This month we are proud to feature our partnering organization, DABC!
| Since 1977, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. Our mission is to support people, with all disabilities, to live with dignity, independence and as equal and full participants in the community. We champion issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities through our direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research and publications. The latest at DABC: We’ve just released the Spring 2024 edition of our flagship magazine, Transition! This edition’s theme is Challenges and Supports for Newcomers with Disabilities. Download it in PDF and Text Only format and check out past editions here. Our next edition of Transition will discuss how people with disabilities are affected by climate change. We would be glad to hear from you if you have been personally affected by climate change, such as during our extreme heat waves in BC the last few years. Or, do you see ways that people with disabilities are either included or excluded in emergency plans? Email transition@disabilityalliancebc.org by April 15th. Our Tax AID team is busy helping our clients through tax season. Did you know that we also offer drop-off tax services for simple tax situations? Learn more here. Join us for an online workshop, presented in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library, on April 19th: The Disability Tax Credit and Other Related Benefits. Find out more and register here. We’ve recently updated several of our Help Sheets and Guides. View all our publications on our Publications page. With the assistance of MOSAIC Settlement and Employment Services, we will be translating our Help Sheets and CPP-D Guides into four additional languages: Farsi, Arabic, Spanish and Punjabi. We’ll make an announcement through our social media, website, e-newsletter and email network when the translated resources are available. The BC Budget for the 2024/2025 fiscal year was announced at the legislative assembly in Victoria on February 22, 2024. Helaine Boyd, DABC’s Executive Director, was invited to attend the announcement and review the budget materials. Read DABC’s response to the Budget here. The Province recently introduced Bill 7 which proposes amendments to three acts. You can read our statement on our website. Make it Monthly: Help us reach our monthly giving goals this March! Make a new monthly gift of $20 or more through CanadaHelps, and CanadaHelps will make a one-time extra $20 donation to DABC. Set up your monthly donation here. Of course, this isn’t all that DABC is up to! Learn about all our programs and services, subscribe to our e-newsletter, and view our blog on our website. You can also follow us on Facebook, X and LinkedIn for updates! |
| Disability Story of the Month: Nicole Provost My name is Nicole Provost, and I am a neurodiversity and disability advocate based out of Abbotsford BC. I am a student at the University of the Fraser Valley and I am pursuing a degree in aviation, with the goal of becoming a flight instructor and then an aerial firefighter. When I was 21, I founded my own registered non-profit charity called ‘Mayday Club’. The primary program run by Mayday Club is a 35-voice youth choir made up of children, youth, and young adults who are neurodivergent, disabled, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community, and / or allies. I came up with the idea for a choir with neurodivergent singers because I noticed a lack of opportunity for young individuals of these populations in my community, and in neighboring municipalities such as Mission, Chilliwack, and Hope. I also realized how efficient of a communication tool a performing youth choir could be, because I recognize that music and dance are universal, and we could use them as a tool to connect with audiences across the province while sharing our message of inclusion. The choir has grown from 13 original members to over 40. In total, we have had over 80 young members, many of whom have gone on to study at university or gain meaningful employment in various fields, despite challenges they face in everyday life. For all of the choir members, the group is a place where they can come to be themselves and be surrounded by like-minded individuals, as well as be pushed to their limits and gain skills in the areas of public speaking, team-work, travel and professionalism, media, dance, and of course music. It is a sad fact of our society that neurodivergent and/or LGBTQIA2S+ individuals are more likely to experience poverty, abuse, mental health challenges, addiction, or homelessness than their counterparts. Mayday Club aims to combat this by providing them with opportunities to get involved in the community, be connected with like-minded mentors, develop the vocabulary and awareness needed to make safe choices, and gain work-related skills. In reality, neurodivergent and disabled workers are an immense human resource that employers and business owners are failing to take advantage of, due to our society’s lack of understanding on human diversity. My goal with Mayday Club in the next few years is to get more neurodivergent, disabled, and LGBTQIA2S+ youth involved in leadership roles, because I would like the organization to be run primarily by youth in these populations, as they know their own needs better than anyone else. This month, I will be travelling to Ottawa to receive the Governor General’s Award for my work with Mayday Club and my efforts to advance inclusion in my province. I am ecstatic to be a recipient of the award, but I acknowledge that from the start, Mayday Club has been a team effort, and I am grateful beyond measure to be a part of it. |