18 British Columbia Services Supports – Government, Hospital, Community and School

British Columbia & Canadian Federal government services/supports

• Children and Youth with Special Needs (CYSN): Provides  a number of services including funding for respite care, youth workers, and behavioural support. Requires a psychologist’s DSM-5 diagnosis of Intellectual Disability or Global Developmental Delay.
• At Home Program: Provides all the benefits of CYSN + medical benefits (including equipment and supplies) and/or funding for school aged therapy (speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy). Physician referral required. To qualify, the child must be assessed by the program as dependent in at least three of the four activities of daily living (eating, dressing, toileting and washing).
• Community Living BC (CLBC): Provides residential, inclusion, respite, behavioural, and employment support to adults (19+) with intellectual disabilities. Requires a DSM-5 intellectual disability which was present before age 18. Or, for the Personal Supports Initiative, a diagnosis of  Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) + overall adaptive functioning 3 standard deviations below the mean. CLBC legislation currently REQUIRES IQ below 70 (+/- confidence interval) on “standardized intelligence tests.” When you are not able to present a formal IQ score, provide a formal DSM-5 diagnosis of Intellectual Disability with explanation:
  • Say what you tried.
  • Say why it did or did not work.
  • Give whatever scores you have, even if they are based on raw scores of zero.
  • A developmental assessment is “better than nothing” in terms of CLBC eligibility, and if a formal developmental assessment is not possible, classroom observation and notes on developmental capabilities would be appropriate.
  • Provide relevant history of development and current everyday functioning skills.
• Services to Adults with Developmental Disabilities (STADD): Offers Navigator services for youth transitioning to adult services and their families in 116 communities across B.C. Navigators act as the primary point of contact for individuals in coordinating transition planning and access to supports and services through the transition period of 16-24 years old.
• Choice in Supports for Independent Living (CSIL –pronounced SEE-sul): CSIL is a self-directed option for eligible adult home support clients. CSIL clients receive funds directly from their local health authority to purchase their own home support services.  The BC Cerebral Palsy Association offers a series of workshops on CSIL.
• Home Adaptations For Independence (HAFI): Provides financial assistance for home modifications for eligible low-income British Columbians with mobility or health issues.
• Child Disability Tax Credit (CDTC): There are different ways to qualify for the Canadian federal Disability Tax Credit. Application can be completed by a Registered Psychologist for individuals with an Intellectual Disability. Other applications require a medical or other professional.
• Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP): A RDSP is a Canadian federal savings plan to help parents and others save for the long-term financial security of a person who is eligible for the disability tax credit. Contact any participating financial institution for more information once the Disability Tax Credit is approved.

BC Ministry of Education Provincial programs

• Inclusion Outreach (previously “PISP”) provides child specific strategies to maximize learning for students who have multiple disabilities (physical, sensory, neurological) combined with severely impaired cognitive functioning. Most students are non-verbal. See the Curriculum and Strategies section of the Inclusion Outreach website for a wealth of educational resources.
• SET-BC (Special Education Technology-BC) lends assistive technologies to the school district (reading, writing & communication tools) to ensure students’ access to educational programs. The program also assists school districts in training students & educators to use these technologies. Districts are allotted a certain number of SET-BC spots per year, and must request the service. When providing technology, SET-BC includes 1 year of intensive training to the team + 4 years of equipment only support. Their website has a wealth of information on special technology (e.g., how to use speech to text programs)..
• Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD) provides consultation, training and support services to public and independent schools across the province of British Columbia with a primary focus on increasing the capacity of school district staff to support students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). POPARD can provide short-term intensive intervention to students with significant behaviour difficulties which are beyond the current skill levels of District staff.
• Provincial Outreach Program – Deaf and Hard of Hearing (POPDHH) collaborates with school districts in meeting the needs of all Deaf and Hard of Hearing learners.
• Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) provides schools with alternate formats of provincially recommended learning resources and with specialized equipment to support the educational needs of students with visual impairments. It also provides consultations to schools.

Health/Mental Health Services

• Developmental Disabilities Mental Health Services (DDMHS) provides individualized assessment, treatment and education for adolescents (12+) and adults with developmental disabilities and complex mental health needs. Referral may be needed through CYSN. The diagnosis of intellectual disability must be formalized.
• Sunny Hill Health Centre, provides inpatient acute rehabilitation and respite care as well as outpatient services including Assistive Technology, Developmental Coordination Disorder diagnostic clinic, Feeding & Nutrition, Hearing Loss, Positioning & Mobility, Therapeutic Recreation, Tone Management, Visual Impairment, Neuromotor, Autism, Complex Developmental Behavioural Conditions (CDBC), and Gait Assessment.
• ACCESS Clinic at BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre offers cervical cancer screening (Pap tests) to adolescents and women with disabilities, or who have had difficulties with routine screening at their health care provider’s clinic.  They aim to help any woman who has experienced barriers to cervical cancer screening, menstrual management, or who requires specialized contraception counselling. Referral is not required.
• The BC Children’s Hospital Orthopaedic Cerebral Palsy Clinic cares for children with cerebral palsy and similar neuromotor conditions. Referral is required.

Community Services/supports

• The Developmental Disabilities Association provides community-based programs and services for children, youth, and adults with intellectual disabilities.
• Family Support BC provides support to individuals with disabilities and their families. They provide family support, have a database of support workers, provide webinars on estate planning, and more.

Community funding sources for children to participate in sports activities

• KidSport: http://www.kidsportcanada.ca/ provides funding for sports programs for low income families.
• Athletics for kids: https://www.a4k.ca/ funding for sports programs for low income families.
• Jump Start: http://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/content/microsites/jumpstart/en/apply.html funding for sports programs for low income families.

Community funding sources for equipment, therapies, education, and entertainment

• Access2 Card: https://access2card.ca/ is a program that provides free access to entertainment and recreational opportunities for a support person of a person with a physical disability.
• BC Cerebral Palsy Association: http://bccerebralpalsy.com financial support to individuals and families of children with CP through Summer Camperships, Tanabe Bursaries for post-secondary students, and Assistive Devices and Equipment Subsidies.
• BC Epilepsy Society: http://www.bcepilepsy.com/ has scholarships available for post-secondary students who have a diagnosis of epilepsy.
• BC Rehab: http://www.bcrehab.com/content/individual-grant-programs funding for equipment and therapy based on financial need.
• CKNW Kid’s Fund: https://www.cknwkidsfund.com/ for equipment, therapy, or special education bursary.
• Jennifer and Gregory Louie Foundation for Cerebral Palsy http://www.jglfoundation.com grants for children with cerebral palsy who live in BC.
• Jordan’s Principal: www.can​ada.ca/jordans-principle support with access to education, healthcare, therapy and equipment for First Nation’s children.
• Maple Ridge Lions Club: http://www.mapleridgelionsclub.org/Support.html for equipment or funding for services for children in Maple Ridge.
• March of Dimes of Canada: https://www.marchofdimes.ca funding for equipment or devices for adults with physical disabilities and financial need.
• Military Police Fund for Blind child: http://www.mpfbc.com funding for children and young adults to age 21 with visual impairments.
• President’s Choice Charity http://www.presidentschoice.ca/.
• Rick Hansen Foundation: https://www.rickhansen.com/ funding for organizations to improve accessibility to a building or site for people with disabilities.
• Shriners: https://www.bcshriners.com/ for “medically necessary equipment”
• Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of British Columbia http://www.sbhabc.org/ Funding for recreational programs, education, equipment, drivers assessments, and transportation for medical appointments.
• Vancouver Island Bear Essentials: https://islandkidsfirst.com/bear-essentials/ funding for travel costs for health care, equipment, and therapeutic resources for children who live on Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands.
• Variety: http://www.variety.bc.ca/ grants for therapy, equipment, orthotics and learning disability tutoring for low income families.
• Western Society for Children: http://wsfc.ca/ direct support to families and children with disabilities including financial support for therapies.