The BC Association for Community Living is a federation that advocates for children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities and their families to ensure justice, rights and opportunities in all areas of their lives.
The provincial government's recently announced budget cuts to post secondary education have had an alarming effect on the status of inclusive education in British Columbia. The College of New Caledonia (CNC) in Prince George recently suspended all of its ASE programs and Douglas College in the Lower Mainland has announced similar cuts, eliminating three of its ASE programs.
Visit the Education>Current Issues section of the website for details around BCACL's involvement in the issue, links to media coverage, and recent updates
In partnership with our member associations, BCACL is pleased to be hosting regional meetings in May, 2008. In April, we conducted an online survey asking people to share their current experiences with Community Living BC (CLBC). We would like to share the results of the survey with you and hear more about the experiences of self advocates and families. We will present the information we gain from the regional meetings, along with the survey results, at the Annual General Meeting and Conference in June.
Please click here for more details about the regional meetings and to find out how to confirm your attendance.
Nanaimo, May 15, 2008
Cranbrook, May 22, 2008
Terrace, May 22, 2008
Kelowna, May 27, 2008
For more information, please contact Cindy Chapman @ BCACL at cchapman@bcacl.org or 604-777-9100 ext. 518
As you may know, The Registered Disability Savings Plan became law on December 14, 2007 and will become available at financial institutions in late 2008. British Columbia is the first province to exempt the RDSP as an asset when a person's eligibility for provincial disability benefits is determined. Click here to read the information brochure released by the Planned Life Advocacy Network (PLAN)
The Community Living Research Project (based out of the School of Social Work at UBC) has just released its survey for family members and legal representatives of adults (+19) who receive services of any kind funded by Community Living British Columbia. This will be the largest survey of its type undertaken in Canada and will give the research team a detailed picture of community living in BC and peoples satisfaction with the supports they receive. Visit the Community Living Research Project website to view the survey.
BCACL would like to thank everyone who participated in the 'Evaluating Your Experience' survey that was circulated between April 7th and April 13th, 2008. We are pleased to announce that the survey was a great success, receiving a total of 583 responses from across the province. Your feed-back has provided us with valuable insights that we will share at upcoming regional meetings, the BCACL Annual General Meeting and Conference, and on our website. Please check the website again in the near future for results from the survey and details of the upcoming regional meetings.
Click here to reach the easy-to-use online registration form, or click here to download a copy of the registration form. The Conference will be held at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel in Surrey, BC June 12 - 14, 2008.
Visit the Tools for Change Conference page for more information around registration, program details, travel and hotel, and exhibitor opportunities.
The Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) will be co-hosting the 2008 'Working Matters' Conference, in partnership with BCACL. The conference will take place November 13 - 14, 2008 at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, BC. The CASE Conference attracts leaders in the field of supported and customized employment, and is highly valued by leaders in the field as a high quality networking and professional development event. CASE and BCACL are now seeking proposals for presentations at the conference.
All presentation proposals must be submitted by May 19, 2008 using the proposal submission form.
Click here to download the proposal submission form and to read more about the conference.
