What’s new at the Accessibility Directorate

Last updated on April 30, 2024

Get up to date on our quarterly progress with the Accessible BC Act and everything else going on at the Accessibility Directorate.

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.

Accessibility updates

Implementation of the Accessible British Columbia Act

Accessibility standards development

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:

The Service Delivery Standard provides guidance on how to remove barriers for people with disabilities accessing goods or services from an organization with the aim of ensuring events, activities, and the process of buying goods are carried out in accessible ways for people with disabilities
The Employment Accessibility Standard provides guidance on how to remove barriers for people with disabilities across the whole continuum of employment including hiring, training, retention to ensure inclusive workplaces

About the standards development process

With direction from the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, PAC develops initial standards
The Technical Committees support PAC in developing standards by drawing on existing research, best practices and lessons learnt from other jurisdictions
PAC is required by law to consult on the draft standards before they are sent to the Minister for consideration
- PAC is inviting British Columbians to share their thoughts and experiences on the draft standards recommendations it's been developing for the past year
PAC will revise the standards based on consultation feedback and send them to the Minister for consideration into regulation

Learn more about the standard development technical committees and the Provincial Accessibility Committee.

Public consultations

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.

Subscribe to be notified about updates.

Annual report

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

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.

Other highlights

2022 Canadian disability data

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)

Accessibility spotlight

Rick Hansen Foundation accessibility certification: retrofits and upgrade costs study

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.

Important dates

April: Autism Acceptance Month
April 2: World Autism Day
May: Family Caregiver Month
May: Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
May: Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month
May 25 to June 1: AccessAbility Week
June: ALS Awareness Month
June: Brain Injury Awareness Month
June: Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month

Did you know?

The B.C. government has a central site for all public engagement activities. See the active consultations and share your feedback!

engage.gov.bc.ca

Disability supports

Disability assistance

Accessibility grants/funding opportunities

Disability Alliance BC's Accessible Organizations Project
Community Gaming Grants' Capital Project Grants
BC Centre for Ability's The Opportunities Fund

Contact information

Send us an email if you would like to learn more about the Accessible B.C. Act.

Email
accessibility@gov.bc.ca

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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