| Dear BC Self Advocacy Community and Supporters,
Happy Holidays! It has been a busy fall with the 20th Anniversary of the Self Advocacy Leadership Retreat, Community Inclusion Month, RDSP Awareness Month, Indigenous Disability Awareness Month and International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Here are some updates to share with you:
- New online tool makes Individualized Funding reporting easier
- New myCommunity BC website maps inclusive places in your community
- CLBC Information sheets in different languages
- L.I.F.E.-based service update
- 2019 WOW Award winners
- CLBC Board tours and Open Board meeting
- SelfAdvocateNet shares stories from across B.C.
1. New online tool makes Individualized Funding (IF) reporting easier
Do you use Individualized Funding? If so, there is a new tool to help make things easier. Check it out here: if.communitylivingbc.ca.
VELA Canada and CLBC have also created two videos and other materials to help people learn the steps to submit their reports. The videos and materials can be found at www.communitylivingbc.ca/IF.
VELA staff can also help with the new online reporting system and can be reached at 604-539-2488, extension 3.
People can also contact their local CLBC office for assistance using the contact information found here.
2. New myCommunity BC website maps inclusive places in your community
Want to learn about where people feel welcome and included in their community?
Visit www.mycommunitybc.com to:
- find places that others have recommended as inclusive and welcoming
- suggest an inclusive place in your community
- create an account to save your own map of places
The more people add and recommend places, the more places there will be for others to explore!
Please share this website with your friends.
3. Information sheets now available in different languages
CLBC has now posted translated versions of the following Information sheets on our website:
- Getting CLBC Services
- Planning
- Youth in Transition
These information sheets are now available here in Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Arabic and Vietnamese.
4. New L.I.F.E.-based service update
Individuals and families are trying out a new CLBC service called L.I.F.E.-based. They are piloting the service with 5 service providers until July 2020.
L.I.F.E. stands for Learning, Inclusion, Friendship and Employment. It will support people who want to get a job but also want support with other things in their lives.
A new web page with stories and updates on the L.I.F.E.-based service can be found on the CLBC website here.
For any questions, please contact catriona.johnson@gov.bc.ca
5. 2019 WOW Award winners
During Community Inclusion Month in October, CLBC presented five Widening Our World (WOW) Awards to recognize inclusion champions.
The 2019 WOW Award winners are:
- Gloria Gagnon of Princeton, for her contributions as an employment development and self-help supervisor for the past 16 years.
- Katie Moore of Vernon, for her work to make communities in her area more accessible through the creation of the Okanagan Accessibility Group.
- Krystian Shaw of Kamloops, for raising awareness about diverse abilities, accessibility, mental health and self-advocate leadership through many different platforms, including the monthly Kamloops Self Advocate newsletter which he founded six years ago.
- Tara Roberts of Surrey, for her work on projects for the City of Surrey that go above and beyond to support community members with disabilities.
- Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, for being role-models of inclusion through welcoming CJ into their “fire hall family” for over 16 years.
Congratulations to the winners, whom you can read all about here, and to the more than 60 people across B.C. who were nominated this year.
6. CLBC Board tours and Open Board meeting January 21
The CLBC Board of Directors visits different communities across the province to meet individuals and families, and to see programs and services firsthand.
Learn more about their visits to Nanaimo here and to Abbotsford and Langley here.
You are also invited to attend CLBC’s open board meetings which take place throughout the year in Vancouver. See the full list of open board meetings for 2020 here.
The next CLBC Board meeting will be held in Vancouver on Tuesday, January 21, 2020.
7. SelfAdvocateNet shares stories from across B.C.
Each month, SelfAdvocateNet.com publishes stories highlighting the contributions, abilities and leadership of self advocates and people with diverse abilities from around the province.
Here are some recent examples of the great stories published on the site:
If you or someone you know has a story to share on the SelfAdvocateNet.com website, you can visit the “Submit your Story Idea” page here.
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Thank you again for continuing to share your expertise and leadership. Please accept our warm wishes for the holidays season and a wonderful start to 2020.
Sincerely,
Ross Chilton
CEO, Community Living BC
Jessica Humphrey
Self Advocate Advisor, Community Living BC |
