Disability Rights is More Than Just
a Single-Issue Vote:
Key Election Priorities from
Disability Alliance BC
September 2024
1. Introduction
During this BC Elections season, it is crucial to recognize the power of our
collective voice within the disability community. With over 28% of British
Columbians aged 15 years and older living with a disability,1 the
perspective of the disability community within the political discourse should
not be ignored. This document aims to highlight key election issues within
the disability community and advocates for a provincial government that
actively includes people with disabilities in shaping the future of our
province.
Just as disability is not a monolith, disability rights is not merely a single-
issue vote; rather, the inclusion of people with disabilities intersects a wide
range of issues. We recognize that the issues Disability Alliance BC has
highlighted within this document do not encompass all issues facing people
with disabilities, and we therefore encourage every voter to advocate for
the issues most important and personal to themselves as they cast their
ballot on (or before) October 19, 2024.
Historically, the disability community has faced numerous barriers to
participation in the electoral process, from inaccessible polling stations, to
inaccessible all-candidates meetings, to inaccessible voter information. As
such, this document also outlines voting accessibility—the various methods
by which people can vote. We encourage any voters with disabilities to
submit feedback to Elections BC if they experience any barriers to voting.
The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition has also developed a handy voters
guide which goes into broader detail about the elections process here.
It’s time to make disability rights an election priority, ensuring that the
issues facing the disability community are not just acknowledged but
actively championed within the political discourse of every election.
1
Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2023063-eng.htm
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2. Accessibility in Voting
Voting in BC can be done by the following methods:
You can vote in advance at designated polling stations.
Vote by mail: you will need to request a mail in ballot by October 13,
2024. Learn more here.
Assistive telephone voting is available if you are blind or “have a
disability or health condition which makes it unsafe or otherwise
prevents you from voting by other means”; other eligibility criteria is
available to view here.
Voter information should be available in accessible formats: large
print, braille, ASL, and audio. This was outlined in Elections BC’s
Accessibility Plan.
Poll stations will be “physically accessible to voters using mobility
devices. Voters who can’t enter a voting place can vote outside the
building (at the curb or in the parking lot).”2 There are also Accessible
Voting Systems at each district electoral office which will enable
people with disabilities to vote independently. Ballots should be
available in large print and braille.
Poll stations will include poll workers who can assist you with marking a
ballot if requested. Voters are welcome to bring their own interpreter to the
polling station to assist with language translation, signage or tracking.
Friends or family members can help you vote as long as they declare they
will do so according to your wishes. Voting independently is a key part of
accessibility in the elections process and should not be sacrificed if there
are other methods available by which to vote.
“if voting methods require or expect disabled electors to depend upon the aid of family
or friend to cast their ballot, while offering little if any other options and
accommodations which approximate the democratic paradigm of voting, then the
disability status of that elector is likely to be personally experienced and publicly
presented as an individual misfortune and problem of caregiving, a private
responsibility, in large part; rather than be viewed as a social issue and problem of
citizenship, a matter of human rights and public policy.”3
2
Elections BC Accessibility Plan. Page 13. https://elections.bc.ca/docs/accessibility-plan-2023.pdf
3
Enabling the Voter Participation of Canadians with Disabilities: Reforming Canada’s Electoral Systems -
Michael J. Prince, Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy, University of Victoria. 2014.
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All accessible voting options can be found on Elections BC’s website here
and a link to Elections BC’s Accessibility Plan can be found here.
DABC advocates for increased accessibility in the voting process by
ensuring:
mail in ballots are also provided in accessible formats
polling stations have quiet rooms
all polling stations have designated accessible parking spaces
people with disabilities have the option to vote in-person at their
home through the implementation of elections outreach workers
If you find any part of the elections process inaccessible to you, please
submit feedback to Elections BC here.
3. Election Priorities
We have categorized our election asks into 5 key priority areas. The below
election priorities have been distributed to each political party. DABC will
publish to our network any party responses we may receive.
In addition to the below election asks, as a member of the BC Poverty
Reduction Coalition (BC PRC), Disability Alliance BC supports the election
advocacy presented by the BC PRC in their factsheet, which can be found
here.
Poverty Reduction
If elected, will your government commit to:
1. Increasing the rate of provincial disability assistance to at least the
poverty line and indexing to inflation.
2. Actioning on changes to disability assistance as listed on page 34 of
the 2024 Poverty Reduction Strategy,4 in particular
a. Abolishing earnings exemption limits; and
https://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/158/271
4
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/initiatives-plans-strategies/
poverty-reduction-strategy/2024-bc-poverty-reduction-strategy.pdf
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b. Removing clawbacks from employment insurance income and
spousal income.
3. Forming a single-purpose all-party committee to work with people
with disabilities, families, Indigenous leaders, Indigenous
communities, and key disability groups, to examine the current
situation in BC and evaluate the implementation of a “disability
insurance program” for people with disabilities with the following
characteristics:
o Entitlement to adequate funding for disability services and
supports
o Services to assist people in establishing and managing their
own supports
o The option to purchase supports through service providers and
qualified professionals
o Person-centred wrap-around services that enable community
participation
o Access to inclusive services such as childcare and education
o Greater access to and better outcomes from services used by
all British Columbians such as mental health, affordable
housing and transportation.
Transit
If elected, will your government commit to:
1. Eliminating fares for all public transit riders in BC who receive social
assistance
2. Streamlining the provincial bus pass program for people with
disabilities to include HandyDART rides
3. Enacting stricter laws that will ensure taxis and ride-hailing
companies must provide accessible ride-hailing services.
Housing
If elected, will your government commit to:
1. A dedicated rental subsidy program for low income people with
disabilities
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2. Funding accessibility retrofits for existing social and rental housing
3. Building more affordable, accessible housing that includes two, three,
and four-bedroom units.
Healthcare
If elected, will your government commit to:
1. Creating a dedicated, comprehensive medical equipment and
assistive device program in BC
2. Covering counselling and other mental health supports within BC’s
medical services plan
3. Improving home care and home support services to help ensure that
people with disabilities have the supports they need to live in the
community.
Accessible BC Act
If elected, will your government commit to:
1. Funding organizations to support the implementation of their
accessibility plans, and
2. Funding to implement the accessible service delivery and accessible
employment standards under the Accessible BC Act.
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