CLBC hosts land acknowledgement ceremony in Kamloops Tkʼemlúps te Secwépemc traditional territory
CLBC’s Kamloops office recently hosted a land acknowledgement ceremony to show recognition and respect for the unceded traditional ancestral territory of the Tk’emlups te Secwépemc peoples, situated within the unceded traditional lands of the Secwépemc Nation whose land our office resides on.
About 70 individuals from various backgrounds came together to celebrate the occasion. Among the attendees were members of the Secwépemc Nation, families, Community Council members, CLBC staff, self-advocates and service providers.
Apply for a paid position on the CLBC Editorial Board
CLBC’s Editorial Board is made up of people receiving CLBC services and self-advocacy leaders from across the province. The role of the Editorial Board is to strengthen communication with the people CLBC serves, share stories and ensure meaningful participation in the ongoing work of CLBC.
If you would like to contact the Editorial Board, or are interested in becoming a member, please email CLBC.Connect@gov.bc.ca
Provide your input on the B.C.’s accessibility standards
The Accessible British Columbia Act became law in 2021. Under the Act, the B.C. Government is developing new standards to identify, remove and prevent barriers experienced by people with disabilities. Accessibility standards for the areas of service delivery and employment are currently being developed.
You can share your input by completing this pre-consultation questionnaire by March 31, 2024. Responses to this questionnaire will inform government’s approach to the public engagement which is scheduled to launch at the end of May.
Self-Advocacy Corner Register for BC People First’s 2024 Virtual Self Advocacy Conference
This year’s BC People First conference is a hybrid learning and networking event taking place virtually on March 13 and 14.
Attendees will connect with peers while gaining experience and knowledge in leadership development areas such as advocacy, goal setting, presentation skills, using social media, human rights and more.
Do you want to help self-advocacy leaders support people and organizations to think more about the language they use and make changes?
The BC Self Advocacy Leadership Network (BCSALN) has recently published Thinking About Language – Part 2, a follow up to their original report that was released in August 2020. The new report invites readers to reflect on service-related words like skills training, goals, staffed home, placement, non-verbal and more.
BCSALN members share their own insights about how these words make them feel and offer suggestions on how to reframe the language we use when referring to the people we serve and the supports they receive.
The CLBC Provincial Employment Team is hosting a new virtual Employment Corner for self-advocates and job seekers. Everyone is welcome to join and share successes, ideas and concerns and to ask questions.
This online session takes place March 27 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm (PDT)
Real Talk is a sexual health initiative for people living with cognitive disabilities. The Real Talk leadership team is comprised of Certified Sexual Health Educators with extensive experience in the community living sector.
Real Talk’s work aims to:
Affirm that all people have a sexuality.
Facilitate conversations about dating, love, relationships and sex.
Celebrate the sexuality of adults with cognitive disabilities.
Canada Post now offers a delivery accommodation program that ensures all Canadians have safe and timely access to their mail and packages. Some examples of accommodations are key turners, sliding compartment trays and braille for community mailboxes.
Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) webinar now offered in different languages
Plan Institute is excited to announce that they are launching the RDSP Level 1 webinar in Arabic, Mandarin / Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Punjabi beginning this month.
The RDSP is a Canada-wide matched savings plan for people with disabilities who are approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). Eligible individuals who are aged 49 and under could receive up to $4,500 per year in government grants and bonds up to a lifetime maximum of $90,000.
The Level 1: Intro to the RDSP webinar is for anyone who wants to learn the basics of RDSPs and get general information about them. No prior knowledge is required and all attendees will receive a translated guide to RDSPs and a link to the webinar recording.
Click the links below to register for these upcoming webinars:
If you need any assistance with registering, please call 604-439-9566 extension 156, or email info@rdsp.com.
Upcoming online video launch will highlight personal planning
Nidus and Parkinson Society BC are presenting the free online launch of two new videos that feature personal stories from across B.C. and highlight the value of personal planning for people with disabilities.
The presentation, titled Personal Planning through Storytelling: Representation Agreements, Nidus Registry & more, takes place this Thursday, March 14 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm (PDT).
Program provides mobile devices, computers and adaptive aids
tech on bed
March of Dimes Canada recognizes that technology plays an important role in helping family and friends stay connected. Their Tech for Impact Fund is giving away technology to support Canadians who have a disability. Priority is being given to people who need to technology for:
Accessing or managing online services that meet basic and essential needs (such as medical appointments, transportation needs, banking and shopping for food).
Participating in employment, skills development, education or social/community engagement activities.
Online applications are accepted until Friday, March 31, 2024.
All B.C. residents can now register for a family doctor or nurse practitioner in their community through BC’s Health Connect Registry.
When you register, you are added to a list of people in need of a primary care provider in your community. Family doctors and nurse practitioners will use the list when they are available to accept new patients.
Registration takes less than 10 minutes. To register, you need to provide:
Personal Health Number (PHN) found on your B.C. Services Card
Pathways Medical Care Directory is a province-wide public directory that helps people connect to care. It includes listings for individual family doctors, nurse practitioners and midwives. The directory includes information about care options and shows which doctors are accepting new patients.
The government of Canada has free tax clinics where eligible people can get their tax returns done for free by volunteers. These clinics are hosted by community organizations across Canada through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). Options include walk-in, drop-off, and in-person or virtual appointments.
Open Door Group offers employment support for youth in Kamloops, Kelowna, Sechelt and Vancouver
The Open Door Group’s Jobs in Demand Program is for young adults aged 18 to 29 with disabilities. The eight-week course provides participants with a practical, hands-on learning environment to support them with getting ready to work.
Jobs in Demand also offers free industry training and certification, such as WHMIS, Food Safe and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention as well as connections to employers who are currently hiring.
Complete Vela’s Human Resources and Administration Survey
Vela Canada is conducting a survey to learn how its staff can provide more human resources and administrative support for people and families who use Microboards, Individualized Funding and Person-Centered Societies.
Vela Canada assists people with disabilities to take greater control of their lives by exploring ideas that can lead to customized, inclusive and creative supports, primarily through developing a Microboard or accessing Individualized Funding.
You can also contact CLBC.Connect@gov.bc.ca to set up a time with the Community Engagement team to learn more about volunteering on a CLBC Community Council.
Join this upcoming Community Council event
The CLBC South Island Community Council is hosting its Monthly Gathering next week.
When: March 19 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm (PDT) Where: Virtual or CLBC’s Victoria office at #410 – 29 Helmcken Road RSVP to: CLBC.Connect@gov.bc.ca
Each year, March 21 is marked as World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) as declared by the United Nations General Assembly. On this day, people with Down syndrome, along with their families, friends, colleagues and fellow community members, organize and participate in activities and events around the world to raise public awareness and create a global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome.
Many landmarks around the world will be lit up in blue and yellow to mark the day, including B.C. Place stadium in Vancouver.
To spread awareness and spark conversations, many people take part in the Lots of Socks campaign by wearing colourful attention-getting socks on March 21. Learn more about this campaign here. You can also find pictures of people wearing colourful socks, and share your own, by using the hashtag #LotsOfSocks on social media.
Recognizing World Autism Awareness Day on April 2
April 2 will mark World Autism Awareness Day to celebrate and support people with Autism to lead full and meaningful lives as members of our communities.
As we wrap up this edition, we wanted to share a lovely story with you from Kimberley, B.C.:
Self-advocacy leader and photographer Jonathan Righton was called down to the ice at his local team’s playoff hockey game to take a photo of that night’s Fan of the Game award winner. What he didn’t realize was that the award was actually being presented to him.
“I’ll never forget this date, as it was my mom’s birthday and I felt my late dad smiling down on me saying ‘that’s my boy and son’ when I was on the ice receiving the recognition from the Kimberley Dynamiters Organization,” says Jonathan.
SelfAdvocatenet BC Election Page 2026 Here is a page on about BC Provincial Election 2026 what you will need to know to go out vote Party Platforms from BC New Democrats Party Platform BC Conservatives Party Platform One BC Party Platform BC Green Party Platform Centre BC Party
Self Advocates Attention on Home Share Changes Highlighting this for Self Advocates that basing it on in the plan Throughout this work, self-advocates consistently described what matters most: • “People make sure I’m okay and that my home is safe.” • “People notice what’s not working and fix it so I can do well.” • “If something goes wrong, someone will look into it quickly and it gets fixed.” • “The people who work with me have the skills to
October 2026 has been proclaimed Community Inclusion Month in British Columbia, recognizing the importance of building communities where everyone has the opportunity to belong, participate, and thrive. The proclamation is an important statement of what an inclusive province should look like: a place where everyone has opportunity, choice and control in their own lives, and where people with disabilities are welcomed as full and valued members of their communities. But a proclamation is only the beginning. The real work of
