As part of the Accessible BC Act our school district has made available a form at the bottom of this page for members of the public that interact with us to provide feedback about accessibility in our organization.
The Accessible British Columbia Act aims to support the identification, prevention, and removal of barriers that people with disabilities face in their day-to-day lives. 鈥�
Key themes of the act:
- Breaking down barriers鈥�.
- Advancing human rights鈥�.
- Promoting fairness and equity.
Themes specific to Education:
- Increased visibility of those with disabilities鈥�.
- Public education campaigns to include those with disabilities in the education system鈥�.
- Development of targeted education and training programs鈥�.
- Increased integration in schools鈥�.
- Focus on accessibility, empathy and sensitivity training.
Important Definitions from the Act
Disability: An inability to participate fully and equally in society聽as a result of聽the聽interaction of an impairment and a barrier.
Barrier: Essentially, anything that hinders the full and equal participation in society of聽a person with an impairment.鈥�
Impairment: A physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, or cognitive impairment which is聽permanent, temporary, or episodic.聽鈥�
What are examples of barriers to accessibility?
- Attitudinal: when people think, and act based upon false assumptions鈥�.
- Physical: when obstacles in an environment make access difficult鈥�.
- Information or Communication: when people with disabilities are excluded because they use other ways to communicate.
- Systemic: when an organization鈥檚 policies, practices and procedures result in exclusion鈥�.
- Technology: when technology can鈥檛 be accessed by people with disabilities鈥�.
- Sensory: when sensory information such as lights, sounds, smells, etc. prevent participation in the environment.
Plan
Jointly developed with districts in Northern British Columbia, School District 60’s accessibility plan is included below. A Feedback mechanism where you can provide feedback to our advisory committee as well as on the plan is available below the following PDF.
Northern BC School District Accessibility Plan-Final Accessible-13Jul2023
Feedback Mechanism
The feedback we receive will be shared with both our Accessibility Advisory Committee and our Accessibility Working Group. We will also share feedback to relevant department or school leaders. Staff are welcome to use this form and are reminded if they need an accommodation to connect with their supervisor and human resources separately from the feedback form.