Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW)

1. Ensure your community has accessible parking with clear signage.
2. Accessible transportation options help people with disabilities get to work, & access goods & services.
3. Ensure your outdoor and indoor paths are free of barriers that might cause problems for people who use canes, crutches, or wheelchairs.
4. Does your community offer public washrooms? Are these washrooms accessible? Washrooms should have enough space for wheelchair or walker users, as well as grab bars and sinks and hand drying materials at a reachable height.
5. Offer information in different ways – ensure that print text is also electronically accessible.
6. Write in plain language, which is easier for all readers to understand.
7. Make sure that accessibility is considered when making plans for events and invite attendees to tell you if they have specific accessibility needs. Use accessibility checklists for events.
   
   

1. Have a discussion with your family members about accessibility and removing barriers, for instance for senior relatives.
1. What does accessibility mean to your family?
2. How can you ensure that you are removing barriers for family, friends and neighbors, while making Manitoba more inclusive for everyone?
3. If you have children, ask them if they can identify accessibility features within their school, or community. Examples include the placement of ramps, automatic door buttons, audible crosswalks (a beeping sound, indicating an individual has time to cross), accessible parking spots, accessible washrooms, documents that are offered in braille, buttons that feature braille, curb cuts, and tactile paving (steel stripes and dots for people with low vision).
2. Ensure your sidewalks and walkways are clear of snow and other debris.
3. Install handrails where there are staircases and ramps.
4. Replace round doorknobs with lever style door knobs that are easier to grab, including for people with Arthritis.
5. Avoid covering floors with loose rugs.
6. Introduce motion sensors to switch indoor and outdoor lights on and off to help prevent falls.
7. Consider creating at least one no-step entry into your home and widening doors and hallways (especially when building new homes).
8. Upgrade your lighting throughout your home. "By age 75, most people require twice as much light as the normal recommended standard, and nearly four times as much as a 20-year-old, to see satisfactorily (Dementia Services Development Center – The Importance of Lighting).
9. People have different degrees of sight, hearing, & understanding that can affect communication. Mental health issues & chronic illness can also create barriers to participation.
10. Nearly 1 in 4 Manitobans has a disability. Provide support & prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially to people with disabilities.
    
    

1. Accessibility is law in Manitoba. Ensure your business or organization is providing accessible customer service to everyone, especially people with disabilities.
2. Ask employees whether they have any accessibility or disability concerns & consult with them on how to address these concerns.  Remember, pre-existing health conditions make some people more vulnerable to COVID-19.
3. Offer accessible customer service by understanding & removing barriers that prevent people from accessing goods or services.
4. Ensure your business or organization is providing accessible customer service to everyone, especially people with disabilities using assistive devices like walkers or canes.
5. Offer seating and place-holders for customers unable to stand in line-ups to access goods or services.
6. Avoid floor & standing signs that can trip a customers who are visually impaired or whose vision is blocked.
7. Practice accessible customer service by ensuring all customers & clients can understand your plain language message.
8. Ensure staff who interact with the public have information and training in how to communicate with people who have speech and language disabilities in face-to face and telephone interactions.
9. Post Access Offer Signs that state you offer service in different ways. Always ask, "How can we help?" and do not assume what a person can or cannot do. View the Printable Access Offer Sign: http://accessibilitymb.ca/pdf/how_can_we_help1.pdf
10. When communicating in person, have a paper and pen on hand, or use clear masks.
11. Use cellphones to text with customers to address hearing, understanding or memory barriers.  Using a pen and paper is another option.
    

Tips

1. Post information that is easy to understand, in short sentences.
2. Use at least 14-point font for people with low vision.
3. Offer contact information, including email and phone number.
4. Separate your message from any images, as merging the two can create a barrier for people with low or no vision, or who are colour blind.
5. Add a short written description to images.
6. Ensure that marketing and communication, including photos and testimonials, reflect diverse people with a range of abilities and ages.
7. Ensure that every email is accessible to people who use screen readers and offer alternative methods of communication.
8. Provide descriptions using "alt tags" for graphics and charts for people with vision loss.
   

• MAAW 2022 Webinar: Accessible Information & Communication – Good for Everyone
• MAAW 2022 Webinar Transcript (WORD)
• MAAW 2022 PowerPoint (PPT)

• MAAW 2021 Webinar: Beyond COVID-19: Creating a Culture of Accessibility in the Workplace
• MAAW 2021 Deputy Minister Yazmine Laroche Keynote
• MAAW 2021 Panel Discussion
• MAAW 2021 Webinar Transcript (PDF)
• MAAW 2021 Deputy Minister Yazmine Laroche Transcript (PDF)
• MAAW 2021 Panel Discussion Transcript (PDF)
  
• MAAW 2021 PowerPoint (PPT)
 

• MAAW 2020 Webinar: Accessibility in the Workplace During COVID-19
• MAAW 2020 Webinar Transcript (PDF)
• MAAW 2020 PowerPoint (PPT)
• MAAW 2020 Question and Answer Document (PDF)
• Accessibility in the Workplace: Good for Everyone, Law in Manitoba Video