Accessible British Columbia Act

Accessibility British Columbia Act
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Enacted byLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
Commenced17 June 2021

British Columbia created the Accessible British Columbia Act in 2021.[1] This act commits the government of British Columbia to promote accessibility, recognize AccessAbility Week, and officially recognize both American Sign Language & Indigenous sign languages. There will be annual reports that will be published for each fiscal year, describing the actions taken by the minister and the provincial accessibility committee. This act will be reviewed every 5 years until 2031 when it will be reviewed every ten years after that. This act applies to the government as well as some other prescribed organizations.

This act intends to put the standards in place by the end of 2022.[2] There is enthusiasm from many in the disability community, including the deaf, hard of hearing community.[3] The act includes $4.8 million from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to support small business employers hire people with disabilities.[4]

This bill has met with some criticism as communications disabilities were excluded from the bill's definition.[5] There is uncertainty about how this bill will be enforced and how people with disabilities will be represented.[6][7]

  1. ^ "BILL 6 – 2021 - ACCESSIBLE BRITISH COLUMBIA ACT". 3 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021.
  2. ^ Woodrooffe, Sophie (4 May 2021). "With Accessibility Act introduced at legislature, Simons wants standards in place by end of 2022". Coast Reporter.
  3. ^ Courtney, Dickson (12 May 2021). "How B.C.'s accessibility act will change life for the deaf, hard of hearing community". CBC.
  4. ^ Hook, Ryan (21 June 2021). "Financial aid now available to BC businesses to help hire people with disabilities". victoria buzz.
  5. ^ Watson Hyatt, Glenda (3 June 2021). "Why Does BC's Accessibility Legislation Exclude Me?". The Tyee. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  6. ^ MacLeod, Andrew (20 May 2021). "Will BC's Landmark New Legislation Adequately Address Disability Rights?". The Tyee.
  7. ^ Woodrooffe, Sophie (25 June 2021). "Province passes Accessible British Columbia Act". Coast Reporter.