advocate, writer and performer.
Dave Symington was an artist at heart and he found a way to use music and performance to redefine public perceptions of disability.
Heather McCain’s article describes many home-grown trailblazers converted by the force of circumstance and applying their moral compass and sheer determination to make change.
What can we do to celebrate trailblazers?
First, we must be thankful for their individual contributions and appreciative of their sacrifices.
Then we must recognize that trailblazing means exactly what it says: creating a path forward. If we don’t use a path then we will lose it. A trailblazer’s most fervent wish is to change the world. They demonstrate the power of individual action to do just that. Trailblazers also teach us about the value of persistence which in itself is a synonym for hope. Lasting change must be constantly reinforced at its roots and never taken for granted.
This edition is dedicated to Pam Horton. Pam was a quiet person with steely determination who never said no to an opportunity to speak truth to power.
All of the trailblazers featured in this Transition encouraged and built collective approaches to changing the world. They help us to focus on the fact that individuals, no matter how gifted, are not enough. Sustainable change lies within developing coalitions, associations, organizations and inviting people to join in.
During these troubled and dystopic times, trailblazers might urge us to double down on moral clarity, strategic ingenuity, fearless collective action and the power of the voice of lived experience.
Christine Gordon has had a lifelong commitment to ground-up community development, and law and policy reform that shifts traditional power balances.
In her work with Disability Alliance BC and other organizations, she coordinated the decade long reform of the Adult Guardianship laws, helped to develop the Provincial Respiratory Outreach Program and engineered the creation of Technology for Living. she also coordinated the Equipment and Assistive Technology Initiative, developed the CARMA program and the Right Fit program, initiated the Individualized Funding project and mentored the BC Persons with Aids Society.
She has been actively engaged in health care reform including the Healthy Communities movement, the design of the Medicare Protection Act and the deinstitutionalization of the George Pearson Centre.
Read "DABC's Trailblazing Advocate Looks Back", an article by Robin Loxton, which originally appeared in the edition of DABC’s Transition magazine, Following Their Path: How
This article was written by Robin Loxton, and originally appeared in the edition of DABC’s Transition magazine, Following Their Path: How disability trailblazers are guiding today’s advocacy (Fall/Winter 2025).
