Victoria/Chilliwack – Thousands of people living with disabilities in BC, will be supported with continued access to the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).
In a media statement, Chilliwack MLA Dan Coulter, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility noted: “Building a barrier-free B.C. means integrating accessibility into every aspect of our lives – and that includes financial literacy. We know that people with disabilities have been disproportionately affected by the past two years, which means it’s more important than ever to have accessible and easy-to-use resources to make financial decisions.”
With $1.35 million in provincial funding over three years, the Access RDSP partnership between the BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society (BCANDS), Disability Alliance BC (DABC) and Plan Institute, can provide eligible people with disabilities with the information and support they need to access the RDSP. The Vancouver Foundation will administer the funding.
For six years, the Access RDSP initiative has worked to address barriers to participation in the RDSP and Disability Tax Credit (DTC) by offering one-to-one support and workshops in communities throughout B.C. It has reached more thean 6,000 families and is raising awareness of available resources. Free online tools, such as the RDSP calculator, the DTC eligibility tool and the RDSP helpline, help people with disabilities benefit from federal and provincial disability-related programs.
The online RDSP calculator can be found here: https://www.rdsp.com/calculator/
The online Disability Tax Credit tool can be found here: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/dtc-app/
Information about BCANDS Indigenous Registered Disability Savings Plan Navigation Services is available on their website: http://www.bcands.bc.ca/access-rdsp-change-your-tomorrow-today-bcands-indigenous-registered-disability-savings-plan-navigation-services/
DABC’s website has more information about Access RDSP: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/access-rdsp/
