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In April 2021, a boy with autism and limited ability to communicate went missing in Vancouver and was later found, unharmed, by the VPD. To further understand the police department’s protocol around investigating missing persons cases that involve individuals with disabilities, DDA’s Communications Manager, Evan Kelly sat down with Lori Hemm, Program Coordinator with the …

In 2019, Timothy started in a joint program with the Vancouver School Board and DDA where he had a combination of classroom training and community exposure to learn all the skills necessary for success after high school. This lead to a volunteer experience at Belkin House where he learned the basics of how a commercial …

Even though it never truly felt like 2020 ended, we are nearing the start of the 2021-2022 school year. And while all schooling will continue to be in-person this September, the challenges that arose from COVID-19 are undoubtedly still present. Especially for children with disabilities and their parents, September can bring a variety of intersecting …

Books with disability representation are not just empowering for people with disabilities, they carry a lot of weight in influencing readers without disabilities. They have the power to provide education, insight and teach empathy. Underrepresentation of the disability community in books can be extremely harmful and limiting to the way we form ideas about them. …

Over the past decade or more, Hollywood has been making an effort to be more inclusive. Whether more roles for minorities and now, roles for people with disabilities, it’s starting to feel a little more reflective of how society actually is. Here in Canada, roughly 20 per cent of us identify with some form of …

On June 22nd, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, introduced legislation that would create a new Canada Disability Benefit Act. Bill C-35’s goal is to lift hundreds of thousands of persons with a disability out of poverty by supporting the financial security of those of working-age. This new benefit will …

  Summer is finally here, and we’re so excited! This is a great time for your family to try out some new activities and meet new people now that COVID restrictions have eased. Go out and enjoy the sunshine! We’ve rounded up some inclusive summer camp ideas that you and your family should definitely check …

The B.C. government brought forth new legislation to strengthen child care in the province. The Early Learning and Child Care Act (ELCC Act) coupled with the Early Childhood Educators Act (ECE Act) hopes to provide better and more inclusive child care options for B.C. families and more recognition for those getting into the ECE field. …

nor·mal·i·za·tion /ˌnôrmələˈzāSH(ə)n/ noun the social process through which ideas and actions come to be seen as ‘normal’ and become taken for granted or ‘natural’ in every day life. Inclusion matters, especially within the disability community. In fact, when it comes to building thriving relationships within a community, not much else matters. But where does it …

Getting a street named after someone in Vancouver is no small feat. For the last few years, a number of organizations, including DDA have been advocating to have a street in Vancouver named after Jeanette Andersen, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 77. With nearly 16 per cent of Canadians identifying as …