About DCLS
DCLS is an active member of the British Columbia
Association for Community Living (BCACL). Community
living - the full integration of people with developmental
disabilities into their communities as valued citizens -
is a great step forward for our society and for the lives
of individuals.
People with developmental disabilities were not always
visible. Many spent their lives incarcerated in large institutions.
Others lived at home until their parents could no longer
look after them. They suffered from loneliness, idleness
and poverty. Our community suffered too, from ignorance
that led to fear and prejudice. A society in which the most
vulnerable members do not feel they belong is not whole.
The community is infinitely richer when we enlarge our capacity
to care.
Integrating the developmentally disabled into the community
is a very recent evolution. The kinds of institutions that
have hidden them away over the centuries were only closed
down in British Columbia over the last two decades. The
first generation of children with developmental disabilities
to attend special needs programmes in public school has
only recently turned nineteen. With the transition from
school to adult life, many participate in community living.
Partnering in the community
DCLS is committed to community partnerships based on common
interests with other community groups in Delta. In addition
to our volunteer services and work partnerships with local
businesses, we share our resource centre site on 72nd
Street with the Delta Association for Child Development,
the Orphaned Wildlife Society, West Delta Scouts, Kiwanis
Club and the Boundary Bay Montessori School. At our Ladner
Connections location, we provide space for the Delta Advocates
for Community Mental Health.
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