Last week, Disability Alliance BC shared on our social media platforms an engagement request from CBC Vancouver, for people with disabilities to talk about their experiences with dating. The post received strong feedback from our followers on Facebook, who rightly pointed out the unfairness of the PWD benefit spousal cap, and the fact that many disabled people are facing far more pressing issues than dating—issues like insufficient disability benefit rates/poverty and unaffordable/scarce housing—that often prevent people with disabilities from entering the dating world.

We are very appreciative of the strong engagement and opinions that people shared on the post. Everyone’s comments were heard. DABC sent a summary of this feedback to CBC, which led to CBC learning from this experience and making it the focus of their dating segment, which can be streamed here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-46-on-the-coast/clip/16082623-up-date-disabilities-dating.

Additionally, CBC reached out to Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson, and questioned her on air about the spousal cap. Stream that interview here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-46-on-the-coast/clip/16082708-disability-benefits-british-columbians.

Last week, CBC also interviewed DABC Executive Director Helaine Boyd about the same issue: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6458198.

DABC feels very strongly that the spousal cap is unjust. There are many negative impacts to restricting a person’s disability income because of a partner/spouse’s income:

• Creates unequal power dynamic between partners.
• In scenarios where a person on PWD is in a live-in relationship with a non-disabled person, it expects that the non-disabled partner is responsible for the disabled partner’s livelihood and well-being. This circles back to outdated, patriarchal laws of many decades prior.
• Particularly for people who identify as women/femmes, this can create a level of dependence on the non-disabled partner that may lead to spousal abuse.
• Creates a level of financial dependence on the disabled partner whereby they may feel they have no choice to end a relationship.
• In the context of dating/seeking relationships, being on PWD prevents people from entering into relationships on an equal footing, or even deters prospective partners because of the expectation that they become financially responsible.

Due to the reasons above, the PWD system is actively encouraging and influencing people on PWD to remain single or otherwise make it very difficult to obtain and sustain a relationship. The spousal cap is in direct opposition with a person’s right to independence and equal opportunity, and therefore discriminates against people with disabilities.

DABC has advocated for an end to the spousal cap over the years. We’ve repeatedly brought the spousal cap up in conversations and committee meetings with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. DABC’s advocates, many of whom are people with disabilities themselves, feel very strongly about this issue. Most recently:

• We mentioned the spousal cap in our recommendations to the Poverty Reduction Strategy: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230428-DABC-Submission-to-SDPR-TogetherBC-Recommendations.pdf
• We supported a petition on this in 2021: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/petition-for-the-removal-of-spousal-caps-on-social-assistance/

From the CBC radio interview, it is now clear that Minister Malcolmson knows very well the harms incurred by the spousal cap on PWD recipients. The BC government has often prided itself as a progressive province compared to the rest of Canada, but the fact remains that BC has the second highest poverty rate. People with disabilities in BC need a government that is bold, willing to challenge social norms and enact change.

The BC Government will be launching their new BC Poverty Reduction Strategy tomorrow; we hope that the strategy will include this and other recommendations for change that DABC has advocated on to reduce poverty in our province.

Disability Alliance BC (DABC) is seeking passionate and motivated volunteers to support our front-desk reception as we work to bring back our advocacy work in-person at our office in downtown Vancouver. DABC is a provincial, cross-disability non-profit, charitable organization that champions issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities through our direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research and publications.  

Our reception volunteers are often the first face or voice that a client interacts with when connecting with DABC. They exhibit an empathetic and professional attitude and respond to inquiries about our services. DABC provides a variety of services that assist clients with applying for provincial and federal disability benefits, Disability Tax Credit, Registered Disability Savings Plan, tax filings and tax credits, legal aid, and wheelchair accessible housing. Reception volunteers will be trained and mentored on an ongoing basis through regular supervision from the Advocacy Access Reception Coordinator, Advocacy Access Program Manager and Director of Tax AID and Access RDSP Programs. All of our current reception volunteers have lived experience with a disability.   

Our Reception Volunteers:  

• Respond to client inquiries over the phone, email and in-person  

• Screen clients for eligibility of our services and conduct intake of client contact information for our waitlists  

• Keep detailed and accurate records of visitor requests/calls  

Reception Volunteers should have the following skills and qualifications:  

• Be computer literate and proficient with Microsoft Office software, specifically Excel, Word and Outlook   

• Have strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate complex concepts in plain language  

• Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with clients and staff across many diverse backgrounds  

• Be self-motivated, adaptable, and able to work effectively with a team as well as independently  

• Maintain a professional, respectful and empathetic demeanor with clients and have the ability to manage client expectations as it relates to the capacity and scope of DABC’s services  

• Lived experience with disability  

The following are strong assets for this position:  

• Lived experience with provincial disability benefits (PWD/PPMB)  

• Experience in the non-profit sector  

• Experience supporting people with disabilities  

• Knowledge and understanding of community resources available to people with disabilities  

Volunteers will receive a small monthly honourarium for their contribution to DABC’s advocacy work.   

Hours Per Week: 1-2 shifts per week (each shift is 4 hours)  

100% of DABC’s staff and volunteers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Many of the clients that DABC serves have medical conditions which make them vulnerable and more susceptible to severe symptoms of COVID-19, and so it is vital that DABC strives to protect our clients from risk of transmission. It is DABC’s policy to request that all volunteers be fully vaccinated.   

DABC is an open and diverse organization that promotes inclusive hiring practices. We encourage applications from qualified applicants who identify as visible minorities, Indigenous persons, and of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities. People with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.  

To Apply: Please send an email expressing your interest with the subject line “Volunteer Application”, along with a resume to advocacy@dabc.ca. No phone calls or faxes please.