Accessibility
Act Standards
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act's standards are the building blocks that the Manitoba government will use to make real, measurable and effective change to accessibility.
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act standards focus on five key areas:
Accessible Customer Service Standard Regulation
This standard focuses on business practices and training requirements to provide better customer service to people with disabilities.
Accessible Customer Service Standard
Accessible Employment Standard Regulation
The Accessible Employment Standard addresses paid employment practices relating to employee-employer relationships, which could include practices related to employee recruitment, hiring and retention policies and practices.
Accessible Employment Standard
Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation
This standard addresses the removal of barriers in accessing and providing information. This could include information provided in print, in-person, on websites or in other formats.
Accessible Information and Communication Standard
Accessible Transportation Standard Regulation
The Accessible Transportation Standard addresses barriers Manitobans might encounter while getting to work, school, shopping, socializing and other aspects of daily life.
Accessible Transportation Standard
Accessible Design of Outdoor Public Spaces Standard
This standard is currently in development. When enacted it will focus on access to areas outside the jurisdiction of the Manitoba Building Code. This standard will apply to sidewalks, pathways, parks and other aspects of the outdoor environment that are designed and constructed.
Accessible Design of Outdoor Public Spaces Standard
Creating the Standards
The creation of a standard involves multiple steps and people, including the Minister responsible for Accessibility (Minister), the Accessibility Advisory Council (Council), the advisory committee and the public.
Public consultations are an important part of accessibility standard development. The Council consults with a variety of organizations representing people with disabilities, organizations with a responsibility to remove barriers and the general public.
Steps to Create a Standard
- The Minister develops a standard-specific Terms of Reference that outlines what the accessibility standard does and who it affects.
- Council receives the Terms of Reference. All Terms of Reference are shared online.
- Council creates a standard development committee of experts who provide recommendations for a proposed standard.
- Council reviews the standard development committee's recommendations and develops a discussion paper that serves as the basis for public consultations.
- The public gives feedback on the discussion paper in-person, by phone, through video calls and online webinars.
- Council may discuss the feedback received during consultations with the standard development committee for their expertise.
- Council considers the public's feedback and the committee's advice to prepare a report of their recommendations for a proposed standard to the Minister.
- The Minister considers whether to accept Council's proposed standard in whole, in part, or with changes. The Minister makes Council's recommendations for a proposed standard public.
- An intergovernmental working group with expertise on the proposed standard provides input to government and works with legislative drafters to draft the standard as a regulation.
- Once finalized, government posts the draft standard for public comment on the Manitoba Regulatory Consultation Portal (gov.mb.ca) for a 60-day period.
- The Minister consults with Council about the comments received and revises the draft standard, if appropriate.
- The Minister makes any final amendments to the draft standard and presents it to Cabinet (cabinet ministers) for approval.
- The standard is enacted as a regulation and becomes law.