Articles

Improving Accessibility in British Columbia: What We Learned from the Roundtables

Download a PDF of the Report

Organizations in British Columbia were asked to share their thoughts on early ideas for new accessibility standards. These standards aim to find and remove obstacles that make it challenging for people to access jobs and services in our province. 

LDS participated in this community project and held two roundtable discussions to collect opinions and feedback from the community. The focus of the discussions at LDS was the experiences of neurodivergent individuals who often face unique challenges when trying to get the accommodations they need because their disabilities are not always visible. 

Five key themes came out of the roundtable discussions: 

  1. Barriers (exclusion, stigma, tokenism, bullying, accommodations, accessibility) 
  2. Diagnosis (assessments, medical, mental health, females, cost, time, disclosure)
  3. Information (communication, misinformation, transparency, word choice) 
  4. Needs (advocacy, benefits, coping, consistency, enforcement, guidelines, standards) 
  5. Perceptions (trust, culture, equity, awareness, acceptance, lived experience)

Neurodivergent individuals, like those with diagnosed or undiagnosed learning disorders, ADHD, or autism, often face challenges because their disabilities aren’t visible. Unfortunately, many people still don’t fully understand neurodiversity, and it is difficult for people to access good information about it. This can lead to stereotypes and discrimination, making it even harder for neurodivergent individuals to get the support they need.  

Although British Columbia does have the Accessible BC Act, many people do not know about it or find the information within it to be confusing or inaccessible. Standards within the act are not clearly enforced, which, again, means neurodivergent individuals are not able to access the support they need. 

Based on these themes, several recommendations were shared in the report, including: 

  • A public campaign to raise awareness about all types of disabilities. 
  • Clear, consistent, credible information about disabilities that is easily accessible. 
  • Training modules and mandatory training for public-facing professionals. 
  • Appropriate implementation and enforcement of accessibility standards. 
  • Involvement of a variety of professionals and individuals with lived experience. 
  • Guidelines and templates for employers on how to ensure accessibility. 

The report from these roundtable discussions will be shared with the Provincial Accessibility Committee. It will help develop recommendations for standards sent to the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction in 2025. 

Becky Bishop, Senior Manager, Youth and Adult Programs

LDS is a community of dedicated professionals who write collaboratively. We recognize the contribution of unnamed team members for their wisdom and input.