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Vancouver, B.C. – A recent poll commissioned by BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) reveals the high rates of discrimination and stigma that people with disabilities continue to face across British Columbia.

Released for the first time today, 2022 polling performed by ResearchCo. for BCOHRC of a representative sample of people in British Columbia shows that:

  • Of those polled who identify as having a disability themselves, 1 in 4 have personally experienced discrimination related to their disability in the last year
  • Among people who have experienced or know someone who’s experienced discrimination in the past year:
    • About half (47%) said it happened at work
    • Almost half (40.5%) said it happened in a store, restaurant or public space
    • More than 1 in 4 (28%) said it happened at school

Year after year, human rights complaints based on disability are the largest share of complaints brought before BC’s Human Rights Tribunal. Across the province, people with disabilities continue to face discrimination and unfair barriers to their full participation in our communities. Despite this difficult reality, our polling shows that only 1 in 8 people in B.C.—or about 12%— say that accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities is one of the most important human rights issues to them.

“We have a lot of work to do to eliminate discrimination and achieve real accessibility for people with disabilities. That’s why my Office—working closely with disability representative organizations from across the province—is launching a public awareness campaign today about ableism in our communities,” said B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender.

Note: Translations of the Commissioner’s quote are available below in the following languages: simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Punjabi, and Farsi.

Ableism is a set of unwritten rules in our society that favors the needs and experiences of non-disabled people in big and small ways every day. They show up in every aspect of our lives, from health care and education to the workplace and the built environment—and they have critical impacts on the lives of people with disabilities.

About the #RewriteTheRules campaign

Launching today and running until November 20, 2022, BCOHRC’s #RewriteTheRules campaign is aimed at raising awareness about ableism and the ways people in British Columbia can address it. People across British Columbia will see the #RewriteTheRules campaign in their communities, whether in major urban centres or in rural and northern areas.

Advertisements will appear in SkyTrain stations in Vancouver and Burnaby, and on bus shelters and in the airport in Prince George. Residents can find posters about the campaign on the busy streets and intersections in Vancouver. People in every region of B.C might see the campaign in their social media feeds – including ads in 12 different languages ­ or as ads on popular websites they visit online. People who live in small B.C. communities might see campaign posters at their local library, thanks to our partners in the network of B.C. public libraries.

To learn more about the campaign, visit https://bchumanrights.ca/rewrite-the-rules

How can people get involved?

There are many ways for people across B.C. to get involved and participate in the campaign: 

  • Post about the campaign or ableism using the hashtag #RewriteTheRules.
  • Visit our campaign page to see or download posters, watch campaign videos and hear people living with disabilities talk about what a truly inclusive world could look like. Go to https://bchumanrights.ca/rewrite-the-rules
  • Have a conversation with your friends and/or family members about ableism. Most of us have – or knows someone who has – a visible or invisible disability. Do your part to make your community more inclusive and accessible for everyone.

Please find this release in PDF format here.

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Translations of Commissioner’s quote

Simplified Chinese

人权专员 Kasari Govender 表示：“每年提交至卑诗省人权审裁处的投诉中，有关残障的投诉总是占比最高。在全省范围内，残障人士持续面临着歧视与不公，无法充分参与社会事务。尽管现实情况严峻，但民意调查显示，卑诗省只有八分之一（约12%）的民众表示无障碍和残障人士权利是他们最关注的人权问题之一。”

“为了消除歧视并为残障人士实现真正的无障碍，我们还有很多工作要做。因此，我的办公室与来自全省各地代表残障人士的组织密切合作，于今日启动了一场关于社区能力歧视的公众意识宣传活动。”

Traditional Chinese

人權專員Kasari Govender表示：「每年提交至卑詩省人權審裁處的投訴中，有關殘障的人權投訴總是佔最高比率。在全省範圍內，殘障人士繼續面臨著歧視與不公的障礙，無法充分參與社區生活。儘管現實如此艱難，但民意調查顯示，卑詩省只有八分之一（約12%）的民眾表示無障礙和殘障人士權利是他們最在意的人權問題之一。」

「為了消除歧視並為殘障人士實現真正的無障礙，我們還有很多工作要做。因此，本辦公室與來自全省各地代表殘障人士的組織密切合作，於今日展開一項關於社區能力歧視的公眾意識宣傳活動。」

Punjabi

ਹਿਊਮਨ ਰਾਈਟਸ ਕਮਿਸ਼ਨਰ ਕਸਾਰੀ ਗੋਵੇਂਦਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ,“ਕਈ ਸਾਲਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਬੀਸੀ ਦੇ ਹਿਊਮਨ ਰਾਈਟਸ ਟ੍ਰਿਬਿਊਨਲ ਕੋਲ ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਅਪੰਗਤਾ ਅਧਾਰਤ ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਅਧਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤਾਂ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਡਾ ਹਿੱਸਾ ਹਨ। ਪੂਰੇ ਸੂਬੇ ਵਿਚ ਅਪੰਗਤਾ ਵਾਲੇ ਲੋਕ ਸਾਡੇ ਭਾਈਚਾਰਿਆਂ  ਵਿਚ ਆਪਣੀ ਪੂਰੀ ਸ਼ਮੂਲੀਅਤ ਲਈ ਲਗਾਤਾਰ ਵਿਤਕਰੇ ਅਤੇ ਅਨੁਚਿਤ ਰੁਕਾਵਟਾਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਹਮਣਾ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਇਸ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ ਹਕੀਕਤ ਦੇ ਬਾਵਜੂਦ ਸਾਡੀ ਪੋਲਿੰਗ ਦਰਸਾਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਬੀ.ਸੀ. ਵਿਚ 8 ਵਿਚੋਂ ਸਿਰਫ 1 ਵਿਅਕਤੀ—ਜਾਂ ਕਰੀਬ 12%– ਇਹ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਲਈ ਅਪੰਗਤਾਵਾਂ ਵਾਲੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਅਧਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਅਹਿਮ ਮੁੱਦਿਆਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ  ਹਨ।”

“ਵਿਤਕਰੇ ਨੂੰ ਦੂਰ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਅਤੇ ਅਪੰਗਤਾਵਾਂ ਵਾਲੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਅਸਲੀ ਅਕਸੈਸੀਬਿਲਿਟੀ ਦਾ ਟੀਚਾ ਹਾਸਲ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਕੁੱਝ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੈਣਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸੇ ਕਰਕੇ ਮੇਰਾ ਦਫਤਰ—ਪੂਰੇ ਸੂਬੇ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਅਪੰਗਤਾ ਦੀ ਨੁਮਾਇੰਦਗੀ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੇ ਸੰਗਠਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਹਿਯੋਗ ਨਾਲ—ਅੱਜ ਤੋਂ ਸਾਡੀਆਂ ਕਮਿਊਨਿਟੀਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਯੋਗਤਾ ਸੰਬੰਧੀ ਪੱਖਪਾਤ ਬਾਰੇ ਇਕ ਜਨਤਕ ਜਾਗਰਤੀ ਮੁਹਿੰਮ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ।”

Farsi

هر سال شکایات مربوط به حقوق بشر شامل موضوعات مرتبط با ناتوانی و معلولیت، بیشترین سهم از شکایات ارائه شده به دادگاه حقوق بشر بریتیش کلمبیا را به خود اختصاص می‌دهند. در سراسر استان، افراد دچار معلولیت و ناتوانی همچنان با تبعیض و موانع ناعادلانه برای مشارکت کامل خود در جوامع ما مواجه هستند. کساری گویندر (Kasari Govender)، کمیسیونر حقوق بشر اظهار داشت، «باورناپذیر است اما نظرسنجی ما نشان می‌دهد که فقط یک نفر از هر 8 نفر در بریتیش کلمبیا – یا حدود 12٪ جمعیت – اظهار می‌دارد که دسترسی‌پذیری و حقوق افراد دچار ناتوانی و معلولیت یکی از مهم‌ترین مسائل حقوق بشر برای آنهاست.»

«برای از میان برداشتن تبعیض و دسترسی‌پذیری واقعی برای افراد دچار معلولیت، اقدامات زیادی باید انجام دهیم. به همین خاطر است که دفتر من – ضمن همکاری نزدیک با سازمان‌های نماینده معلولان از سراسر استان – امروز یک کارزار آگاهی‌بخشی عمومی در مورد توانمندگرایی در جوامع‌مان راه‌اندازی می‌کند.»

Media Contact

To request an interview with Commissioner Kasari Govender, please contact Charlotte Kingston, Director, Communications, at or 1-250-216-4534.

BCOHRC is partnering with representatives from the disability community to speak about the Office’s campaign to address ableism. Depending on availability, Commissioner Govender could be joined by either Neil Belanger (Maluu’m Amxsiwaa), the Chief Executive Officer of BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society or Salina Dewar from Disability Alliance BC.

Media Kit

Download our media kit for images of Commissioner Kasari Govender.

About BCOHRC

BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner exists to address the root causes of inequality, discrimination and injustice in B.C. by shifting laws, policies, practices and cultures. We do this work through education, research, advocacy, inquiry and monitoring. Learn more at: bchumanrights.ca

About the Commissioner

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, started her five-year term on Sept. 3, 2019. Since then, our Office has been working swiftly to build a strong team, to listen deeply to the concerns of British Columbians, to deliver education materials on our rights and responsibilities, to issue policy guidance to protect marginalized communities and to lay a human rights-based foundation for our work. As an independent officer of the Legislature, the Commissioner is uniquely positioned to ensure human rights in B.C. are protected, respected and advanced on a systemic level throughout our society.

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