Accessibility and Inclusion
Working in partnership with local government and others, SPARC BC designs education and outreach campaigns to raise awareness around the needs of people with disabilities in communities across B.C. Please visit the sections below to learn more about our campaigns.
Access Awareness Day — June 6, 2026 — everyone in!
Saturday, June 6th, 2026 marks the 29th annual Access Awareness Day celebrated by British Columbians!
For the past 29 years, SPARC BC has celebrated Access Awareness Day. It’s a day for communities to come together to celebrate what it means to be truly accessible and inclusive for everyone. By working together, it is possible to create communities where everyone can share their unique talents and abilities in real and meaningful ways. The day coincides with National Accessibility Week, which is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities, while also reaffirming a shared commitment to creating a more inclusive and accessible community for everyone.
ACCESSible parking awareness month
SPARC BC introduced its first Accessible Parking Awareness Month in 2020.
Through Accessible Parking Awareness Month, our goal is to reach out to local governments and disability serving organizations to build increased awareness around existing and emerging needs for accessible parking as well as strengthen efforts to better meet the needs of people with disabilities. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Reserved for a Reason.” We want to draw attention to the need for designated accessible parking and to put measures in place which allow communities to work together to help ensure these spaces are respected and protected.
If you would like to partner with us for Accessible Parking Awareness Month, we have a series of downloadable posters that can be displayed in facilities, businesses or shared through your local communication channels. These posters are intended to raise awareness and encourage respectful use of designated accessible parking spaces throughout your community.
Inclusive Transportation Means Transportation for Everyone
Please share your experience using HandyDART
Transportation touches almost every aspect of our lives. Accessible transportation helps to ensure that everyone can participate fully and equally in their communities.
As part of the Terms of Settlement for a Human Rights complaint against Translink, SPARC BC was asked to conduct research into the issues or challenges that HandyDART users may be experiencing in accessing the services they need in their communities. We are conducting a survey of HandyDART users, designed to explore more fully the range of transportation choices available to HandyDART users and the different ways that access to HandyDART helps to meet their basic mobility and transportation needs, as well as areas where these needs are still going unmet.
The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous.
You can complete the survey on behalf of someone who uses HandyDART as a loved one, friend, or support worker/caregiver.
The first wave of this survey provided valuable insights, and we are extending the reach to better learn what is impacting HandyDART users. If you use HandyDART, please consider taking the survey. You can complete the survey on behalf of someone who uses HandyDART as a loved one, friend, or support worker/caregiver.
Accessible communities are inclusive communities. And real accessibility goes beyond physical access to creating equal opportunities for everyone.
SPARC BC is committed to advancing accessibility and inclusion by partnering with community groups, leading public education campaigns, conducting important research and working with municipalities.
