DABC is hosting an online forum April 21-22 on people with disabilities and violence for Victims of Crime Awareness Week.

The online forum themes will include:

• Statistics on violence against people with disabilities in Canada
• What we’ve heard from people with disabilities during the InFocus national project
• Peer safety tips as well as safety planning from the Our Right to be Safe workshops
• What do service providers and government programs need to know – we want to hear from people with disabilities
• Service providers – challenges and promising practices
• Sharing information on services and resources in BC for victims of crime

To register to be a forum member and join the dialogue: http://forums.disabilityalliancebc.org

If you have any questions or need further information contact the Forum Moderator, Karen Martin, karen@disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org

Swing into Spring is one week away!

A note for those who have purchased tickets: This is a ticketless event. Please sign in at the registration desk when you arrive. If your tickets were purchased through your organization, please check in under your organization’s name. Otherwise, please check in using your last name. Thank you.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on April 9th!

Time sensitive! Registration deadline Friday March 27th

At the end of March 2015, BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services will launch a new resource about weight bias and stigma for health professionals across BC, and we are seeking participants to support our evaluation!

What are weight bias and stigma?
Weight bias is defined as the negative weight-related attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and judgments toward individuals who are at the ends of the weight spectrum. Weight stigma is the possession of some attribute or characteristic – such as excess weight or being underweight – that is devalued in a particular social context.

What will I learn?
BalancedView is designed to enhance the awareness, knowledge and skills of health professionals in the area of weight bias and stigma, including:

• Describing some of the consequences of weight bias and stigma
• Learning about challenges experienced by people who are overweight or obese when accessing the health care system
• Exploring commonly-held beliefs about individuals who are overweight or obese and reflecting on personal attitudes about weight and shape.
• Describing strategies for implementing a health-centred approach in practice

How can I participate?
The evaluation phase will begin March 30th, 2015. The resource is expected to take 2-3 hours to complete. Participants will be asked to complete the resource by April 30th, 2015. Evaluation participants will receive up to $100 in honoraria for completion of the resource (including pre and post questionnaires), and brief follow-up questionnaires at 3 and 6 months. The total time commitment, including completion of the resource and follow-up evaluation questionnaires, is estimated to be 3-4 hours.

We are interested in getting participation from diverse health professionals including medical, mental health, allied health and public health professionals. If you are interested in being part of the evaluation of this resource, please submit your information by clicking here. The deadline for submission is Friday, March 27th, 2015.

For more information about this project, please contact Charlene King at charlene.king2@cw.bc.ca.