DABC has received funding from Vancouver Coastal Health’s Community Investments Funding.The goal of Let’s Talk Food Access: Enhancing Community Food Programs for People with Disabilities Experiencing Food Insecurity is to improve access to safe, affordable food resources in two Vancouver neighbourhoods for people with disabilities through education, mentorship and partnerships and to build the capacity of individuals and community food programs to address barriers for people with disabilities and increase their health and well-being.

What we will do:

• Mentor and support people with disabilities living in the West End and the Grandview Woodlands communities of Vancouver to actively participate in food security programs and committees or networks in their neighbourhoods
• Provide skill building for people with disabilities on how to advocate for, and engage their community in, access and inclusion of food programs
• Educate organizers and participants of community food programs in the two communities on access and inclusion best practices
• Provide tools to community food programs to enable them to include access and inclusion in their planning and practices around food security

We will accomplish this through presentations, workshops and a Food Access blog on DABC’s website.

If you are a person living with a disability in Vancouver’s West End or Grandview Woodlands (eastside) communities and are interested in participating in the project, please contact Karen Martin, karen@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org

Do you know an employer who demonstrates outstanding leadership in employing people with disabilities or an employee with a disability? Nominations are now open for Disability Alliance BC’s 2016 Employment Awards. The nomination deadline is March 15, 2016. There are two Award categories, one for employers and one for employees. The winners will be recognized on April 7, 2016 at Swing into Spring, Disability Alliance BC’s annual gala and awards presentation. Nomination forms and gala details are available online: https://disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org/swingspring.htm

People with disabilities continue to face multiple barriers to employment and their unemployment rate is significantly higher than that of non-disabled individuals. “These awards honour employers who show leadership in employing people with disabilities, and promote increased employment for individuals with disabilities. They are also very much about recognizing and celebrating smaller and often more personal victories. How a job promotes self-confidence and independence, for instance, and how workplace stereotypes can be shattered once an employee with a disability is hired” said Jane Dyson, Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC. “We love how these awards bring to life the personal stories of employees with disabilities and the employers who hire them.”

Whether you work for a company that goes the extra mile to hire people with disabilities, work with an employee with a disability or have first-hand experience with either, you are invited to share your stories and submit a nomination.

The awards will be presented at Swing into Spring, April 7, 2016 at the Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver. Tickets are on sale now and companies interested in sponsorship opportunities or other forms of support are invited to contact Ms. Dyson. Swing into Spring is a fun festive gala featuring Stephen Quinn, host of CBC’s On the Coast, and actor, comedian David C. Jones.

Established in 1977, Disability Alliance BC (formally BC Coalition of People with Disabilities) is a provincial, cross-disability organization that supports individuals to live with dignity, independence and as equal and full participants in the community. Through direct services, community partnerships, research and publications, Disability Alliance BC champions a range of issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities.

For more information please contact:
Jane Dyson, Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC
Email: feedback@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org
Phone: 604-875-0188

The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) Action Group is made up of business and community leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting the benefits of RDSPs in BC. DABC is a member of this group, which supports the provincial government’s goal to promote the uptake of RDSPs in BC and improve the financial security of people with disabilities.

The RDSP Action Group has created a great new user-friendly guide on the RDSP, entitled How to Start and Manage a Registered Disability Savings Plan in British Columbia. To download the guide, please visit the following link: http://www.sdsi.gov.bc.ca/publicat/pdf/rdsp.pdf

Thank you to the Province of BC and the Vancouver Foundation for their support.