Call EATI Toll-Free at 1-877-333-7554
	See these videos explaining how EATI works
	EATI basics
	Eligibility

Welcome to the BC Personal Supports Network

What is the BCPSN?

• We're a network of organizations, launched in the fall of 2009, who want to improve access to personal supports for people with disabilities–everything from equipment and assistive devices, to sign-language interpreters and attendants.
• We use a person-centered approach that begins with a person’s goals and offers assistance to find the supports to reach them.
• We are just starting out, but click here to read more about us and our plans for the future.

What can the BCPSN do for me?

Our first project is called EATI–the Equipment and Assistive Technology Initiative. If you're a person with a disability who has employment-related goals (or volunteer goals leading to employment), please read on to learn more and to see if you are eligible for the project.

EATI provides a source of funding for assessment, trialing, purchasing and/or training with equipment and assistive devices that:

• relate directly to your disability needs and
• will help you reach your employment-related goals.

Read some of the most commonly asked questions–and our answers–about EATI.

To be eligible for EATI, you must be:

• A person with a disability who has an employment-related goal. Remember, volunteering can be an important step toward employment.
• 18 years of age or older
• A BC Resident
• Unemployed OR employed with low skills (for example, low English literacy, incomplete high school) and looking to upgrade
• Ineligible for Employment Insurance (EI)

• Have not received an EI benefit in the past 3 years
• Have not received an EI maternity or parental benefit in the past 5 years

• Able to demonstrate a need for assistive technology
• Unable to access funding through other programs

Part-time students who are available for work may be eligible for EATI.  People over the age of 65 who are available for work are also eligible.

How do I apply?

• Download and complete the Application (Personal Strategy Tool). For more information, download the Key Points for Completing the Application.

• If you prefer, call our EATI Toll-Free line at 1-877-333-7554 or email us at eati@bcpsn.org. You can also connect with one of these organizations (our Network partners).

If you qualify, someone will assist you with the rest of the process.

What’s next to apply?

1. Determine if you are a candidate for a self-assessment.

2. After your assessment is complete, you may proceed to find quotes for the equipment that you are applying for. The following information must be included in the quote and please ensure that you have tried the equipment that is quoted.

• Billed to: EATI, 103- 366 E. Kent Ave. S. Vancouver BC V5X 4N6, 1-877-333-7554 

• Shipped to you: Name, address, phone number

3. If you are a professional assessor, please find a letter and guidelines here.

What if I don't qualify?

We need your help to compile information on people with disabilities' unmet needs for all types of personal supports, including equipment.

If you need personal supports, but do not qualify for EATI and cannot find funding for the supports you need, please take a minute to fill out the Unmet Needs Form. It will take just a few minutes and we will include your information in a database of unmet needs. This will help us to understand gaps and to seek better funding supports in the future.

Click here to learn more about us. 

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Meet Some EATI Clients

Click on the images or links below to see EATI client videos.
	October 14, 2010 Laurie just received her GPS Trekker through EATI. She is one step closer to greater independence and full participation within her community in Keremeos. Click here to see video.
	Rachel is a volunteer at Science World in Vancouver. She has applied for a power wheelchair from EATI to be more independent and effective at her job. Click here to see video.
	Richard, who has Multiple Sclerosis, received EATI funding to have hand controls installed in his vehicle, as well as receive training on how to operate them. Click here to see video.
	Donna received funding from EATI to purchase some much needed assistive devices. She is now able to go back to school and live more independently despite the loss of her sight. Click here to see video.
	Shervin, a former broadcast journalist, is a recipient of assistive technology through EATI. He used the equipment he was awarded to write his first children's story. Click here to see video.
	Jean just received her power chair from EATI. She's now experiencing greater freedom and independence. Click here to see video.
	Clients of the Keremeos Community Day Program are EATI recipients. They are now learning to use their laptops, iPads, GPS and Intel Readers for possible work and volunteer purposes... another step closer to independence! Click here to see video.
	Heather received assistive devices from EATI. These tools allow her to be more productive and efficient in her volunteer work . She is confident they will also lead to possible employment in the near future. Click here to see video.

Dale McLeod

I am very grateful to have received the funding for my modified van to help in my future employment opportunities.  The process was straightforward and quicker than I had anticipated.  I now have my new van and I am no longer frustrated by being unable to see out the window and to actually see where I am going.  Just knowing I have a reliable vehicle has made traveling less stressful, along with having more options for street parking in the City of Vancouver.
 
This vehicle has allowed me to participate in the recent Amercias Champion Cup Powersoccer Tournament in Burnaby.  With 8 club teams involved from the US and Canada, I was able to make contacts with numerous athletes, along with classifiers and officials from the international level of powersoccer.  During the awards banquet I was inspired to hear powersoccer is getting closer to reaching the paralympic status and has been recognized by IPC.  I will continue to be involved with this achievement.
 
The van will help me attend several practices each week as I will be assisting the organization and the preparation of the Canadian National Team for the 2011 Powerchair Football World Cup.  My involvement with this National team will help me network locally, nationally and hopefully globally.  At the local level, I am currently helping start up a new team and have used the van to purchase new sports equipment and assist with the practices weekly.  In November, I will be travelling to Richmond to do a powersoccer presentation for the fire fighters at a MD conference to show how it works, the benefits of staying active and how it helps promote disability awareness and inclusion.

Media

 

See a CTV News segment about EATI on Dr. Rhonda Low’s "Your Health." See the video here. Click on the "Assistance Programs" photo or link on that page.
 

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The BC Personal Supports Network is supported by the Kinsmen Foundation. Funding for the EATI project is provided by the Province of British Columbia, through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement.