Victoria/Fraser Valley – New accessibility legislation is on the table and hopefully will set British Columbia on the path to a more accessible and inclusive province for people with disabilities and their support networks.
If passed, the accessible British Columbia act will allow government to establish accessibility standards aimed at identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and inclusion. Standards will be developed in a range of areas such as employment, the delivery of services and the built environment.
“People with disabilities have been leaders in shaping the act from the beginning, and it’s with their continued input that we’ll be able to build a barrier-free B.C.,” said Chilliwack MLA Dan Coulter, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility. “This legislation provides us with the framework to improve the lives of over 900,000 British Columbians living with a disability, and I’m looking forward to the work we’ll do in the coming years.”
“We’re committed to improving the lives of people living with disabilities, and today’s introduction of the accessible British Columbia act marks an important step in building an accessible province that works for all of us,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, secretary-treasurer, Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) – “For many years, UBCIC has advocated for Indigenous persons with disabilities to be heard and to receive greater support and recognition of their human rights and basic needs in British Columbia. Indigenous persons with disabilities often face barriers and disadvantages causing hardship, marginalization in accessing social supports and poverty. Legislative reform to better serve persons with disabilities is long overdue. We are glad to see the Province taking this step with the introduction of accessibility legislation, and we applaud the specific provisions in the proposed law to build in the input of Indigenous peoples in the development of accessibility standards. UBCIC shares the view that meaningful work for persons with disabilities must be grounded in and fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and a human rights approach.”
