The B.C. government has proclaimed October 2022 as Community Inclusion Month: a celebration of inclusion and of the full participation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in all aspects of life in their communities.
In 2010 the Canadian Government agreed to follow the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This official document helps governments and communities protect the human rights of people with disabilities. Article 19 in the UNCRPD says people with disabilities have the right to live independently and be included in the community.
In 2018 the government of B.C. introduced the Re-Imagining Community Inclusion Initiative, which created a vision of inclusion through inclusive housing, employment, health and well-being, and self-determined Indigenous strategies.
Through decades of working with people with disabilities, their families, and the organizations that support them, we know that:
- A thriving community requires the inclusion and participation of all its members and,
- the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society enables everyone to share their skills, talents, and cultures, and to secure their rightful place at home, work, school, and in the community
For updates, follow @InclusionBC on Facebook and Twitter. We also hope you’ll share upcoming virtual and in-person Community Inclusion Month celebrations on social media with #CommunityInclusionMonth