Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods wants to hear from you!

Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods (CAN) is working with Realize on a project that needs your help. They are looking for participants to help them expand their collective knowledge and understanding about the issues that directly impact the employment journey of queer and trans community members living with episodic disabilities in Canadian workplaces. Participants will be paid $75 for their contribution. 

Participants must be 2SLGBTQIA+ and disabled/person with a disability, chronically ill, mad, crip, neurodivergent, and/or Deaf/deaf with episodic disabilities. Participants must be living in what is colonially known as Canada (no citizen requirements). CAN is particularly seeking interviewees who live outside of Vancouver. The interviews will be online 1-on-1. 

To participate, contact Heather McCain, Executive Director of CAN by email at info@canbc.org or phone/text 604.437.7331.  They will send you a calendly link for you to book a 30 or 60 minute interview. They understand if the interview needs to be cut short due to pain/energy. Typed follow-up answers will be accepted if you didn’t get a chance to say everything. 

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Realize’s definition of episodic disabilities:

A person can simultaneously live with both permanent and episodic disabilities; however, there are clear distinctions. An episodic disability is marked by fluctuating periods and degrees of wellness and disability. In addition, these periods of wellness and disability are unpredictable. As a consequence, a person may move in and out of the labour force in an unpredictable manner.

Examples of episodic disabilities: arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, crohn’s disease, diabetes, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS, pain, lupus, mental health issues, multiple sclerosis (MS), muscular dystrophy, severe migraines, and more

More information: 

Under the Workplaces REVAMPED (Workplaces REcognizing the Value of eMPloyees with Episodic Disabilities) project, Realize aims to:

1) Increase awareness of episodic disabilities among employers;

2) Increase the understanding of employers of the challenges related to working and living with episodic disabilities;

3) Increase the capacity of employers to respond effectively to the challenges facing people living with episodic disabilities;

4) Increase access to information and networking opportunities for small, medium and large employers on leading practices in accommodating employees living with episodic disabilities in the workplace; and 

5) Increase the capacity of people living with episodic disabilities to communicate effectively about their lived experience.

Accessibility Project Grants 2023/2024 – 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. A total of $450,000 is available to BC-based not-for-profit organizations to receive up to a $40,000 grant. Applications will open on Friday, August 4th, 2023.

Previously, Accessibility Projects Grants were available as one-time only grants. Starting this year, DABC will open the grants to organizations who received a grant at least 5 years prior. For instance, grantees who applied in 2018 and received an Accessibility Projects Grant will become eligible to apply in 2023.

These grants are for community-based 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 learn more about the grants please see: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/program/accessibility-projects/. The Call for Proposals (CFP) and application forms will be released closer to the application period.

At the bottom of the page 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.

Applications will be due on Friday September 15th with decisions announced in late November/early December. If you have any questions, please contact the Accessibility Projects Grants Coordinator, Danielle Gauld, at ap@disabilityalliance.org.

Ken Kramer

DABC is saddened to hear of the recent passing of Ken Kramer, K.C., TEP. A longtime friend of DABC, Mr. Kramer founded and was principal of KMK Law, and he often served families with disabilities through his work in the area of estates and trusts law. Mr. Kramer was also a strong advocate for the disability and seniors communities outside of his work in this realm.   

Just a few of his vast contributions included acting as a founding Board Member of Technology for Living, a non-profit organization in British Columbia providing respiratory and technology supports to people with disabilities; leading community negotiations and collaborations with the Province of BC for more than two decades on the topic of home care supports (particularly the Choices for Support In Independent Living program or “CSIL”); and serving as Chair of the Boards of Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Seniors First BC, BC’s Elder Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, and the Province of BC’s Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board.  

In recognition of his work, he received both the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and his Queen’s Counsel designation in 2014. 

To learn more about Mr. Kramer’s important work and life, please see KMK Law’s website: https://kmklaw.net/team/

We offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.