What We Are Doing Now

The British Columbia Association of Professionals with Disabilities was provincially incorporated as a non-profit in 2003.

This is our start up phase as resources are directed to: board development, building a supportive infrastructure and networks, and creating a comprehensive vision and operational and strategic framework at this early stage of the society's development.

We are searching out professionals with disabilities [including those who may have lost touch (or never were in touch) with disability, professional, and other relevant groups] as well as building up our knowledge base concerning professionals with disabilities and their issues in order to build an inclusive, supportive, collaborative, socially responsible, strong and vibrant network and organisation.

Our work so far has also involved: surveying and meeting key stakeholders; supporting self-advocacy, peer support, and knowledge sharing; and the development of an organizational culture and structure that supports diverse grass roots solutions, along with local, regional, national and global collaboration and knowledge sharing leading to effective results that professionals with disabilities will have reason to value.

Our non-profit is very delighted and appreciative of the support and warm reception that we are receiving from our growing number of diverse supporters. If you are interested in supporting us and want to find how you can, please contact us.

Connect with Us

We are associated with the Canadian Association of Professionals with Disabilities. It has an an online discussion group that brings together professionals with disabilities and their supporters who are interested in actively engaging in the growth and development of an inclusive cross-Canada network that supports all professionals with disabilities.

Click here for information to subscribe to the Canadian Association of Professionals with Disabilities online discussion group

(For your information, if you are from Ontario, Ontario professionals with disabilities are in the early stages of developing a presence there. They are encouraging professionals with disabilities who are interested in building and supporting a presence there to contact them.)

Community consultations and other activities help us to build our infrastructure and provide us with a growing ability to support professionals with disabilities and facilitate collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

If you would like to obtain more information on how to become involved in our consultations or with our non-profit, please contact us.

Furthermore, if you would like to share your thoughts on what you think are the key issues affecting professionals with disabilities and would like an alternative to meeting, you can e-mail, phone, or mail us. You can also provide us with suggestions. Both will add to our other consultation activities and aid in delivering a mandate to support professionals with disabilities in a manner that they value now and in the future.

We would like people from across British Columbia to take on the role of building our presence throughout the province. If you are interested in building a network/organized presence of professionals with disabilities for your region, please go to this e-mail link - Yes, I am interested in becoming actively involved in building a network/organized presence of professionals with disabilities for my region. Furthermore, if you are interested in building the network/organized presence of professionals with disabilities across British Columbia, go to this e-mail link - Yes, I want to become actively involved in building a network/organized presence of professionals with disabilities across B.C. In each case, please state that you are interested in supporting this initiative(s) and why you are interested in seeing such a presence in your region and/or across British Columbia. Please provide us your contact and where you live information so that we can contact you.

We are also collecting names of professionals with disabilities who would like to attend a community consultation a bit closer to home similar to the one below that was held in Victoria. Please note the format of the consultations may change depending on the profile, needs, and requisite deliverables of the community. If you are a professional with a disability and would be interested in attending such an event, please let us know so we can plan where we have these consultations. Go to this email link - yes I want to attend a B.C. community consultation - and provide us your contact and where you live information so that we can contact you in the future.

For your information, we already have had a few regional meetings. Please contact us learn where and when more will be held.

Victoria Community Consultation for Professionals with Disabilities

This consultation was held on January 30, 2006.

Thank you to all those who supported and attended the Victoria consultation.

At the Victoria event, professionals with disabilities (employment status does not matter) were invited to discuss issues affecting their workforce participation and to connect with fellow professionals with disabilities interested in working together to attain results they have reason to value.

A newspaper, The Martlet, wrote an article about the Victoria event. Download the article, Local Organization Supports Professionals with Disabilities (pdf file) or visit The Martlet's archives for the article.

Also check out the the Toronto Star article about the Canadian Association of Professionals with Disabilities and its BC roots: TheStar.com - Disabilities - Why the gap between ability, job quality?

Vancouver Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Employment Opportunities

The BC Association of Professionals with Disabilities (BCAPD) has joined a consortium of employment agencies and organizations that are serving/representing job seekers with disabilities in an initiative to hire people with disabilities for the Vancouver Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (VANOC) (this also includes employment opportunities with VANOC's contractors). AccessWorks (www.accessworks.ca ) is the Olympic hiring program for people with disabilities - it is a program just for VANOC. AccessWorks is still at the early stages of their existence.

VANOC opportunities for post secondary graduates/professionals with disabilities can be tailored and accommodated via AccessWorks in response to applications.

We have told AccessWorks that a definite need exists for junior professional related career stream positions for people with disabilities (in addition to higher level positions), as many of our constituents need such opportunities to enter, re-enter, or better establish themselves in their career fields. We are asking candidates to submit their applications via BCAPD (info@bcprofessionals.org). Then BCAPD will present the application to AccessWorks and be there to further the applicants attempts to obtain an interview, job offer, and support on the job via our unique role as the AccessWorks consortium member representing professionals with disabilities. This method allows BCAPD & AccessWorks to track applicants with disabilities and better support them. Of course, there is nothing stopping applicants from directly apply to VANOC. We are just trying to bring the message home that professionals with disabilities who are concerned about being marginalized in employment based on their disability are welcome to work with AccessWorks & BCAPD and benefit from the collaborative relationship that exists between the consortium and VANOC.

If people wishing to see what employment and volunteer opportunities are presently open at VANOC may do so at:
careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_vanoc/external/en-ca/search.do

Further information regarding the application process for candidates with disabilities: The British Columbia Association of Professionals with Disabilities (BCAPD) is receiving applications for professional and professional related positions (including junior professional positions - career entry or re-entry positions). - Applicants will want to submit their applications with the British Columbia Association of Professionals with Disabilities (BCAPD - www.bcprofessionals.org) by emailing info@bcprofessionals.org. Then BCAPD will present the applications to AccessWorks and be there to further the applicants' attempts to obtain an interview, job offer, and support on the job via our unique role as the AccessWorks consortium member representing professionals with disabilities. Candidates must self-identify that they have a disability in their applications if they are to be considered and supported further. This process will be helpful for applicants with disabilities who feel they are facing barriers to employment. Please also submit to us the job posting and the application deadline for the position you are applying to, as we do not have access to the VANOC postings once they are removed from the VANOC website.

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