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Issue 43 | March 2024 |
This newsletter is available in alternate formats on request. |
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Manitoba’s Newest Accessibility Standard – The Accessible Transportation Standard |
The newest regulation under The Accessibility for Manitobans Act came into law December 2023. |
This new standard, the Accessible Transportation Standard Regulation addresses aspects to accessible public transportation, including access to transportation required for going to work or school, shopping and other aspects of daily life. |
The standard helps conventional and paratransit providers, schools, vehicles-for-hire and municipalities create a system of transportation that is more inclusive for all Manitobans, regardless of abilities. |
Requirements: |
Conventional transit and paratransit providers: Must hold an annual public meeting to obtain feedback from members of the public, including persons disabled by barriers. Must also document and implement accessibility policies and make these documents available to the public. Transit operators: Must be trained on the safe use of accessibility equipment, emergency preparedness and response procedures. Buses: Must meet minimum accessibility design requirements. During the winter months, bus stops must be maintained and cleared of snow. Manitoba school boards and independent schools: Must provide integrated accessible school transportation services for all students and if not available provide access to an alternative method of transportation. Municipalities with vehicles-for-hire: Bylaws must meet minimum accessibility requirements and report on these activities. Consult with the public at least once every two years to identify the number of accessible vehicles for hire that are required in the municipality. Vehicles-for-hire: Must not refuse or deny service to persons travelling with service animals or who requires reasonable assistance and cannot charge higher or additional fees to the persons disabled by barriers.
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Compliance Deadlines: |
Conventional transportation providers, Paratransit providers, Municipalities, Schools and Vehicles-for-hire must comply by January 1, 2027. Conventional transit providers have until January 1, 2042 to upgrade existing buses to meet physical accessibility requirements. Any new buses purchased after January 1, 2027 will have to meet accessible design requirements.
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Read the complete regulation and learn more about the standard at AccessibilityMB.ca. |
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Spotlight on a Manitoba Accessibility Fund Project |
This month the Manitoba Accessibility Fund (MAF) is proud to highlight the accessibility work of Squarely Accessible. |
Squarely Accessible |
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Squarely Accessible is a Manitoba-based firm that helps organizations widen the circles of inclusion and belonging with accessible marketing and communications through training, consulting and coaching. We believe that content can’t be conversational until it’s inclusive, and we believe conversations are deeper and more meaningful by bringing diverse people and perspectives together. |
Thanks to the support of the Manitoba Accessibility Fund, Squarely Accessible has added 2 new courses to affect change within organizations and reduce barriers for Manitobans with disabilities. Project partners included Eclectic Communications, Ashleigh Lodge, Relish Branding and CNIB Access Labs. |
The classes are designed as immersive learning experiences through live, instructor-led online sessions, including practical exercises and takeaways participants can use in their organizations. |
Classes will be offered four times each year. Registration is open for the spring 2024 sessions: |
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Some direct feedback from participants: |
“Loved how included and valued I felt as a learner. Loved the interaction among all.” |
“Thank you for sharing this information. It's one thing to read the legislation and to understand our legal and moral obligations, it's another to have practical tools and a checklist to make sure content is actually accessible.” |
“This was really informative and helpful. Very practical, but also covered the "why" very well. I really learned a lot that I can apply right away. I liked having this in a live format.” |
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Manitoba government Announces New Employment Supports for Young Manitobans with Intellectual Disabilities |
Improving Quality of Life Employment Pilot Project will Help Build Relationships, Promote Inclusion: Fontaine |
Young adults with an intellectual disability can now develop their skills and connect with their communities in a new way thanks to a supported employment program, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, minister responsible for accessibility, announced today. |
“For many young people, a job is more than a pay cheque: it’s a way to develop independence, build new relationships and grow self-confidence,” said Fontaine. “This program will help young Manitobans with intellectual disabilities find and thrive in employment opportunities that work for them, while also helping Manitoba’s workplaces become more inclusive.” |
Developed in consultation with Community Living disABILITY Services (CLDS), employment service providers and Abilities Manitoba, the Improving Quality of Life Employment Pilot Project will provide young adults aged 18 to 25 with employment services including transition planning, finding employment prospects, job skills and employment preparedness training, and job coaching. |
The pilot project is being delivered by CLDS in partnership with nine service provider agencies located in Winnipeg, Brandon, Selkirk, Steinbach and Beausejour. |
The program represents a new employment opportunity for Manitobans with intellectual disabilities who are not yet eligible for CLDS day services and are not currently accessing employment services. Eligible Manitobans can apply by completing an online employment discovery tool. |
Programming is planned to begin this spring for adults aged 21 to 25 and this summer for those aged 18 to 20, the minister said. |
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Reasonable Accommodations – What to Know |
According to Statistics Canada data, in Manitoba 29% of adults over 15 years of age live with a disability. They also make up a significant part of the provincial workforce. |
The purpose of the Accessible Employment Standard Regulation is to identify, remove and prevent barriers that affect persons who are working or looking for work in Manitoba. One way to be an accessible employer and comply with the regulation is to provide reasonable accommodations to job applicants and workers experiencing barriers. |
What is a reasonable accommodation? |
Disabilities can be visible or invisible, and two people with the same disability may experience the disability in different ways.
In the workplace, a reasonable accommodation often means adjusting a rule, policy, practice, or a physical space to allow changes to the way things are usually done. A reasonable accommodation is a plan to address a barrier in the workplace that is necessary for workers to do their job or access the benefits that are available to other employees.
A workplace accommodation is reasonable if it does not result in undue hardship, which may be met when there are major and measurable costs or health and safety risks to an accommodation. |
What are some examples of a reasonable accommodation? |
Examples include making changes to an organization’s remote work policy to allow an employee to work from home, providing a flexible work schedule, maximizing an employees’ strengths by minimizing distractions in the workspace, acquiring or modifying equipment, or allowing service animals in the workplace.
Remember: As an employee, you do not need to share your diagnosis to be reasonably accommodated at work. However, your employer may ask for medical information to clarify accessibility needs. |
Want more information? |
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In the News: |
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The Manitoba government is taking steps to make it easier for residents to get a wheelchair repair. On February 23, the province announced it is working to unfreeze funding for Manitoba Possible’s wheelchair repair program, adding that it will provide $288,000 to hire more repair technicians.
Read the full article |
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Special Olympics organizes sporting events for both kids and adults with intellectual disabilities. A week ahead of their departure for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary, six of Brandon’s athletes were wished good luck at a pep rally at the Riverview Curling Club ahead of the games.
Read the full article |
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Winnipeg’s first barrier free and universally accessible toboggan slides includes two new toboggan chutes, a four season shelter, a treetop walkway and a viewing deck.
Read the full article and view photos |
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Funding: |
A CBC Initiative for Creators with a Disability: ACCESSCBC 2.0 |
ACCESSCBC 2.0 recognizes the barriers that Deaf and disabled creators face across the screen industry and understands the importance of taking action to ensure that the industry is more accessible and inclusive. AccessCBC is a national CBC initiative for Deaf and disabled creators that will provide training, mentorship, and, on select projects, financing support to create scripted, unscripted, and kids screen-based content.
The deadline for submission is March 15th, 2024 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time for both streams. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-April 2024.
Learn about this program and how to apply |
Community Event: |
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Race and Disability Canada is a pioneering initiative dedicated to exploring and tackling the interconnectedness of race and disability. Race and Disability Canada was founded by Rabia Khedr and fellow racialized disabled advocates. We conduct research and provide education and training to help understand the lived realities of racialized people with disabilities with a view to affecting positive change in service provision and policy directives across Canada. Our inaugural project is based on the principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA). We are building tools and resources to build capacity within the disability sector on the intersections of race and disability. |
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The IDEA Project Pillars: |
Research |
The IDEA Project uses an applied research framework to identify practical and innovative solutions that support the accessibility and inclusion of racialized Canadians with disabilities. |
Partnerships |
We work at the intersections of race and disability and partner with organizations that appreciate the importance of advancing the rights of racialized Canadians with disabilities. |
Education and Training |
We provide training and education to build capacity within the disability community to take action to remove barriers to accessibility and inclusion. |
Knowledge Mobilization |
Key learnings from this project will be shared with stakeholders through our knowledge mobilization strategy. This will include the roll-out of practical and innovative IDEA Toolkits that will build capacity within the disability sector in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. |
Community of Practice |
We are creating more opportunities to increase capacity building and help identify and address barriers to advancing diversity and inclusion. Race and Disability Canada is launching its Community of Practice in April 2024. If you are a leader in the disability sector and want leadership support to advance your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) goals, this is for you! |
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Our Community of Practice (CoP) is more than just a group; it's a dynamic space designed for collaborative unlearning and relearning, where disability leaders can connect, share experiences, and collectively develop strategies for promoting inclusion of racialized people with disabilities. Our Community of Practice serves as a hub for disability organization leaders to share concerns, common problems, and identify shared goals. Engaging in thoughtful dialogue, peer mentorship, and embarking on collaborative problem-solving strategies, participants will not only enrich their knowledge but also build the necessary capacity to advance their diversity and inclusion strategy. To do this, we will use web-based collaborative environments to connect and develop individual and group strategies on common issues related to addressing barriers to accessibility and inclusion in Canada. |
To learn more about the CoP, sign up here: Community of Practice. For general updates about our work, join our newsletter to receive our monthly digest at: racedisability.ca. |
Awareness Dates: |
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