Job Posting: Project Manager for the Accessible Organizations Project

Who We Are

Since 1977, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. We are a non-profit organization and registered charity that champions issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities through our direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research and publications.

We work to support people with all disabilities to live with dignity, independence and as equal and full participants in the community.

Job Description

DABC is seeking a Project Manager for our Accessible Organizations Project. In 2022, DABC received funding by the BC Government to allocate, distribute and administer one-time grants to public sector organizations to support their work in meeting requirements under Part 3 of the Accessible BC Act. The Project Manager will be responsible for maintaining and cultivating relationships with public sector organizations, and providing guidance on Part 3 of the ABCA, notably the:

  • Requirement to establish accessibility committees under Section 9
  • Requirement to produce an accessibility plan and public feedback mechanism under section 11 and 12.[1]

A project of this size and scope will require a Project Manager that is able to manage multiple relationships with external agencies, as well as having subject-matter knowledge on accessibility in order to properly guide and encourage meaningful implementation on accessibility by the public sector organizations. The ideal candidate will have a fine attention to detail with previous experience in project management, as well as lived experience with disability that will ground the project in DABC’s values of equity and inclusion.

The goal of this project is to strengthen the public sector in its ability to meaningfully support and take accountability for accessibility and inclusion in the province, through the process of sharing information, building relationships, and developing resources on accessibility. This will ultimately ensure that the Accessible BC Act is effective in identifying, removing or preventing barriers to inclusion for people living with disabilities in BC. The successful candidate will work closely with the Executive Director at DABC to ensure the project is inclusive of DABC’s organizational knowledge on accessibility and the Accessible BC Act.

Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Project Manager will carry out the following responsibilities and tasks:

  • Establish and maintain relationships with public sector organizations, including managing contracts and agreements
  • Collate and review progress reports from grantee organizations
  • Coordinate all communications with public sector organizations
  • Oversee the BC Accessibility Hub website
  • Develop and manage the project’s workplan and all subsequent planning documents and processes, which may be used to report on the project’s progress.
  • Produce and maintain guidance documents and resources related to obligations to Part 3 of the Accessible BC Act
  • Work in collaboration with public sector organizations to share best practices and lessons learned on the implementation of the project.
  • Engage with the disability community and other external stakeholders on community engagement initiatives related to the project as appropriate.

The successful applicant must:

  • Have prior extensive experience managing projects of a similar size
  • Have experience in promoting accessibility initiatives
  • 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 organizations across different sectors
  • Be self-motivated, adaptable, able to work independently and take initiative
  • Have excellent organizational skills
  • Be proficient with Microsoft Office software and relevant Project Management software
  • Be able to manage time well and meet the deliverables and timeline of the project

The following are strong assets for this position: 

  • Lived experience with disability
  • Knowledge of accessibility and how to identify, remove and prevent a wide range of barriers to inclusion of people with disabilities
  • Experience in the non-profit sector
  • Experience supporting the disability community

Working hours and type of position: This is a contracted position for an average of 20-25 hours per week. There is flexibility to spread these hours throughout the workweek. The office hours at DABC are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

At present, the Accessible Organizations Project funding cycle ends on March 31, 2025, however there is possibility for extension.

Location: This position will primarily operate remotely, with some possibility to work at DABC’s office in downtown Vancouver on an ad-hoc basis.

Wage: $38.00 per hour

Please note that as this is a contracted, fixed-term position, the successful applicant would not be eligible for extended health benefits.

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 submit your resume and answer the questions through the job survey link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7WSX3CL

For questions about the position or if you require any accommodation to access the survey questions in an alternate format, please contact aop@dabc.ca. No phone calls or faxes please. Applications are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on June 21, 2024. DABC welcomes all applications, however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. Interviews will be conducted in June and July, and the position start date will be as soon as possible.

[1] https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/21019#part3

Accessibility Project Grants 2024/2025 – Coming Soon!

As part of the Province’s goal to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in BC, Disability Alliance BC was selected by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) to distribute funding to community-based “Accessibility Projects” beginning in 2018. Since then, over 80 projects have been funded throughout BC.

The Province has now announced that the grants will be available again in 2024/25. A total of $450,000 will be made available to BC-based not-for-profit organizations. Successful applicants will receive up to a $40,000 grant to implement a year-long project in 2025.

May 26th-June 1st is AccessAbility Week in BC and Canada and this year’s #NAAW theme is “Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All.” DABC is pleased to be able to once again distribute funds that will improve access and inclusion for people with disabilities in BC.

Applications will open on Friday, August 2nd, 2024.

These grants are for projects focusing on one of the following objectives to increase accessibility for people with disabilities:

  • Accessible employment;
  • Accessible emergency planning and response;
  • Accessible arts, culture and tourism;
  • Accessible sports and recreation;
  • Accessible education and learning;
  • Accessible community participation.

To apply:

  • Projects must be focused on community engagement rather than large capital costs such as accessibility improvements to buildings.
  • Eligible organizations must be not-for-profit organizations with a volunteer Board chosen by its membership, based in BC or with a base of operations in and sufficient capacity to deliver services in BC. They must operate primarily for community benefit and have services open to the public rather than restricted to their membership.
  • If an organization has received a grant in the past, they can reapply 5 years after their application was submitted (for example, if an organization applied in 2019 for a grant and did their project in 2020, they can reapply in 2024 to do a project in 2025).

Applications will be due on Friday September 13th at noon Pacific Time. Granting decisions are made by a Committee of representatives from DABC and other disability and community organizations from around BC. Successful applicants will receive funding in December, and implement their accessibility project in January 2025.

To learn more about the grants please see: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/program/accessibility-projects/.

At the bottom of this page (in the website’s footer) you can also click on “sign up for updates” and enter your email to be notified of when the CFP and applications are posted, when online information sessions will be held, and other announcements related to the grants and DABC’s work in general.

If you have any questions, please contact the Accessibility Projects Grants Coordinator, Danielle Gauld, at ap@dabc.ca

Pledge for Rainbow Equality

 

A photo of a person with a rainbow painted on their face standing in a crowd and smiling. Text says "I PLEDGE TO DEFEND RAINBOW EQUALITY - Helaine Boyd Executive Director, Disability Alliance BC. Because a more free and equal Canada is a better Canada for everyone. RainbowEquality.ca” Faintly in the background of the graphic are signs at a march, and the top and bottom of the graphic are rainbow.

DABC is very proud to endorse the Pledge for Rainbow Equality during the Rainbow Week of Action, and ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

We encourage you to join the pledge and stand up against rising hate, and for the rights and safety of 2SLGBTQIA+ people across Canada. https://www.rainbowequality.ca/pledge