What would B.C. look like if it was the most progressive province for people living with disabilities?
That's the question the provincial government is trying to answer with its series of community consultations on increasing accessibility.
Face-to-face round table discussions kicked were held in Prince George Tuesday night. The fully registered consultation session continues this morning at the Coast Inn of the North.
The in-person consultations are part of a larger input-gathering exercise to develop a white paper on issues facing people with disabilities in B.C. The white paper will form the foundation of a summit scheduled for this June bringing together government leaders, business interests and representatives of the disabled community to discuss how to implement these strategies.
It was a good conversation that kicked off the series in his home community on Monday in Courtenay, said Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation Don McRae, though it's not always an easy one to have.
"I also realize that people are emotionally and physically often exhausted because of the circumstances that they're living with and I think government can do a bit more," he said. "We can't do everything, but we can do a little bit more always to help make lives a little easier. And that's what this conversation is about."
Among the issues discussed by participants included the need for an advocate, similar to that available for families and proposed for seniors, the fact services and associations are centered in the Lower Mainland, access to employment and financial difficulties.
Lori Forgeron, executive director at Employment Action, led one of the breakout discussions and asked participants what they thought the general public would think if they knew about all the challenges people with disabilities faced.
"I don't think they'd care," said one woman.
Consultations are also scheduled for Quesnel, the Lower Mainland, Kamloops, Vernon, Fort St. John, Cranbrook and Terrace.
