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Government of Canada Calls for Proposals That Remove Barriers for People With Disabilities

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced a multi-year Call for Proposals (2009-2012) focusing on projects that will improve services or accessibility for people with disabilities to fully participate in society.

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today announced a multi-year Call for Proposals (2009-2012) focusing on projects that will improve services or accessibility for people with disabilities to fully participate in society.

"Our government is committed to providing all Canadians with opportunities to participate in every aspect of life," said Minister Finley. "Successful proposals from this call will help organizations to deliver projects that remove barriers and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities."

Proposals submitted under this call must meet the program criteria and fall under one of two streams: Social Development Projects and the Accommodation Fund. Social Development Projects must address one of the following three themes: promotion of accessibility, seniors with disabilities, or youth with disabilities. The Accommodation Fund provides up to $20,000 in funding to enable people with disabilities to fully participate in events and conferences.

Proposals will be accepted from February 23, 2009 to April 6, 2009.

Canada's Economic Action Plan, introduced in Budget 2009, and other recent federal initiatives are also addressing the needs of people with disabilities and their families through a series of important measures that include:

- Providing $1 billion for renovations and energy retrofits of social housing, including renovations that support people with disabilities.

- Investing $400 million over two years for the construction of new social housing for seniors, including seniors with disabilities.

- Investing an additional $75 million over two years for the construction of new social housing units for people with disabilities.

- Investing $20 million for each of two years to improve the accessibility of federally owned buildings.

- Increasing the maximum amount of the Working Income Tax Benefit, including the supplement for people with disabilities.

- Extending the Home Buyers' Plan and the First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit to people with disabilities who are not first-time home buyers but are buying a more accessible or functional home.

- Extending the 2008 deadline for Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) contributions to March 2, 2009. The RDSP contributes to the financial security and well-being of people with severe disabilities.

To learn more about the Social Development Partnership Program - Disability Component and the Call for Proposals, visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca.

BACKGROUNDER

The Social Development Partnerships Program - Disability Component (SDPP-D) aims to increase the effectiveness of the not-for-profit sector in meeting the social development needs and aspirations of people with disabilities, by supporting innovative solutions to remove barriers through improved access to programs and services.

The SDPP-D Call for Proposals has two streams:

- Stream 1: Social Development Projects

- Stream 2: Accommodation Fund

Stream 1, Social Development Projects, supports the full participation of people with disabilities and must address one of the following three themes:

- Promotion of Accessibility

- Seniors with Disabilities

- Youth with Disabilities

The objectives of this funding stream are to:

- support the development and use of effective approaches to address social issues and barriers confronting people with disabilities;

- develop, exchange and apply knowledge, tools and resources that sustain social inclusion for individuals, families and communities;

- foster collaboration, partnerships, alliances and networks to address existing and emerging social issues; and

- recognize and support the ability for not-for-profit organizations to identify and address social development priorities.

Stream 2, the Accommodation Fund, enables people with disabilities to fully participate in key events and conferences related to policy, program and knowledge development, by ensuring that events are accessible. Eligible expenses could include accommodations such as sign language interpretation, real-time captioning, readers and scribes, support persons and interveners. Organizations may apply for an amount of up to $20,000 for an Accommodation Fund project.

The overall budget for this call is $9 million in funding over 3 years. The Call for Proposals will be accepting proposals from February 23, 2009 to April 6, 2009.

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