BC Ferries recently announced changes to the BC Ferries Accessible Fare Identification (AFI) Card. The card allow eligible BC residents with a permanent disability—and one personal attendant 12 years and older, if required— to receive a 50% discount on passenger fares.

The card now expires and has to be renewed every two years. However, applicants can now show proof of receiving PWD or CPP-D and be approved for the card without providing any additional medical information. People with disabilities who cannot provide PWD or CPP-D documentation must still have their medical practitioner complete Section C of the application form. 

Download the AFI Card application form here.

Disability Alliance BC (DABC) is seeking passionate and motivated volunteers to support our front-desk reception at our office in downtown Vancouver. DABC is a provincial, cross-disability non-profit, charitable organization that promotes a more inclusive and equitable society for people with all disabilities through direct services, community partnerships, systemic 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)

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.

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 95 projects have been funded throughout BC.

The Province has now announced that the grants will be available again in 2025/26. 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 2026. Applications will open on August 5th.

May 25-31 is National AccessAbility Week in BC and Canada and the #NAAW2025 theme is “Breaking barriers together: Paving the way for an inclusive future.” DABC is pleased to be able to once again distribute funds that will improve access and inclusion for people with disabilities in BC.

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.

Eligibility criteria includes:

• 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 2020 for a grant and did their project in 2021, they can reapply in 2025 to do a project in 2026).

Applications will be due on September 12th 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 2026.

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

At the bottom of the page you can also click on “click here to sign up for DABC’s newsletter” and enter your email to be notified of when the Call for Proposals 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 at ap@dabc.ca.

Download the press release here.