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.

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.

To close out National AccessAbility Week, DABC would like to highlight our Right Fit Program. The Right Fit is a multi-partner service designed to address the crisis in wheelchair accessible housing by matching affordable, accessible homes and independent living supports with people who need them in the Lower Mainland.

This spring, the Right Fit Program team has a lot to celebrate: We are pleased to announce that as of April 2023, we have placed 100 wheelchair users into accessible, affordable homes.

This is a key milestone, as we continue to experience a scarce supply of accessible, affordable housing in the province. Our waitlist is growing and to date, over 150 wheelchair users are still waiting to be matched to an accessible, affordable home in the Lower Mainland.

The Right Fit team is doing everything they can to uncover new supply of accessible housing. If you are a wheelchair user in need of an accessible home or a housing provider who has a vacant unit, please get in touch with us!

Website: https://therightfitbc.org/