BarTalk October 1999
Volume 11, Number 5

New Branch Accommodation Policy

The BC Branch has introduced a Member Accommodation Policy which aims to ensure that every member has full access to the services of the Canadian Bar Association, and that issues of accommodation are included among the priority issues on which the Branch advocates on behalf of its members. The new Policy will guide future decision-making by the Executive Committee, Provincial Council, and Branch Office management. The Branch thanks Henry Vlug for his contribution and personal advocacy in ensuring that a formal policy was developed to address issues of concern regarding the delivery of services to members who have a disability. The new policy reads as follows:

“The BC Branch is committed to the principle that its members are collectively and individually entitled to full participation in the affairs of the organization, and to the full realization of the benefits of membership. To that end, the Branch will accommodate and support its members who are disabled, subject to the provision of reasonable notice, and will give priority to the elimination of barriers encountered by its members who are disabled. The Branch recognizes that disability should not prevent a members’ full participation in the organization, and recognizes its responsibility to address such accommodation. The Branch further recognizes its responsibility to advocate for the accommodation of its members who are disabled, in all aspects of their professional lives.”

This article was published in the October 1999 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.