Community Living BC Baseline Accessibility Report - Plain Language Summary Why we made this report In June 2021, the B.C. government made a new law called the Accessible British Columbia Act. The goal of the law is to remove barriers to make B.C. more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities. A barrier is anything that stops people with disabilities from being included in their communities. Community Living BC (CLBC) is committed to accessibility. We are following the new law to discover barriers and make a plan to remove and prevent barriers for people accessing CLBC. This will be CLBC's accessibility plan. To make an accessibility plan, we needed to find out where we are at with accessibility at CLBC. From September to December of 2022, we did a review of accessibility at CLBC. We asked CLBC staff to look at what we're doing well and find ways we can improve accessibility at CLBC. We held virtual workshops, met with our partners and community groups and received more than 400 responses to an online survey. The Baseline Accessibility Report summarizes what we found out about accessibility at CLBC. The report will help us make our accessibility plan. What we found There were five main themes that we heard from people we serve, their families and B.C. communities: 1. Relationships make all the difference: People want consistent relationships with people who understand accessibility needs. They want staff to ask what accommodations are needed proactively. 2. Clear communication is key: People want more clarity around timelines, processes, and policies. 3. Information needs to be shared in many ways: People are asking for more plain language and visual information. They asked for resources in multiple languages including braille and ASL. They want information to be shared in new ways to reach rural and remote communities. 4. Time matters: People asked for more time with CLBC staff to ask questions, learn about services, and understand the information received. 5. Welcoming physical spaces: People shared that offices need to be accessible for people who use mobility devices. People want friendly staff to greet and direct people to CLBC offices. CLBC's Baseline Accessibility Report How we asked about accessibility We held virtual workshops, met with partners and community advocacy groups. We heard from over 450 people including people with disabilities, their families, community partners, and advocacy groups. We asked people for feedback on: getting to and around CLBC offices/events, getting help from CLBC staff and the way they feel treated, getting information from CLBC, and working at CLBC. We asked people for feedback on the way they get to and around CLBC buildings and events. Can I get to the office easily? Can I find my way around? Is it easy to move around the space? We heard: “It is important for CLBC to have a visible and easily accessible presence in the community” I need more signage around the offices, including Braille. The office should be near a bus route, have parking, and be easy to locate. Accessible bathrooms are important. Pay parking is a barrier Provide support options to get to meetings Provide options about where to meet: home, in community, online We asked people for feedback on the way they get help from CLBC. Do you understand how things work at CLBC? Are you being understood? Are you being treated with respect? How do you feel when you're at the office? Does it feel welcoming? How to people see and treat you? We heard “A more personal approach. The relationship is important for trust and support.” I need time to understand information and to give information in a way that works for me and to feel safe and build trust with CLBC Be proactive about accessibility Tell me about/make visible accessibility features/ways CLBC can accommodate Ask ahead of time the best way for me to get information Ask ahead of time- What do you need? Knowing ahead what to expect helps with anxiety What the space will be like What will happen in the meeting Who will be at the meeting How to interact with alternate and augmentative communication (AAC) stylespicture exchange communication, ipad applications, boardmaker software Understanding the ‘language’ of ASD- learn my language “Don't make assumptions take ample time to sit down with people and listen proactively” We asked people for feedback on getting information from CLBC. Does CLBC know the best ways to communicate with me? Do they know how to accommodate diverse ways of communicating? Do I understand the information I’m being given? Can I access the information? We heard “More information in our language from us” Examples and stories are a good way for me to understand- for example services CLBC funds Concrete, easy to follow information about what to expect and how things work including picture symbols, plain language and video- on website, but also printed hard copy Low tech is important too (mail, phone call, meeting with me 1:1) to give me information instead of email - especially in rural areas Improve reach people who aren’t connected/no computer/living in rural areas Be proactive Make visible on website CLBC accessibility features/ways CLBC can accommodate (translate into Braille upon request) /how to give feedback “We want clarity around assessments and processes” The ‘language’ of CLBC is not familiar and isolating- we don’t talk like that We asked people for feedback on working at CLBC. Was it easy to find out about employment at CLBC? Did CLBC ask about accommodations I might need? Do I feel included and respected at work? We heard: Need Diversity Equity Inclusion strategy to set targets or goals about hiring people with disabilities at CLBC More proactive encouragement of people with disabilities to apply More proactive accommodations offered to people working at CLBC and those looking for work at CLBC CLBC's Baseline Accessibility Report Next Steps The themes found in the baseline accessibility report will help make CLBC's Accessibility Plan. CLBC will create a list of actions to be part of the three-year Accessibility Plan. We will then get feedback on the actions within the plan from CLBC Councils and the Provincial Advisory Committee. CLBC is also developing an accessible feedback mechanism to receive comments from the public on an ongoing basis about how CLBC can improve accessibility. The Accessibility Plan and feedback mechanism will be published by September 1, 2023.