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Accessibility: Global, National and Provincial Context

The

HCOS
ARC-BCaccessibility plan builds on global, national, provincial and HCOS specific actions to promote and support accessibility. 

Global Context – United Nations

In recent years, there has been an emphasis on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within the workplace and within the larger community. The United Nations has been instrumental in leading the importance of disability as a global health issue. In 2006, the United Nations led efforts to adopt the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (AccessibleCRPD). ResourceIn Centre2010, -Canada BC)

ratified
the
CRPD
  • Registrationand fordescribed ARC-BCthe CPRD as follows:

    “The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is limitedan international human right treaty aimed at protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities without discrimination and on an equal basis with others. Parties to onlythe those working on behalf of individuals who have perceptual disabilities and individuals who are members of a school district or organization that is currently partConvention of the ARC-BCrights Community.of PerceptualPersons with Disabilities are required to promote and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights of persons with disabilities includeincluding physicalfull restrictions,equality visualunder impairmentsthe law.”

    Canadian Context – Canadian Charter of Rights and comprehensionFreedoms

    disabilities.

    • Canada-wide,

  • around one in five people had some form of disability in 2017. Nationally, Canadian accessibility legislation started in 1985 where disability was included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in 1986, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) were included in the new federal Employment Equity Act. The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) came into force in 2019, with the overarching goal ofto ARC-BCrealize isa barrier-free Canada by 2040. This act applies to providefederally BCregulated studentsentities. withThe perceptualACA disabilitieshas seven focus areas, and thewas educators supporting them with high quality digital alternate format materialsdeveloped based on the BCfollowing K-12guiding curriculum.
    • principles: 
  • Files

    can

    1. be   downloadedAll when requested and used by the student. These files cannot be shared with anyone but the specific student. These files also cannot be used for students residing in other places outside BC. Filespersons must be deletedtreated afterwith dignity regardless of their disabilities. 

    2.    All persons must have the coursesame hasopportunity beento completedmake for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have regardless of their disabilities. 

    3.    All persons must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society, regardless of their disabilities. 

    4.    All persons must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire, regardless of their disabilities.

    5.    Laws, policies, programs, services and structures must take into account the disabilities of persons, the different ways that persons interact with their environments and the resourcesmultiple areand notintersecting neededforms anymore.  

    • of
  • Mostmarginalization ARC-BCand filesdiscrimination workfaced wellby persons. 

    6.    PWDs must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services and structures. 

    7.    The development and revision of accessibility standards and the making of regulations must be done with Kurzweil.

    • the
  • Toobjective requestof materials, please completeachieving the ARC-BChighest Resourcelevel Requestof Form.
    • accessibility
for PWDs.

B.C. Context - Accessible B.C. Act

The Accessible British Columbia Act, enacted in June 2021, and initially the accessibility planning requirements only applied to provincial government organizations. 

The Accessible British Columbia Regulation, under the Accessible British Columbia Act, came into force on September 1, 2022. These regulations identify schools as accessible organizations, and school districts and independent schools will be required to have an Accessibility Committee, an Accessibility Plan, and a tool to receive feedback on accessibility by September 1, 2023:

The goal of the act is to improve opportunities for people with disabilities and involve them in identifying, removing, and preventing barriers to their full participation in the life of the province.

 

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