This newsletter is available in alternate formats on request.
|
|
|
|
Understand How Your Business Can Navigate Accessibility Accommodations in the Workplace: FREE WEBINAR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the Manitoba Accessibility Office to learn more about workplace accommodations. In this free webinar, you will learn about your role as an employer and understand the ins and outs of the Accessible Employment Standard, so that you can feel confident arranging workplace accommodations that work for your employees.
|
|
Webinar: Navigating Accessibility Accommodations in the Workplace – Understanding Your Role as an Employer
|
|
- Date: June 18, 2025
- Time: 1 to 2 p.m.
- Where: Virtual via Zoom
|
|
|
|
|
|
Manitoba Government Helps Launch New American Sign Language - English Interpretation Program at Red River College Polytechnic
|
|
The Manitoba government is supporting the launch of Red River College Polytechnic’s (RRC Polytech) modernized American Sign Language (ASL) – English Interpretation Advanced Diploma Program (AEIP). This program will improve outcomes for students serving both the Deaf and non-Deaf communities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Announced on May 16 by the Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable, the Manitoba government will provide $225,000 for a one-time renovation and equipment costs, in addition to $190,000 in annual funding to support the ongoing program operations.
|
|
The modernized program provides a strong foundation in ASL fluency and Deaf history and culture, with interpreting practice in both classroom and real-world settings. The program has undergone an academic transformation, revamping its content, design and delivery to better meet the evolving needs of learners and the community. Graduates will be equipped to work as entry-level interpreters in various settings including kindergarten to Grade 12 public schools, colleges, businesses and social services.
|
|
Other new program elements include:
|
|
- a three-year full-time program encompassing eight terms
- revised admission requirements to ensure incoming learners have intermediate language fluency and a minimum of 120 hours of ASL learning
- leveraging work-integrated learning opportunities such as practicums to augment in-class training and provide hands-on experience to enhance foundational skills for general interpreting
- opportunities for community involvement that will further increase ASL fluency and the understanding of Deaf history
|
|
RRC Polytech is also offering three ASL courses through Continuing Education to support greater proliferation of ASL language training and support future program participants to meet admission requirements. The first intake in fall 2025 has a projected enrollment of 10 students, with an annual capacity of 20 students.
|
|
RRC Polytech consulted several partners and community representatives when structuring this programming and curriculum, including employers and practicum partners. Indigenous ways of knowing and learning have also been integrated into the program to strengthen relationships with Indigenous partners, learners and communities.
|
|
Learn more about the program and how to register by visiting RRC.ca.
|
|
|
|
Another Successful Manitoba Access Awareness Week Celebration
|
|
This year the Manitoba government celebrated Manitoba Access Awareness Week from May 25 through 31. Originally recognized in the 1980s, Manitoba Access Awareness Week, promotes accessibility and inclusion. It also acknowledges the people who are working to prevent, identify and remove barriers to accessibility, while also raising awareness about accessibility issues within the province that affect people with disabilities and many others.
|
|
During this year’s weeklong festivities, the Manitoba Accessibility Office hosted a webinar, Accessibility History, A Manitoba Perspective – Past, Present and Future, on May 28. The webinar included a panel discussion featuring Dr. Diane Driedger, Dr. Nancy Hansen and Whitney Hodgins. The panellists shared stories of grassroots leaders and key policies that shaped accessibility in Manitoba.
|
|
Did you miss the webinar?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Manitoba Accessibility Fund Update
|
|
|
|
Thank you to all who submitted applications for the 2025/26 Manitoba Accessibility Fund.
|
|
We received a high volume of diverse and innovative proposals from organizations all over Manitoba.
|
|
The selection process is in its final stages as our selection committee carefully evaluates all submissions. We are impressed by the calibre of the applications and continue to be excited about the potential impact of the proposed projects.
|
|
All applicants will be notified of the results in the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as we work through this thorough review and selection process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight on a Manitoba Accessibility Fund Project
|
|
This month, the Manitoba Accessibility Fund is proud to spotlight Victoria Hospital Foundation, a previous grant recipient.
|
|
Victoria Hospital Foundation Enhances Access to Information Through New Website
|
|
|
|
Victoria Hospital Foundation is dedicated to enhancing healthcare and the patient experience at Victoria Hospital and supporting the community’s overall health and well-being. For more than 50 years, the Foundation has invested in quality, innovative and accessible care initiatives.
|
|
Over the past year, Victoria Hospital Foundation has been developing a new website with the goals of improving the user experience and helping the over 18,000 users who visit the site annually better understand the mission, funding priorities and impact of the organization. One of the primary objectives of the new website was to meet or exceed the standards outlined in The Accessibility for Manitobans Act.
|
|
Victoria Hospital Foundation’s website is designed to meet WCAG 2.1 level AA standards. The new website includes captioned videos as well as a form where users can make an accessibility request or provide feedback.
|
|
Victoria Hospital Foundation remains committed to cultivating a culture of inclusivity and accessibility. The Foundation will continue to identify and remove barriers to accessing print and digital communications.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reasonable Accommodations – What to Know
|
|
According to Statistics Canada data, in Manitoba 29 per cent 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 apparent or non-apparent, 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apple has announced a wide-ranging set of new accessibility features set to roll out later this year across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro, including braille tools, speech support, and Music Haptics.
|
|
|
|
If you are planning on flying with a wheelchair, there’s one airline with a higher approval rating than its competitors. The top-ranked airline for wheelchair accessibility is JetBlue, which boasts the highest positive sentiment in the survey at 97 per cent.
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Community Events
|
|
June 7: The Children's Museum will host an "Explore-Abilities Evening" event, which is a sensory-friendly event for families. Event Details
|
|
June 13: The March of Dimes will host a free workshop in Winnipeg for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Event Details
|
|
June 19: Abilities Manitoba Annual General Meeting. Event Details
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Awareness Celebrations
|
|
|
|
|
|
