Tue Jun 17, 2014 9:28am PST
The BC Chamber of Commerce has commended the provincial government for its recently released Accessibility 2024 plan.
The 10-year plan outlines what the government believes needs to be done to increase job accessibility for British Columbians living with disabilities, with the goal of making British Columbia the country’s most inclusive province by 2024.
John Winter, BC Chamber president and CEO, said his organization is in support of all efforts to eliminate barriers to people with disabilities being able to contribute their skills to the province’s economy.
“We commend the government for creating a plan to help all British Columbians participate fully in B.C. workplaces and beyond,” Winter said.
In 2000, the chamber had said people with disabilities are an under-represented group in B.C.’s workforce.
“We saw an opportunity to not only assist disabled British Columbians, but also to help employers seeking skilled workers but who balked at employing people with disabilities due to what was wrongly perceived as a high cost of accommodation,” Winter said.
“With this investment, much of that misconception can be dealt with.”
The Accessibility 2024 plan outlines recommendations that relate to increasing accessibility in service delivery, internet, the built environment, housing and transportation, and providing income support.
