This newsletter is available in alternate formats on request. |
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The Accessibility Advisory Council is Launching the Second Review of the Accessible Customer Service Regulation |
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10-Year Review of the Accessible Customer Service Standard Regulation |
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| The Accessibility Advisory Council (council) is launching its ten-year review of Manitoba's Accessible Customer Service Standard Regulation. The standard, created in 2015, sets requirements for organizations to provide accessible customer service for people with disabilities. |
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The review will examine what is working well, what challenges remain and what changes may be needed to improve this law across Manitoba. |
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The council's first review of this standard was completed in 2021 and resulted in 22 recommendations to strengthen awareness, implementation, accountability, resources and accessibility outcomes. Since then, the Manitoba government has reported progress in several areas, including accessibility planning, training and guidance resources, compliance reporting and engagement. |
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The council is seeking feedback from people with disabilities, businesses, municipalities, public sector organizations, community groups, employees and other interested Manitobans. Opportunities to participate may include a survey, written submissions, targeted meetings and an online engagement session. Details are still being finalized. |
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Watch AccessibilityMB.ca for more information on how to get involved with this review and have your say before October 9, 2026. |
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Please contact the Accessibility Advisory Council, care of the Manitoba Accessibility Office, at access@gov.mb.ca if you would like to participate or for more information on this review. |
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Spotlight on an Accessibility Project in our Community |
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Featured Project: West-End Day Care Centre |
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West-End Day Care Centre is a non-profit, licensed childcare facility for children between the ages of 18 months and 12 years old located in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Our centre strives to provide high quality inclusive early learning and childcare with a focus on developmentally appropriate programming. We look to each child to determine how to best meet their learning and development needs. We want all children to have the opportunity to participate and contribute to their daily play and interactions with their peers and staff. Our centre is fortunate to have the support of the Speech and Language Pathologists and the Occupational Therapist from the Portage la Prairie General Hospital District. They have helped the staff implement the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices with the children in our program. |
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With support from the Manitoba Accessibility Fund, West-End Day Care obtained two augmentative and alternative communication devices to assist the increasing number of children who are non-verbal. Purchasing the two iPads and installing communication apps was our goal. This allowed the staff to model language throughout the day and the children could learn to use the picture symbols to communicate their wants and needs to others in their environment. By creating a system of support, children could be included, heard and accepted for who they are as individuals. We immediately noticed less frustration among the children when their peers and early childhood educators understood what they wanted or needed. |
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West-End Day Care Centre continues to move forward in enhancing accessibility by making sensory adjustments in our program through soft lighting, calming corners and adding resources to keep background noises to a minimum. |
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~Article provided by West-End Day Care Centre. |
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Service Animals: Did you know? |
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This means service animals must be allowed to accompany their handler when shopping at a store, eating at a restaurant, staying at a hotel, attending a medical appointment, taking a cab or renting an apartment. Some restrictions apply in settings such as operating rooms or the kitchen of a food service establishment. |
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Did you know that there is no standardized certification, training program or registry for service animals in Manitoba? |
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Did you know as an organization offering goods or customer service, staff can ask: "Has this animal been trained to help with a disability-related need?" |
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Some handlers carry documentation, such as a letter, note or form from a regulated health professional that states that they require the animal because of a disability-related need. An organization may consider asking for documentation only when the service the animal is providing is not obvious. Organizations must not require documentation in customer service scenarios that are brief or irregular. |
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Additionally, no one should ask for or require the handler to identify their diagnosis or demonstrate the animal's ability to perform the task for which it is trained. |
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Service animals must always be under the control of their handler. If the animal is barking excessively, misbehaving or demonstrating aggressive behaviour, an organization may ask the handler to remove the animal from the premise. |
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The Premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut this week signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that commits to advancing accessibility and reducing physical barriers for Canadians with disabilities. |
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Wheelchair rugby has arrived in southeastern Manitoba, offering a chance for people outside Winnipeg to try the Paralympic sport. 20 people from southeastern Manitoba region now planning to form a team this fall. |
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UWinnipeg's Ibrahim Yousif was born in the village of Melissa, north of Al-Fasher in Darfur, Sudan. At 21, he escaped Sudan and fled to Egypt, beginning a long journey toward safety and stability. In Egypt, Yousif worked as an accountant for nearly eight years. During that time, he applied to the United Nations refugee program and was accepted for potential resettlement in the United States, Canada or Australia. |
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Yousif arrived in Canada from Egypt as a landed immigrant and settled in Winnipeg, where he has made his home. He began by enrolling in an ESL program in the city. After completing it, he applied to adult education programs, but faced barriers related to his blindness. |
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Upcoming Accessibility Webinars |
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The Manitoba Accessibility Office is hosting a series of educational webinars. Join and learn more about The Accessibility for Manitobans Act and its accessibility standards. |
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Webinars will be hosted virtually on Zoom from 1 to 2 p.m. and will feature accessibility measures such as American Sign Language interpretation (ASL) and live closed captioning. |
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Have a Question About Manitoba's Accessibility Standards? |
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Share your questions ahead of any of the webinars to have them answered live during one of the sessions. Questions received ahead of time will help shape the presentations and ensure we address the topics that matter most to participants. Whether you're looking for clarification on compliance requirements, implementation timelines or how the standard applies in practice, we'd like to hear from you. |
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Submit your questions in advance by email at MAO@gov.mb.ca or call 204-945-7613. This will help to make the webinar as informative and relevant as possible. |
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