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Media Releases 2008
29 COMMUNITIES SHARE $510K IN FUNDS TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY
Vancouver, B.C. (April 7, 2008): 2010 Legacies Now has awarded $510,000 from its Measuring Up Accessibility and Inclusion Fund to help 29 communities throughout the province improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
“Each community submitted a plan for improvements to local accessibility that will really make a difference to people living with a disability,” explained Carla Qualtrough, director of inclusion initiatives for 2010 Legacies Now. “These projects are an important step toward enabling people with disabilities to participate and fully contribute in their communities.”
Made possible by a grant from the Province of British Columbia, these grants will enable the communities to complete the Measuring Up process, a grassroots assessment and planning tool which guides communities in identifying priorities for improving accessibility.
“This fund is helping to accomplish a top priority of this government which is to remove barriers to full participation by persons with disabilities,” said Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond. “I appreciate the efforts being made by communities across the province to create fully accessible public spaces and promote the employment and community involvement for people with disabilities.”
The funding ranges from $15,000 to 25,000 per community, based on the community’s population size and action plan for implementing Measuring Up. These grants will assist communities in completing a variety of accessibility-related projects including increasing accessibility to arts and cultural activities, creating employment fairs to match employers with people with disabilities, and improving accessibility of community parks and outdoor trails.
“This grant means that people both young and old who have extra needs around accessibility will now see improvements in our community and have the ability to take part in activities that, up until now, may have been unavailable to them,” explained Andrew Tolchard, councillor, City of Pitt Meadows. “We hope to use this money to improve a children’s park, making it accessible to all, including specialized equipment that can be used by everybody.”
This announcement marks the second round of grants awarded by the Measuring Up Accessibility and Inclusion Fund. For more information on Measuring Up or the Fund, visit www.2010LegaciesNow.com.
Download the Backgrounder in PDF
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Media Contacts:
Karen McDonald
Director, Communications
2010 Legacies Now
778-327-5180
kmcdonald(at)2010LegaciesNow.com
Nicole Mezzarobba
Coordinator, Communications
2010 Legacies Now
778-327-5139
nmezzarobba(at)2010LegaciesNow.com
