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[About the Artist] Andrew Cathers is a 38-year-old, self-taught artist from Whistler, B.C. As an adult British Columbian with autism, he often creates his brilliant work at DDA’s Main Street Drop-In. Creating art on a regular basis keeps him interested, busy, and creatively challenged. Andrew began his art career six years ago at a Developmental …

I. THE FACTS The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads in droplets (little sprays of liquid that fly out of our mouths and noses like when we sneeze or cough), or by touching a surface someone else who is infected touched, then touching our faces. If several people touch a doorknob, table or countertop, then it …

School is officially over, parents can relax on the homeschooling aspect of life, and kids of all abilities can get outside and enjoy the summer sun…mostly. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly changed our ability to interact in the usual ways with friends and family and many Canadians have already opted not to travel extensively for …

The developmental disability community is an amazing and diverse group of people with a broad range of abilities who contribute to an inclusive society. While often overlooked, many people in this community identify as LGBTQ2+. Inclusion Matters The Developmental Disabilities Association has long been a champion of inclusion and accessibility in the community. Our vision …

By Keegan Newberry, Assitant Director – DDA Residential Services   Language is complex. Consider the elements that go into understanding speech: interpretation of tone, cadence, speech rate, inflection – all in addition to understanding the actual words used when conveying a message. Words can share multiple meanings, some of which are completely distinct. Certain words …

We might remember July and August of 2020 as the summer that never was. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic many things continue to be moth-balled even though British Columbia has lowered its COVID numbers enough to allow a gradual reopening of the province. Many physical, outdoor summer camps in B.C. have been canceled due to …

In a world turned upside down, it’s hard to imagine where we go from here. The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched to all corners of the globe and is affecting economies in a way not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to the provincial government, B.C. lost over 400 thousand jobs in March …

With the COVID-19 pandemic still ruling our lives, it looks more likely that homeschooling and isolating our kids and youth will be the norm until September. By then things should be somewhat back to normal. For parents of children with special needs, now can be a time of elevated stress and concern for the ongoing …

The collective mental health of planet earth has been taking a beating so far in 2020 thanks to COVID-19. It goes without saying that we could all use a mental break from what the world is currently going through. It’s not enough that fear of the pandemic has swept the globe, but along with it …

The COVID-19 pandemic has, for many, meant a shift to work from home. Even without COVID-19 making it somewhat mandatory, many people regularly maintain a home office. Online applications like Skype and the now very popular ZOOM make it easier to facilitate working from home if and when you can. However, with kids being safe …

The New Normal for DDA Foster Families As people around the world stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic it’s easy to see how our regular lives can get lost in the transition. The new normal is far from feeling normal to most. For special needs families, the transition can come with extra challenges. Solid routines …

The global COVID-19 crisis threatens to drag on for some time as countries try to rein in the infectious illness. British Columbia appears to be leading the charge when it comes to flattening the curve here in Canada, something we can all be very proud of. Developmental Disabilities Association’s community involves over 2000 clients and …