Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for Fall Fling 2018; we greatly appreciate your support of DABC’s work! This was a special gala as we were also celebrating Jane Dyson’s legacy and retirement, and we were pleased to see you all there.

At the gala, we played a video tribute to Jane featuring interviews from some of the people who’ve worked with her over her 20 years at DABC. Thank you to the Law Foundation of BC for providing us with funding for this project and to everyone else who helped make the video possible. And, of course, to all the people featured in the video who provided such touching messages for Jane.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/OuiZR54S17w.

Thank you also to our event volunteers, all those who donated to and bid on our silent and live auctions, and to our wonderful sponsors:

• Vancouver Taxi Association
• BC Government and Employees’ Union (BCGEU)
• Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU)
• Simpson, Thomas and Associates
• Tompkins Wozny
• CUPE Local 1936
• CUPE Metropolitan Vancouver District Council
• BC Teacher’s Federation (BCTF)

Congratulations to our Employer of the Year Award winner BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and Employee of the Year winner Mirjana Komljenovic of Maple Roch.

And, as always, a special thanks to our fantastic hosts Stephen Quinn (host of CBC Radio’s Early Edition) and David C. Jones!

The City of Vancouver is having an election this October and below you will find all the information required to get ready to vote. Election Day is Saturday, October 20^th, 2018, and there will be eight days of advance voting on October 10^th to 17^th.

Vote by mail applications open

People who are unable to vote in person due to a disability or illness can vote by mail. Applications are now open at https://vancouver.ca/your-government/vote-by-mail.aspx or call 3-1-1.

Printed voters’ guide available at community centres and libraries

 Starting September 27, a printed voters’ guide will be available for pick up at Vancouver community centres and libraries. The guide contains all key information about the election, including how and when to vote, the random order candidate list, candidate biographies, and the capital plan questions.

For the first time, versions of the Vancouver voters’ guide are available in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Punjabi, French and large print. An audio version of the guide will also be available on vancouver.ca/vote, reading all voter information except the candidate statements.

Voters’ guides can also be mailed to citizens if they call 3-1-1 or fill out a form at vancouver.ca/voters-guide. Please note all information in the voters’ guide is also available at vancouver.ca/vote.

Plan Your Vote tool available

 Starting September 27, the City’s Plan Your Vote tool will be available online, allowing voters to:

• Easily view candidates in alphabetical and random ballot order.
• Pick candidates, a date, and a place to vote.
• Print your plan, or email it to yourself, with candidates displayed in the order that will be shown on the ballot.
• Set a reminder to vote.
• Take your plan to the voting place with you.

The tool has been reviewed and upgraded to increase accessibility for those with visual impairments.

Ballot marking machine available

An accessible ballot marking machine will be available at Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre and Killarney Community Centre during advance voting, allowing those who would normally need help to mark their ballots to vote independently.

The machine features:

• Sip-and-puff-, paddle- or other accessibility devices
• Audio instructions and braille markings on paddles and buttons
• Large print or high colour contrast
• Audio and written ballot marking instructions in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Punjabi

New this election

Names listed in random order on the ballot

Candidates will be listed in random order, NOT alphabetical order, on the ballot this year. Every ballot will have the same random order candidate list.

To prepare for the random order list on the ballot, the City recommends the following steps for citizens:

• Plan your vote in advance. The online Plan Your Vote tool is at ca/plan-your-vote or use the worksheet in the voters’ guide.
• Get to know the random order list, so you can mark your ballot correctly. The random order list can be found at ca/vote and in the voters’ guide.
• Leave plenty of time to vote. Consider voting in advance from October 10 to 17, as wait times will be shorter.

More voting access for citizens with disabilities and other vulnerable residents

The city will be providing mobile voting opportunities in 90 facilities from October 9-19 – an increase from 51 locations in 2014. An April bylaw update allowed expansion of the program beyond hospitals and large care facilities to include shelters, social service drop-in centres, and smaller care facilities.

If you have any questions or would like more information on any of the services in this email, please contact Paul Hendren, Election Outreach Lead.

DABC has received the following information from the Accessibility Secretariat:

What is Disabilities Mentoring Day?

If you haven’t heard of DMD before, it is an event that brings job seekers with disabilities and employers together in a day of job shadowing. The goal in doing this is to help bridge the talent, communication and knowledge gaps between business, employment and community supports when it comes to working with persons with disabilities. In Vancouver, DMD is October 24, 2018.

Mentees in DMD will have an opportunity to:

• Add valuable work experience to their resume
• Access new workplace contacts, environments & HR processes
• Increase confidence and social skills in the workplace
• Dispel employers’ fears about hiring people with disabilities and promote disability confidence
• Gain an understanding of what employers are looking for in order to be successful

For the pilot year in Vancouver, we have 10 mentee opportunities at 7 different employers. These include:

1. Ayogo
2. Travel for All
3. BGIS (Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions)
4. The BC Government
5. AMI (Accessible Media Inc.)
6. Air Canada
7. TD Bank

Mentees can register at: www.disabilitiesmentoringday.ca or by filling out an application online.

Download a poster with more details here.  If you have any questions or want to submit a mentee application, please reach out to Jamie Burton at: jamie@dolphin.ca or Toll free: 1-888-804-1446.