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VANCOUVER – The Province is providing a one-time grant of $1.14 million
to 2010 Legacies Now to ensure that people with
disabilities, mobility impairments or other challenges can enjoy all that
British Columbia has to offer, Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude
Richmond announced today.
“Tourism
is a major economic driver in British Columbia,” said Richmond. “We know that people with disabilities can
greatly contribute to the strength of this industry if we make sure that our
spectacular attractions, and tourism infrastructure, are fully accessible to
the sizable market they represent.”
2010 Legacies Now will use the money for the
Accessible Tourism Initiative. Outcomes include an
access ratings tool for restaurants, hotels, and service providers; a training program for tourism service providers to raise
their awareness of the needs of people with disabilities; and, a virtual
resource centre that provides the information and connections that businesses
and communities need to improve accessibility.
“People with disabilities spend an estimated $13
billion per year in North America on travel,” said Stan Hagen, Minister of
Tourism, Sport and the Arts. “The Accessible Tourism Initiative will help B.C.
businesses attract and better serve people
with disabilities, such as people with wheelchairs, visual impairments and
hearing impairments, who regularly travel, shop, and eat out with family and
friends. It will also create employment opportunities for some of the 300,000
working-age people with disabilities in B.C. who want to work.”
Working
with Tourism
BC and other stakeholder organizations throughout the province, 2010 Legacies
Now expects to have tools and resources
available in early 2008.
“Businesses
are recognizing that access makes good business sense,” said Carla Qualtrough,
director of Sport Tourism and Inclusion Initiatives for 2010 Legacies Now.
“Making services and attractions accessible to the 12 per cent of the
population that have disabilities is good business. This number increases
substantially when you include other people with mobility impairments, and when
you consider our aging population.”
The grant provided to 2010 Legacies Now supports a key
component of British Columbia’s citizen-centred Disability Strategy – improving
accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities in their communities.
The Disability Strategy is part of the B.C. government’s annual $4-billion investment
in disability programs.
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contact: |
Communications Director 250 387-6489 |
Communications Director 2010 Legacies Now 778 840-8779 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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