Join the Disability Alliance BC Board: Make a Difference!

Are you passionate about disability advocacy? Do you want to use your lived experiences to drive positive change? Disability Alliance BC (DABC) is looking for individuals to join our Board of Directors in 2024!

Who We’re Looking For:

• • Dedicated Advocates: If you have a passion for disability rights and advocacy, we want you!
  • Diverse Voices: We welcome candidates from all over BC, especially those from Vancouver Island and Northern, Central, and rural regions. We encourage applications from BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
  • Experienced Leaders: Prior experience on non-profit or community boards is a plus, but not required.
  • We value lived experiences that reflect the diversity of our community.

Why Join Us?

Since 1977, DABC has been a powerful voice for people with disabilities in British Columbia. We are a provincial non-profit and registered charity dedicated to supporting people with all disabilities to live with dignity, independence, and as equal participants in the community. We promote disability issues through direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research, and publications.

What You’ll Do:

As a Board Member, you will:

• Oversee the performance of our Executive Director.
• Ensure fiduciary and legal oversight.
• Guide the implementation of our strategic plan.
• Use your experiences to advise on systemic advocacy and policy recommendations.

Commitment:

Our Board meets virtually, six times per year, making the time commitment manageable. In addition, you may be asked to join one of DABC’s committees.

Eligibility: To join, you must be:

• A person with a disability.
• A member in good standing with DABC (membership fee: $15).

How to Apply:

Ready to make an impact? Email our Board & Communications Coordinator, Chloe Krause, at chloe@dabc.ca for a nomination package. This will include:

• A nomination form (completed by a nominator).
• A form detailing your reasons for seeking nomination.
• A list of Board duties and responsibilities.
• DABC’s Annual Report.

Deadline: Applications are open on a rolling basis and will be considered until Friday, August 15, 2024. We look forward to hearing from you!

Download a copy of the Call for Nominations here.

The Province in collaboration with the Provincial Accessibility Committee is inviting British Columbians to share their thoughts and experiences on how government can best address barriers that restrict people with disabilities from equally participating in the workforce and accessing services in community.

 The public engagement on the draft accessibility standards is open from May 31 until July 31. The public and organizations can share their input/feedback on the draft standards in a variety of ways, including an online questionnaire. The questionnaire can be found here: https://feedback.engage.gov.bc.ca/555886?lang=en.

To learn more about the engagement and ways to participate, please visit the accessibility Standards webpage at: Home – Accessible BC Act Standards (gov.bc.ca). 

This article was written by Bounmy Inthavong, a researcher with Race and Disability Canada. It originally appeared in the edition of DABC’s Transition magazine, Welcome to BC: Challenges and Supports for Newcomers with Disabilities (Spring 2024).

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.
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When I envision Canada, I see a vibrant canvas with tales of fresh beginnings. Embedded within these narratives are the intricate stories of newcomers navigating the pathways of immigration, intertwined with journeys of race and disability.

It’s a tapestry woven with hues of resilience amidst adversity, where profound experiences often dwell in the margins—the struggles of Indigenous, Black and racialized communities intersecting with the complex challenges of disability. Together, these stories paint a poignant picture, shining a light on the multifaceted realities newcomers face upon their arrival in Canada.

Canada’s history, marked by colonization, enslavement, racial discrimination and exclusionary immigration policies, casts a shadow on the experiences of these communities.

From the erasure of Indigenous sovereignty to systemic racism within the immigration system, past injustices echo in the lived experiences of newcomers grappling with disabilities. These experiences call for urgent change—a transformation of policies, perspectives and a commitment to breaking down barriers.

Within this landscape, Race and Disability Canada has undertaken an ambitious review to unravel the intricacies of these intersections, spotlight stories and emphasize the urgent need for systemic changes. Our review is based on an IDEA. The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility (IDEA) Project encompasses:

• Intersectional Analysis: Understanding the unique experiences of racialized people with disabilities, including newcomers facing barriers due to their race and disability.
• Data Collection: Delving into literature, and gathering survey and focus group data to comprehend:
  • Challenges faced by racialized people with disabilities.
  • Barriers encountered by advocates and organizations working on race, disability, and inclusion in the non-profit sector.
  • Efforts of mainstream disability organizations to achieve diversity and inclusion goals concerning race and disability, and how we can support them.

Our work goes beyond raising awareness. It’s a call to action. It’s about reshaping policies and amplifying narratives. It’s about advocating for systemic changes that acknowledge the multifaceted challenges faced by newcomers at the intersections of race and disability.

Canada’s promise of inclusivity and diversity beckons, but it necessitates collective effort—crafting policies to dismantle systemic barriers, and fostering a culture of understanding, support and equity for newcomers with disabilities.

These stories, woven with hardship, speak of resilience and determination. They urge us to build a Canada where every newcomer, regardless of race or disability, finds genuine support, recognition and a true sense of belonging—a Canada where every story contributes to the vibrant narrative of the nation’s identity.

The results will catalyze further research, community-based projects and collaborations beyond the disability sector to advance accessibility and inclusion for racialized people with disabilities. As part of our commitment to change, we’re actively involved in:

• Empowering Non-Profits: Developing communities of practice in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. These forums allow organizations to unlearn and relearn, implementing sustainable systemic changes that include racialized people with disabilities in their policies and services.
• Education and Training: Leveraging outcomes from research and communities of practice to develop training programs and educational initiatives supporting broader accessibility and inclusion goals for racialized people with disabilities in Canada.

Readers can join our newsletter to stay updated with the latest developments at Race and Disability Canada. Visit www.racedisability.ca to subscribe and stay informed.

Bounmy Inthavong is a researcher with Race and Disability Canada. Follow Race and Disability Canada:

Instagram @racedisabilityca
Facebook @RaceandDisability
X @Race_Disability.

This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program-Disability Component (SDPP-D).