Get up to date on our quarterly progress with the Accessible BC Act and everything else going on at the Accessibility Directorate.
A message from Susie Chant, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility
This edition of the newsletter is focused on an upcoming public engagement on draft standards for accessible service delivery and employment.
I want to sincerely thank the members of the Provincial Accessibility Committee, Employment Accessibility Technical Committee and Service Delivery Technical Committee for the tremendous work they have done over the past year to complete recommendations on BC's first accessibility standards. These standards on service delivery and employment accessibility will remove and prevent barriers that restrict people with disabilities from equally participating in the workforce and accessing services in their communities.
I am pleased to share that the Provincial Accessibility Committee has completed its recommendations and will be seeking input from the public very soon on the proposed standards. We all have a role to play in making this province an accessible and inclusive place to live. Your input matters! I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to create a more accessible BC.
Under Part 4 of the Accessible B.C. Act, the Provincial Accessibility Committee (PAC) is mandated to develop standards to remove and prevent barriers for people with disabilities in the province.
Since January 2023, PAC has worked on drafting standards recommendations for accessible service delivery and employment:
Learn more about the standard development technical committees and the Provincial Accessibility Committee.
PAC will be inviting British Columbians to share their thoughts and experiences on how government can remove and prevent barriers that hinder people with disabilities from fully participating in their communities.
The input received will be used to help shape standards recommendations. These recommendations will form the basis of future accessibility regulations in B.C.
We encourage all British Columbians to provide their input and feedback on the draft standards. There will be several ways to provide feedback.
Find more information about the consultation and how to provide input for the Accessible BC Act Standards.
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Our annual report is scheduled to be released by September. It details all the work government has done to advance accessibility over the 2023/24 fiscal year.
AccessAbility Week is from May 26 to June 1, 2024. AccessAbility Week celebrates the contributions of people with disabilities. It also makes us reflect on how we can make our communities accessible to all people. Visit this page for updates about AccessAbility Week events.
Statistics Canada released preliminary data from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability. It shows that the percentage of Canadians who identify as having a disability increased by almost 5% from 2017 to 2022. In 2022, 27% of Canadians aged 15 or older identified as having one or more disabilities. (New data on disability in Canada, 2022)
The Rick Hansen Foundation produced a study to examine what modifications/retrofits/whatever would be necessary to improve accessibility of existing buildings. The study uses schools and office towers as examples.
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The B.C. government has a central site for all public engagement activities. See the active consultations and share your feedback!
Send us an email if you would like to learn more about the Accessible B.C. Act.