The theme of this year’s Community Inclusion Month is Claiming Full Citizenship.
Community Inclusion Month welcomes all members of community to celebrate and bring awareness to the strengths and achievements of people with developmental disabilities.
It challenges us to think of community as more than just a place where we live; it is where we all come together to work, learn and play.
Community Living Month Calendar
Find out what’s happening in your community! View our calendar here.
Have an event that you want included? Click here to submit your event online.
Members! Order materials from Inclusion BC
Inclusion BC has created a customizable poster, for your logo, message and photo for display. You can also order Community Inclusion Month pens.
Members can login here to order materials. Let us know if you’re having difficulty logging in.
Important events happening in October
Inclusion BC Federation Summit
Inclusion BC is hosting a Federation Summit on October 3 in Burnaby.
In this period of great change, there are many opportunities for innovation. But there are also serious barriers that threaten the future of inclusive communities and require coordinated and allied action. Inclusion BC’s membership is our greatest source for information, evidence, perspectives and direction. Join us as we plan for the future together.
If you are not already a member, you can join today as an individual, family or organization.
Ready, Willing & Able employer breakfast in Victoria
Join us for breakfast in Victoria on October 15, 2015 at the Hotel Grand Pacific to learn more about inclusive hiring practices of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and developmental disabilities. This event will feature opening remarks by Victoria’s Mayor, Ms. Lisa Helps. Find ways to make your workplace more inclusive and improve your bottom line at the same time.
This is an RSVP-only event.
Claiming Full Citizenship Conference
The theme for Community Inclusion Month is inspired by the international conference, “Claiming Full Citizenship: Self Determination, Personalization and Individualized Funding,” hosted by the UBC Centre for Inclusion and Citizenship.
The conference provides a unique opportunity for individuals and organizations from around the world to gather and share ideas and stories of initiatives that are transforming the lives of people with developmental disabilities.
Inclusion BC is proud to sponsor the event and provide scholarships for people to attend.
You can learn more and register for the conference at http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/ClaimingFullCitizenship2015/.
When: Thursday, October 15 – Saturday, October 17, 2015
Where: The Hyatt Regency, Vancouver, BC
History of Community Living Month
Building on an idea first conceived by members of Community Living Victoria, Inclusion BC (then the BC Association for Community Living) launched a community development initiative called “Community Living Day” in 1996. This project encouraged members of community living associations and their community partners to plan events during the month of October which would celebrate the gifts and talents that people with developmental disabilities bring to their communities. The project generated great enthusiasm and the idea began to expand. Inspired by the tremendous success of others, organizations across the province and country began to adopt October as a time to celebrate community living.
It is now an annual tradition for municipalities throughout the province. The BC government and the Canadian Association for Community Living have joined with us to proclaim Community Living days and weeks during the month of October.
The Inclusion BC Board of Directors first endorsed October as Community Living Month in June 1998. Designating the whole month for celebrating Community Living enables groups to choose days or weeks during October that best suit their community, or to host events throughout the month if they wish.
View “this is the story of a civil rights movement” below, to learn more about our history as a movement.
