In preparation for the 2009 BC election on May 12, 2009, BCACL has launched a BC Election 2009 section on this website. Together we can ensure that issues that matter to people with developmental disabilities are a priority in this election.
The End Waitlists Campaign held a press conference on February 2, 2009 at the SFU Harbour Centre. Click here to read the press release. Visit www.endwaitlists-now.org for more details, including videos of the conference.
The BC Association for Community Living (BCACL) applauds the Government of BC for investing in the lives of people with developmental disabilities. The $73 million new investment for adults with developmental disabilities announced in yesterday's provincial budget is the first step needed to begin to address the crisis being faced by individuals and families across BC. Click here to read BCACL's press release.
Content from the campaign blog, www.endwaitlists-now.org is available in PDF format. Click here to download.
Advocates from the Saskatchewan Association for Community Living (SACL) celebrated on October 23 as the Government of Saskatchewan announced a $76.9 million investment to eliminate waitlists for residential, day and specialized programs for people with developmental disabilities in Saskatchewan. Click here to read the BCACL press release.
On Friday, October 24, 2008, BCACL submitted the written segment of our presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Relations for input towards the provincial budget 2009 consultation.
Click here to read BCACL's written submission. The 2009 Budget Consultation report was released on November 16 and is available on the Committee website.
Committee Website: https://www.leg.bc.ca/budgetconsultations/index.htm
The written submission follows BCACL's presentation to the Committee on September 15, 2008. We would like to thank all of the individuals and groups who made a personal, written or survey presentation to the Committee. We hope the Committee will hear our concerns and write a report that reflects the critical need of a financial investment towards eliminating waitlists.
December 10 is the UN International Day of Human Rights. BCACL has written a letter to Amnesty International to urge Amnesty International to recognize the institutionalization of people with developmental disabilities as a violation of human rights. Click here to read BCACL's December 10 letter.
BCACL strongly urges the Federal Government to help promote and protect the principles of dignity and justice for all persons around the world, by supporting the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), before October 3, 2008. BCACL has written to the Hon. David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, urging him to make ratification a reality. Click here to read the letter.
On Friday, the Campbell government announced a forecasted budget surplus of $1 billion - $970 million more than what was forecast and one that is predicted to double by the end of this fiscal year. Despite this year's surplus and those before it, waitlists for community living services continue to grow. We believe the government's unwillingness to fund the necessary supports and services that people need to participate in communities is unacceptable. Click here to read the BCACL press release.
Faced with a second petition filed by the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS) on behalf of a youth who did not meet CLBC's eligibility criteria based on I.Q., the Provincial Government has changed the regulations guiding the Community Living Authority Act to enshrine an I.Q. of 70 or below as a criterion for receiving services from Community Living BC (CLBC).
Click here to view BCACL's social policy statement on eligibility for community living services and supports.
Click here to read the BCACL press release.
Click here for media coverage.
Premier Gordon Campbell announced changes in the provincial cabinet on Monday, June 23, 2008. The provincial government has turned its back on its agreement to put into action the community's vision of a having a seamless life-long system of support for children and youth with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities and their families. Click here for more information, including media coverage and ways that you can make your voice heard.
The Encampment is an exhibition presented by the Canadian Association of Community Living (CACL) as part of its 50th anniversary cultural initiative to bring national awareness to the inclusion of people with an intellectual disability.
The BC Association for Community Living (BCACL) joins its national partners, the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) and People First of Canada, in denouncing the film Tropic Thunder for its negative portrayal of people with developmental disabilities and its liberal use of oppressive language. Striving for humour at the expense of people with developmental disabilities, the film reinforces harmful and dangerous stereotypes. Click here to read the BCACL press release. Click here to read the CACL press release.
We would like to thank all those who attended our 2008 Tools for Change conference, helping to make it one of the best ever. Click here to watch the slideshow that was viewed at the conference, capturing the fun, learning, and inspiration that was shared by those who attended. The slideshow was created by Brian Salisbury and Neil Madu; photography by Wioletta Okwieka-Reduch, Brian Salisbury, and Neil Madu. When your browser opens, right-click your mouse and choose "full screen". You may be prompted to install a plugin that will allow you to view the show. Turn your sound on and click the icon - enjoy!
Results of the BCACL survey, Evaluating your Current Experience with CLBC, were recently shared at regional meetings across B.C. and at the BCACL conference and AGM on June 12-14. The document is now available for download as a PDF file. Click here to download the survey report.
After being cut in the face of budget shortfalls, Adult Special Education (ASE) programs at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) have been reinstated. CNC President John Bowman announced on May 23 that CNC will continue to deliver employment preparation programming for people with learning difficulties and developmental disabilities in the coming year at the Prince George campus. Visit the BCACL Inclusive Education>Current Issues section for more information.
The Douglas College Board decided at a meeting on April 15th to maintain funding in the 2008/09 year for the Customer Service and Cashier Training Program and the Transitions Pilot Project. Following delegations from BCACL and other community groups, the Board instructed the College to use emergency funds to pay for these programs in the coming year. Click here to read the Douglas College Press Release.
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
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.
Following the decision by the National Parole Board Appeal Division to grant day parole to Robert Latimer, BCACL released a press release. Click here to read it. The Canadian Association for Community Living also released a press release - click here to read it. Click here to read some of the media coverage around the event.
BC's Representative for Children and Youth released a monitoring brief on February 26, 2008, which states that vulnerable children and youth with special needs and their families and caregivers need a more responsive and accountable system of supports. BCACL released a press release in response to the Brief. Click here to read our press release.
Click here to access the press release from her office.
Click here to access the whole report (28 pages).
For more information, visit the Representative for Children and Youth website.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released a report titled Removing Barriers to Work: Flexible Employment Options for People with Disabilities in BC. The study urges the provincial government to adopt a series of creative recommendations that would make employment possible for many more British Columbians with significant disabilities. Visit BCACL's Employment Updates section for more details.
BCACL feels that the provincial government has not gone far enough in improving the lives of people with developmental disabilities with Budget 2008. Click here to read our press release issued February 20, 2008.
BCACL was present in Victoria at the Budget Lockup on February 19th in hopes of being reassured that government will respond to children and youth with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities and their families in crisis. Click here to read our media advisory released on February 18th. Click here to download BCACL's submission to the Select Standing Committee on Finance in October 2007.
Click here to go to the government's Budget 2008 page with information about the budget including Budget Highlights, slide presentations and backgrounders. Click here to access their news release about Budget 2008.
Read the transcript of the Throne Speech delivered on February 12, 2008.
Download two press releases on the Throne Speech from the Office of the Premier by clicking here and here.
Two young women with Down Syndrome were used as suicide bombers in Baghdad, Iraq. BCACL joins Inclusion International in strongly denouncing the use of vulnerable people in any act of violence. Click here to read a statement from Inclusion International.
Join BCACL & the Richmond Society for Community Living on February 25, 2008 for "Ensuring Community Living for Everyone", a day-long forum on supporting adults with complex health care needs. Click here for more information and registration details.
On United Nations' Day of the Disabled Persons - December 3rd - BC Association for Community Living (BCACL) and Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) are co-hosting a workshop titled Poverty and Intellectual Disability: the Invisible Development Challenge. This workshop will explore international development efforts that are inclusive of people with intellectual disabilities. Registration deadline is November 26, 2007. For more information visit the Upcoming Events section and look under Training.
Thank you to every one who celebrated Community Living Month and participated in activities and events throughout October. It was a huge success in raising the awareness in the broader community and in celebrating the gifts and abilities of people with developmental disabilities. There were many celebrations and activities in communities across the province. Check out the Photos 2007 and Media 2007 section.
BCACL teams up with Community Living BC to present a day of stories, tips and strategies about person centred small business development. Cary Griffin, a senior partner at Griffin-Hammis Associates, will be facilitating the workshop.
When: October 1 , 2007, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Where: Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson St. Vancouver
This option is well-suited to individuals for whom typical employment is not a desireable option. The workshop will focus on real life examples and concrete tools you can use in your work or family life, as well as strategies for financing the business and navigating income assistance systems.An effort will also be made to connect you with local resources to help you get started after the training. The workshop costs $60.00 (including coffee and a light lunch).
Contact: Meaghan Feduck at (604) 777-9100, ext. 506 for more information. Click here for a printable flyer and registration form. Click here to download parking and transportation information.
Come, celebrate our new home! The British Columbia Association for Community Living (BCACL), BC Self Advocacy Foundation (BC SAF), the BCACL Foundation and the Family Support Institute (FSI) warmly invite you to attend our Open House celebration. Click here to view the Open House invitation.
When: Friday, September 21; 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Where: 227 6th Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3A5.
Please RSVP before September 14 by email to info@bcacl.org or call 604-777-9100.
BCACL is working to influence the Ministry of Education to abandon its plans for "model schools” for students with special needs.
Click here for the latest update on Inclusive Education activities at BCACL. You will find the email memo which you can send out, related press articles, letters and other useful information.
There're 650 million reasons to celebrate today, as the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities was ratified at a ceremony in the UN General Assembly hall this morning. Across the world, 650 million people live with a disability, and the Convention seeks to guarantee that the world"s largest minority enjoy their inherent right to life on an equal basis with others.
Particularly pleasing is the fact that Canada decided to sign the Convention and participated in the ceremony this morning. The decision to participate in the Signing Ceremony establishes Canada's commitment to real change through effective legislation and a shift in attitude, which the Convention demands.
We acknowledge and thank CACL and Anna MacQuarrie for their stellar work to ensure people with intellectual disabilities and their families were recognized in the Convention. Congratulations are in order!
View CACL"s Press Release "Canada a World Leader for Rights of Persons with Disabilities" regarding Canada's intention to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today.
For more information on the Convention visit: http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/.
To raise awareness about the unacceptable and long waitlists for community living supports and services, people with developmental disabilities and their families visited their MLAs on February 14th.
L'Arche Canada Questions Ethics Used to Justify "Ashley Treatment"
It is difficult to sympathize with the ethicists and medical doctors who are now promoting the so-called "Ashley treatment." Ashley's case does not exist in isolation from human society, and it raises profound ethical and social questions. Read the full statement
CACL is proud to announce that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. Moving forward the Convention will be used to secure the rights and full inclusion of persons with disabilities and their families internationally and here in Canada. In particular, the Convention will provide a useful framework for combating the poverty and exclusion facing persons with disabilities. We would like to acknowledge the work of CACL in achieving this remarkable outcome.
On December 13, 2006, the Minister of Finance's Expert Panel on Financial Security for Children with Severe Disabilities released its report calling on the Federal Government to implement a Disability Savings Plan.
The report, A New Beginning, calls for the creation of a Registered Disability Savings Plan that would enable families and friends to contribute to the long-term income security of a family member with a significant disability.
We want to acknowledge Planned Lifetime Advocacy Networks (PLAN) for having developed and advocated for this type of investment. Many of their efforts and suggestions have been incorporated into the report recommendations. The fact that the report is being so positively received is indeed good news!
On December 7, 2006 BCACL issued an update to the member associations on the status of the class action law suit brought about by former residents of Woodlands against the provincial government. BCACL joins with former residents of Woodlands, their families and community to call on government to negotiate a fair and equitable out-of-court restitution process.
BCACL has written a letter, published on November 1, 2006 in the Vancouver Sun regarding the use of the word de-institutionalization in a recent speech by Premier Gordon Campbell. Premier Campbell was quoted as saying that de-institutionalization was a failure, causing concerns from the Community Living movement, media and others. To read the letter, click here.
Vancouver Foundation is managing two funds for the Province: the Family Independence Fund, for families of individuals with developmental disabilities, and the Children and Youth with Special Needs Supports Fund, for families of children and youth with special needs. The application process is now open--visit here. The grants will cover costs to help an adult or child with a developmental disability or a child with special needs to live at home and access their community. For general program information on the funds, please visit the Vancouver Foundation site.
The UN adopts disability convention setting a standard for all countries. On families, the historic document states; "Convinced that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state, and that persons with disabilities and their family members should receive the necessary protection and assistance to enable families to contribute towards the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities.” To see the UN document, click here. View Canadian Association on Community Living page on Enable. Visit Inclusion International site view their daily reports here.
UVIC Online Learning
The University of Victoria Assistive Technology Team (UVATT), in collaboration with the Garth Homer Society, has embarked on an ambitious program to build an online learning and community-building resource and support network for the special needs community. Details here.
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, announced today the appointment of an expert panel to examine ways to help parents save for the long-term financial security of a child with a severe disability. Plans to establish the panel were announced in Budget 2006.
The panel will advise the Minister of Finance on ways to help parents save for the long-term financial security of a child with a severe disability. The panel will examine a range of potential vehicles, assess their relative advantages and disadvantages, and recommend appropriate instruments that could be implemented.
Consistent with the six-month timeframe indicated in Budget 2006, the group has been asked to report its recommendations to the Minister by Nov. 9, 2006.
Persons wishing to submit their views to the panel can do sobefore October 15, 2006, by writing to the Expert Panel on Disability Savings care of (c.o.) the Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance, 140 O'Connor Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G5 or by writing to the panel"s e-mail address at disabilitysavings-epargne-handicapes@fin.gc.ca.