DABC is advocating for the abolition of the Annual earning exemption limit for PWD recipients. Read our op-ed, published today by The Tyee, here: https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/07/04/Disability-Earnings-Cap-Holding-People-Back/.

From the op-ed:

“As an employer, I feel disgusted by the fact that I am complicit in working within the constraints of an ableist system. It’s a system that forces disabled employees to make choices about their work based on how much a person on disability assistance is allowed to earn as employment income before they are rendered ineligible for PWD income — income that is a lifeline as much as it is constraining, and not enough.”

A Research Assistant for the HEART Lab (Health Experiences and Arts-Based Research Team) at Toronto Metropolitan University under the supervision of Dr. Fiona Moola, has reached out to DABC about a study in the HEART lab that is exploring the experiences of racialized children/youth with disabilities and their families in the Canadian healthcare system. The study is also exploring the experiences of healthcare workers and health policy makers who have knowledge or an understanding of working with these families.

If you are interested in participating in the study or have questions, please reach out to the study’s research coordinator Alyssa Neville at alyssa.neville@torontomu.ca.

To participate in the study, you must be:

• 12-24 years of age, living in Canada and self-identify as 1) racialized, Black, Indigenous, person of colour (BIPOC), and/or visible minority and 2) have a disability/ies
  OR
• A parent, guardian, or caregiver of a child or youth with a disability who self-identifies as racialized, Black, Indigenous, person of colour, (BIPOC), and/or visible minority

More information: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Child-parent.pdf

The HEART lab is also seeking participants who are Healthcare workers or health policy makers who have experience working with or on health policy topics related to parents/caregivers and children/youth who are racialized or Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour (BIPOC) with a disability/ie. You may be eligible to participate if you are:

• A designated healthcare professional (e.g., nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, social worker, occupational or physical therapist, etc.) working in Canada who has experience working with racialized or BIPOC children/youth with disabilities in a pediatric healthcare setting
  OR
• A health policy maker working in Canada who has experience working in pediatric health policy within the Canadian healthcare system and knowledge on racialized children/youth with disabilities

More information: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/healthcare.pdf

All participants who choose to participate will receive a $50 gift card to compensate them for their time, however, participation is completely voluntary. 

On October 25 from 10:00am – 2:00pm, we will be in front of the BC Legislature, alongside our Access RDSP partners, to celebrate the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).

Come join us to help spread the word and share your stories about what the RDSP means to you. We’ll have snacks, drinks, and more!