October 2026 has been proclaimed Community Inclusion Month in British Columbia, a recognition of the importance of building communities where everyone has the opportunity to belong, participate and thrive.
The proclamation is an important statement of what an inclusive province should look like: a place where everyone has opportunity, choice and control in their own lives, and where people with disabilities are welcomed as full and valued members of their communities.
But a proclamation is only the beginning.
The real work of inclusion happens every day.
It happens in neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, homes, community organizations and public spaces. It happens when people with disabilities are welcomed as neighbours, co-workers, leaders, friends and decision-makers. It happens when barriers are removed and people have meaningful opportunities to choose where they live, work, learn, spend their time and build relationships.
And it happens when we all recognize that we have a role to play.
Inclusion means more than being present
Community Inclusion Month is about more than ensuring people with disabilities are physically present in their communities. Inclusion means belonging, participation, choice and having a valued role.
For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, inclusion can mean having a job that reflects their interests, strengths and skills. It can mean joining a recreation program, returning to school, attending a concert, volunteering, participating in cultural activities, building families or simply being recognized as an important part of the neighbourhood.
It also means having choice and control.
A truly inclusive community does not make decisions for people when they can make those decisions themselves. Instead, it creates the relationships, opportunities and supports people need to make their own choices and pursue the lives they want.
Making inclusion real
This is where Inclusion BC and communities across the province have an important role to play.
Inclusion BC works to advance inclusion by bringing people and organizations together around a shared vision: communities where people with disabilities belong, participate and have valued roles.
That work matters because exclusion is often created not by one major decision, but by the everyday barriers that can make participation difficult or impossible.
A community organization may not have considered how to make its programs accessible.
An employer may overlook the skills and contributions of a person with a disability.
A recreation program may unintentionally create barriers to participation.
A person may want to make new friends but lack the connections or supports needed to get started.
Making inclusion real means noticing those barriers and changing what we can.
It means asking:
Who is missing?
What barriers are getting in the way?
What can we change?
And, most importantly, have we asked people with lived experience what they want and need?
Community Inclusion Month gives British Columbians an opportunity to celebrate progress, recognize the contributions of people with disabilities and continue the work of building communities where everyone has a genuine opportunity to belong.
Because inclusion isn’t simply about opening the door.
It’s about ensuring everyone is welcomed, has a place and a say, and can help shape the community they call home.
This article was featured in our monthly newsletter, Inclusion in Action.
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