IN JUNE 2024, 77 participants from 43 provincial organizations, including ACT – Autism Community training, that represent children and youth with disabilities (CYD) came together in person for the first ever BC Disability Summit. We came together, stirred by a clear sense that the current system is not serving the needs of the CYD we support. We all share a belief that through collaboration, even across our differences, we can find new ideas and take real actions towards measurable change. We came with two main questions:
- What do we need? As the united disability community in BC, starting with a focus on children and youth, how do we clearly articulate our shared needs?
- How will we get what we need? What actions can we commit to taking in order to ensure these needs are met?
BC Disability Collaborative Launches Social Media Campaign
On November 25, 2024, the BC Disability Collaborative (BCDC) launches a month-long social media campaign to raise awareness about the significant service gaps affecting BC children and youth with support needs (CYSN) and their families. Despite Premier Eby’s 2022 promise that “Every child in BC should have the supports they need to thrive,” government funding for CYSN supports remains grossly inadequate. In the social media campaign, families describe how the current lack of services and supports has affected them and their children. Their stories illustrate the difficulties faced by more than 80,000 BC families whose children are not receiving the supports they need to thrive.
At the cabinet swearing-in ceremony last week, Premier Eby stated, “Ours will be a government that listens, and ours will be a government that delivers…I can’t wait to get started to build a province where no one gets left behind, where everyone is included…” Over the past 8 years, the government has heard from thousands of families across the province, and their message is clear: the CYSN service system is broken.
The time for listening is over – it is now time to deliver. The BCDC calls for immediate action and substantial government investments across ministries to rectify the longstanding gaps in CYSN services. Children and youth with disabilities and support needs have been left behind for far too long – they cannot afford to wait any longer.
Follow the campaign on:
About the BC Disability Collaborative (BCDC)
The BC Disability Collaborative is a group of 18 provincial organizations united in their efforts to advocate for policies that ensure the rights of disabled citizens are respected, systemic inequities are addressed, and tailored services are provided to all children and youth with support needs and their families.
For further information, please contact: Pat Mirenda, Ph.D., BCDC Chair, [email protected]