In celebration of B.C. Disability Employment Month, people with disabilities or recovering from a physical injury or mental-health challenge will receive extra help in their recovery and safe return to work thanks to $4 million in funding to the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR).

More people with complex needs can get improved employment supports on their path to long-term recovery, health and wellness, thanks to an $8.2-million provincial grant to the Canadian Mental Health Association of British Columbia.

The Province is awarding the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) a $2.5-million grant to expand its employment program dedicated to blind or partially sighted people.

Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, and Dan Coulter, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility, have released the following statement in recognition of Disability Employment Month:

Government’s new accessibility plan, AccessibleBC, outlines how provincial ministries will embed accessibility and inclusion in their work and services over the next three years.

With $35,000 in provincial funding, the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS) can complete a much-needed technology infrastructure upgrade to better serve 3,000 immigrants, refugees and new Canadian citizens each year.

As many as 30 people will get skills training to retrain them for jobs in the greenhouse sector as landscape and horticulture technicians.