I would like to thank Ms. Mellhina Thibault, Chair of the Disability Resource Network of BC for her kind invitation to speak today.

I am told that the Disability Resource Network is a provincial organization that represents individuals who provide programs and services for individuals who have disabilities in the BC Post Secondary Education system. Their mandate is to represent field-based concerns in a coordinated fashion to the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology; to raise public and government awareness about the educational needs of people with disabilities; and to be an information sharing body to all personnel regarding disability related issues in the post-secondary system.

Thanks to organizations like the Disability Resource Network, we are all becoming more aware of the special circumstances surrounding people with a disability. I was very surprised to learn that here in BC there are more that 460,000 persons with disabilities aged 16 to 64, according to 2005 BC government reports. In BC, 170,000 persons with disabilities are within the working age population and are unemployed or not in the workforce. Persons with disabilities have lower levels of educational attainment than their non-disabled counterparts. For example, a working-aged person with disabilities is about one and a half times as likely as those without disabilities to have not completed high school in BC. Although the Roslyn Kunin and Associates report, from where these statistics are mentioned, states that there are other factors that must be considered, such as age, skill level, type of occupations, etc. that may contribute to the discrepancies of the labour market outcomes between persons with and without disabilities. They conclude that, “It is clear that higher education benefits persons with disabilities in the labour market far greater than persons without disabilities.” I hope I am not misrepresenting that fine report. They concluded that still more research was necessary.

I am pleased to be with you this morning and thank you for the opportunity to learn about this most interesting and important issue. I have no doubt that although much work has already been done in this area, still more can be done to improve the lives of our fellow citizens who deserve the same opportunity to succeed in our post-secondary education facilities as all other students. Getting a higher education is challenging already, but with the added hurdle of a disability, it means our institutions and our services must be sensitive and aware of these challenges and make the necessary accommodation when appropriate to do so.

On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, thank you for your continued work and energy, your service is greatly appreciated. May I wish you great success in this your 25 year anniversary.

LOCATION:1401 Rockland Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada V8S 1V9

PHONE:(250) 387-2080

FAX:(250) 387-2078

EMAIL:ghinfo@gov.bc.ca

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