Last Friday, DABC Executive Director Helaine Boyd and DABC Chair Jake Anthony (pictured above, next to the Hon. Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport) were very honoured to accept BC’s Medal of Good Citizenship on behalf of Pamela Horton, who passed away earlier this year. The Medal celebrates British Columbians who have acted in a particularly generous, kind or selfless manner for the common good without expectation of reward.
Pam served on DABC’s board of directors for close to thirty years. She was also DABC’s first ever Executive Director, and remained an active monthly donor to DABC until her passing. Pam is remembered well for her principled determination in advancing disability rights in our province, over a number of decades.
We recently established a fund in Pam’s honour, in support of DABC’s Transition magazine. Read an earlier blog post to learn more about Pam’s legacy.
Today—on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities—DABC has issued a press release, announcing the 11 recipients of the 2025/2026 Accessibility Projects Grants. Congratulations to the successful applicants!
In honour of December 3, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has announced 11 recipients of the 2025/2026 Accessibility Projects Grants. These grants are expected to support year-long projects that promote better access to cultural, recreational, emergency planning, educational and community participation opportunities for people with disabilities across the province.
This year, the Province provided $450,000 in funding, which DABC will distribute to non-profits throughout British Columbia. Since 2018, DABC has distributed over $3 million to more than 100 non-profit organizations through the Accessibility Projects Grants.
“We all want people to live dignified lives and fully participate in their communities,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “That’s why we are funding $450,000 to support 11 projects that will expand accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in B.C., from creating accessible arts programs and digital literacy opportunities, to supporting youth, families, and Indigenous communities. Thanks to Disability Alliance BC for administering these grants and helping make these projects possible.”
In August 2025, organizations in B.C were invited to apply for up to $40,000 for projects that will support lasting change for the more than 900,000 people in BC[1] living with disabilities. After an extensive review process by representatives from the disability and community sectors, 11 projects were funded this year.
“It’s a joy being part of the selection process for these vital grants. The level of commitment to disability inclusion and community building shines through each application,” says Roberta McDonald, who is the Accessible Organizations Project Manager with DABC and has been on the grants review for the past two years. As a Deaf and neurodivergent accessibility professional, Roberta has devoted her career to removing barriers and building accessible communities. “I’m heartened by the incredible work towards accessibility happening across BC and can’t wait to see how these organizations contribute to making this a province where everyone can have full and equal participation at every level.”
DABC is proud to work with the Province of B.C. to remove barriers and celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities to their communities. The Accessibility Projects Grants are an important step in this direction.
A backgrounder can be found below with the list of the 2025/26 grant recipients.
DABC invited eligible organizations to apply for funding for projects that will take place in 2026. The list of grant recipients was announced today:
ACT Autism Community Training Society – Rural, Remote First Nations Communities: $40,000 for the Decolonizing Autism & Neurodivergence: Growing Strength based Inclusive Community in Rural, Remote, First Nations in BC Project. Increasing accessibility for Autistic and neurodivergent Indigenous people by creating culturally relevant and culturally safe training and sustained support systems.
Cridge Centre for the Family – Victoria: $40,000 for the Visible Voices Project. Initiating a trauma-informed arts initiative for women survivors of brain injury, including those affected by intimate partner violence.
Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society – Vancouver and Coquitlam: $40,000 for the Cultivating Accessibility: Expanding SOYL for Youth with Disabilities Project. Creating dedicated, accessible employment opportunities for youth with disabilities, empowering them to participate fully in food systems and urban agriculture.
Grunt gallery – Vancouver and Richmond: $39,650 for the Blind-Led Tours Project. Establishing a transformative program of public tours designed for non-visual engagement and a professional development program to train Blind/low-vision individuals as gallery tour guides.
Literacy Now Cowichan – Duncan and Cowichan Valley area: $23638.50 for the Digital Inclusion Pilot Project. Providing beginner level digital literacy training for adults with disabilities through small group classes and one-on one support, ensuring learners gain the foundational skills needed to navigate technology safely and confidently.
Moms Against Racism Canada – Provincial: $40,000 for the NeuroEquity Project: Culturally Responsive Mental Health for Neurodivergent Communities. Addressing systemic barriers to timely and culturally appropriate mental health care for IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) youth and adults with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities.
North Park Neighbourhood Association – Victoria: $40,000 for the Accessibility Champions: Civic Participation 2026 Project. Delivering accessible civic education and governance pathways for disabled residents in North Park through accessible workshops, committee participation, and cross-stakeholder training.
Okanagan Lifetime Networks Association – Okanagan: $37252 for the (ART) LIFT – Learning Independence for Future Transitions Project. Empowering individuals with disabilities aged 16–29 to develop financial, career, wellness, and community skills needed for a successful transition into autonomous adulthood.
SPACE (Stuttering, People, Arts, Community, Education) – Lower Mainland: $40,000 for the Listening Equity Project. Training service providers to create accessible communication environments for people who stutter and those with other communication disabilities.
Urban Horse Project Society – Burnaby and Langley: $40,000 for the Building Community Wellbeing Through Horses Project. Providing new accessible learning and wellness programs with horses to diverse urban adults, seniors and youth with disabilities.
Zajac Ranch Society – Mission: $40,000 for the Zajac Ranch for Children Weekend Respite Family Camps Project. Offering Weekend Respite Family Camps throughout the off-season, designed to provide respite support, education and community connection to families and youth with complex medical conditions.
This GivingTuesday, we’re proud to be participating in a global day of giving!
Our mission is to promote a more inclusive and equitable society for people with all disabilities through direct services, community partnerships, systemic advocacy, research, and publications, and we believe that GivingTuesday is a great way to further that mission. And it’s especially timely, with International Day of Persons with Disabilities (#IDPD) coming up tomorrow!
On this special day, we’re asking for your help to support our work.
What your donations support:
Systemic Advocacy: A core tenet of our organization is systemic advocacy, and it’s something we do off the sides of our desks, because most grant funding doesn’t cover this work! When you donate to DABC’s general fund, you can help us to make positive change for people with disabilities. Donate here: https://give-can.keela.co/dabc and select “General (Advocacy & Operations – Unmet Needs” under the “Donate To” heading.
DTC Medical Fees Fund: At the donation link above you can also choose to select “DTC Medical Fees Fund” under the “Donate To” heading, and directly support people with disabilities to apply for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), by covering the medical practitioner fee! This fee is not currently covered under healthcare, so people end up paying out of pocket.
Pam Horton Trailblazer Fund: The Fund was created to honour the life, leadership, and legacy of our longstanding board member, Pam, who passed away on May 13, 2025. Please consider supporting DABC’s Transition Magazine, which Pam cherished. Your donations to this fund are a great way to support dialogue and advocacy for people with disabilities, in honour of a true lifelong champion of our community whose leadership will continue to inspire our work for years to come. We are currently trying to set up audio clips of the Transition articles in a podcast format in order to increase accessibility of the magazine. Donate here.
Please consider making a donation to our campaigns, or helping to spread the word. Every little bit helps and we are so grateful for your support this #GivingTuesdayCA!
Last Friday, DABC Executive Director Helaine Boyd and DABC Chair Jake Anthony (pictured above, next to the Hon. Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport) were very honoured to accept BC’s Medal of Good Citizenship on behalf of Pamela Horton, who passed away earlier this year. The Medal celebrates British Columbians who have acted in a particularly generous, kind or selfless manner for the common good without expectation of reward.
