British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society #6 -1610 Island Highway Victoria – British Columbia - Canada www.bcands.bc.ca 1-888-815-5511 bcands@bcands.bc.ca

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA ABORIGINAL NETWORK ON DISABILITY SOCIETY bcands

OTHER COMMON NAMES WE ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO INCLUDE: BC ANDS BEACANS INDIAN AFFAIRS And more often than not “Is this the place that works with Aboriginal people with disabilities, I can’t remember your name its the BC something Society”

What is bcands? BCANDS is an award winning, Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) not-for-profit, disability organization operating in Canada since 1991. BCANDS has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, one of approximately 150 organizations in Canada to hold that status BCANDS was originally envision to be an employment training program

Ian Hinksman, Mike Touchie and a number of other founders saw the need for training opportunities for Indigenous persons living with a disability After negotiations with the Medical Service Branch (formerly First Nations and Inuit Health) contracts were established to distribute printed health related information to First Nations communities across BC and use that work as an opportunity to deliver employment skills training

A building was constructed within the Esquimalt First Nation to deliver BCANDS health information distribution and employment training programs With the Medical Services contract in place, over the years, BCANDS was able to secure other short-term funding opportunities, including conducting research and a referral program for Indigenous persons living with disabilities

From 1999 to 2017 the BCANDS office was located within the Esquimalt First Nation

Although the employment training component never came to full realization, the Society continued to distribute health related information, established a resource lending library and continued it’s disability referral program

Around 2008 with the increased availability of the internet, improved connectivity and more information available on line, Indigenous communities and organizations were better equipped to obtain their own resources directly As such, BCANDS experienced a downsizing in contracts and faced scrutiny in relation to how responsive the Society’s other services were

In late 2009, the leadership of the Society, facing an uncertain future, committed to make the changes necessary for BCANDS to make the transition into a more responsive service provider that would meet the needs of Indigenous population living with a disability This change process took approximately three years, and saw the Society transform how it operated both internally and externally

Changed from being a disability referral program to a Disability Case Management Service Eliminated “make work” projects and started to engage communities as to what they needed, no longer assuming they needed what we thought Eliminated the silos we operated in and began to fosters diverse partnerships within the Indigenous disability, health and social services sectors

Phased out the Health Information program to focus on direct disability services Placed the expectations of success on the work of the Society, not on expectations we had on clients

The results of the changes for the Society were dramatic, seeing client referrals and satisfaction increase significantly each year In 2013, 88% of clients served indicated that BCANDS has successfully addressed their disability related need In 2019, 89% of clients indicated that BCANDS had addressed their needs

In 2013, the Society was the recipient of the BC Medical Association's –Excellence in Health Promotion Award and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s – Dr. Nancy Hall Public Policy Leadership Award In 2014, the Society received the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia – Deryck Thomson Award

In 2015, the Society was the recipient of the March of Dimes Canada – Judge George Ferguson Award and was highlighted as a “best practice” by Indigenous Services Canada, with the BCANDS Case Management model requested to be shared across ISC Regions In 2015, BCANDS created “Indigenous Disability Awareness Month”

In 2015 with support for ISC, began adjudicating PWD and MNS benefits for the majority of First Nations in BC In 2015, BCANDS created “Indigenous Disability Awareness Month” the only such initiative specific to Indigenous disability in the world, recommended by the UN CRPD to be incorporated nationally by Canada

In 2016, BCANDS received the Canadian Medical Association’s Excellence in Health Promotion Award In 2017, BCANDS presented to the UN International CRPD committee in Geneva As well in 2017, we found an ocean kayak, a coffee table and some old records in the bushes by our office

In 2018, the Society received the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health – Champion of Mental Health Award, as well as the Doctors of BC – 2018 Excellence in Health Promotion Award And in February 2019, the Society received the Zero Project International Award in Vienna

These successes were not due to BCANDS work alone, but due to our client’s, communities and partners, both government and non-government, through collaboration and the sincere desire to advance Indigenous disability in Canada

Despite these successes BCANDS still has to continually prove itself The Society has to reapply for funding every year, with no guarantee We often have to fight to be included as a key member within the disability sector, we are often the “and”

Indigenous Disability In Canada, Indigenous peoples experience a rate twice that of the non-Indigenous population and even higher within certain age groups; In 2016, the Indigenous population of Canada was recorded at 1,673,785. This equates to, at a minimum, 500,000 Indigenous persons living with a disability in Canada; The Indigenous peoples of Canada living with a disability(s) face discrimination on two fronts, first for being Indigenous and second, for living with a disability. Indigenous women living with disabilities face even more barriers; In 2016, it was recorded that 80% of First Nation communities had median income below the poverty line.

Changes within the disability and Indigenous sectors Bill C-81 – Accessible Canada Act National / Provincial Poverty Reduction 10 Year Block Funding Agreements Provincial Accessibility Legislation CRPD Optional Protocol Reconciliation What do these mean for Indigenous people living with disabilities?

This is where we look to you as persons living with disabilities, community members, leaders, governments and advocates to assist both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous disability sectors in Canada Disability is not a project, it’s not an initiative, its not a short-term funding opportunity Change is hard, and change takes time, but time will continue to pass, what we do with that time defines us

Thank You!