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.

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/

Looking for help with a PWD Application booklet? Our advocates can help!

In order to receive assistance from the Advocacy Access program with a PWD application please ensure that you have met the following three criteria to be placed on our waitlist:

1. Applied for income assistance online at myselfserve.gov.bc.ca.

2. Have a blank PWD Application booklet

3. Have a medical professional (general practitioner, specialist or nurse practitioner) who is willing to support you with the application.

Advocates will schedule an appointment with you and ask in depth questions in order to assess how your disabilities impact your daily living activities in order to accurately assist you with your PWD application. Appointments can be done over the phone or in person depending on the clients preference. Appointments can typically take anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on the medical situation of the client.

Our advocates can support you with section 1 of the application, as well as support your medical practitioner with section 2 and connect you with an assessor for section 3.

You can place yourself on our waitlist to receive assistance by calling 604-872-1278 or by emailing us at advocacy@disabilityalliancebc.org. Please note that our services are in very high demand, and our PWD waitlist is currently roughly 14-18 weeks long.