PRESS RELEASE: Accessibility Projects Grants Application Process Opens for 2023

-For Immediate Release- 

Vancouver, BC – August 4, 2023 

Today, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has announced its 2023 Accessibility Projects Grants are now open for applications.  

The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has provided $500,000 to DABC to distribute as community grants to improve and promote accessibility and inclusion in British Columbia. The Accessibility Projects Grants were first launched in 2018 to commemorate BC’s first AccessAbility Week, and 71 projects have been funded since.  

“An accessible BC means workplaces and schools that every person can access and recreation, cultural and sports facilities that anyone can enjoy”, said Susie Chant, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility. “We are working together with trusted partners like DABC to remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities”.  

Organizations may apply for up to $40,000 for community engagement projects that will support lasting change for the more than 900,000 people (24.7% of population over age 15)¹ in BC living with disability. Projects will focus on one of the following objectives: 

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

• Accessible community participation. 

Kinsight Society’s Real Talk: Connecting Queer Communities (CQC) project, funded in 2022, runs a social group for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks with cognitive disability and/or neurodiversity. Alison Klein, Peer Facilitator of the project says: “Connecting Queer Communities (CQC) has been really impactful since I see people showing their true identities. I have been able to connect with others who are like me and create true friendships. Being social in my community and knowing I’m not alone has been the most meaningful.” 

The deadline to submit applications is September 15, 2023 at 12pm Pacific Time. Successful applicants will receive funding to implement their accessibility project in 2024.  

Changes to the Accessibility Projects Grants this year include: 

• an earlier application deadline; 
• former grant recipients can now apply again 5 years after their first application was submitted and approved; 
• applicants can now apply for up to $40,000 with no minimum grant amount, and; 

• ASL interpretations explaining the application process will now be available.  

“Now in our sixth year managing the Accessibility Projects Grants, we have taken our observations and conversations with past grant recipients and applicants to further improve the intent and outcomes of the granting process,” said Helaine Boyd, Executive Director of Disability Alliance BC. “This has led to the granting of projects that not only promote greater and more diverse inclusion of people with disabilities in their project design and implementation, but has also encouraged recipient organizations to find innovative ways to reduce barriers for people with disabilities.” 

To learn more and download the Call for Proposals (CFP) and application forms please visit: Accessibility Projects Grants | DABC (disabilityalliancebc.org). 

Media Contacts: 

Danielle Gauld 
Accessibility Projects Grants Coordinator 
ap@disabilityalliancebc.org 

Helaine Boyd
Executive Director 
helaine@disabilityalliancebc.org 

¹https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310037401&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.13 

Download the press release here: APG-Press-Release-August-4-2023-FINAL.

DABC's Transition Magazine: Summer 2023 Edition!

The Summer 2023 edition of Transition magazine is here! The theme of this edition is BC’s Legal System: Is it Working for People with Disabilities?

Download it from our website in PDF format here and in text only format here.

Our Transition team is always glad to receive feedback and to consider articles or creative work from our community partners and from people living with a disability.

If you’d like to send along your ideas, we’d love to hear from you: transition@disabilityalliancebc.org.

Community Update: PWD/Income Assistance Rate Increase Table

The BC Budget for the 2023/2024 fiscal year was announced at the legislative assembly in Victoria on February 28, 2023. The Budget revealed that there would be an increase to the shelter rate for people on income assistance and disability assistance; an increase that has been long overdue. The shelter rate, which hasn’t changed since 2007, will increase from $375 per month to $500 per month for single individuals. Rent prices have increased by much more than $125 since 2007, so while we recognize that this shelter rate increase is a step in the right direction, it fails to meaningfully address systemic poverty in our province.

There are also increases to most income and disability assistance supplements, including diet supplements (increased by 50%) and the monthly nutritional supplement (increased from $165 to $180 per month). These changes take effect as of August 1st, 2023 (and will appear starting with the July 19th 2023 cheque issue).

The provincial government recently released a rate table, detailing current rates as well as the new rates. You can view this rate table here: https://tinyurl.com/5xxh5527.

If you have questions about any of these changes, you can email us at advocacy@disabilityalliancebc.org or call us at 604-872-1278 (Toll-free: 1-800-663-1278). Please be advised that we receive a high volume of inquiries and it will likely take some time to hear back from an advocate.

To read our original response to the 2023/2024 BC Budget, from which some of the information in this Community Update has been taken, please visit our blog: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/dabcs-response-to-2023-bc-budget/.