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We’re glad you’re here and hope you can help us make accessibility-rights legislation a reality in Manitoba.
Every day, 170,000 Manitobans with disabilities face barriers that prevent their full participation in activities most others take for granted. These barriers are in fundamental conflict with the basic rights of persons with disabilities established in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in federal and provincial human rights codes.
If you have not done so already, please endorse the call for strong and effective legislation today. Just click here.
You will be adding your name to the wide array of disability, health and seniors organizations which have endorsed the call (click here for the list) , as well as the hundreds and hundreds of Manitobans who have done likewise.
A new Canadian study, just released by the University of Toronto-based Martin Prosperity Institute, has concluded that "releasing the constraints that limit full participation in the economy will create a significant force for economic growth." And its findings are clear:
- "the demand for accessible goods, services, buildings and employment is not just large but growing, and will overtake the demand for their conventional counterparts. Of further importance is our finding that the impact of increased employment accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities will increase the average incomes of all Ontarians."
Click here to download/view a pdf copy of the report or visit the study website at: http://www.martinprosperity.org/research-and-publications/publication/releasing-constraints.
It has become obvious that ensuring accessibility in our province is both the right and the reasonable thing to do. This study now provides clear evidence that ensuring accessibility also makes excellent 'business sense.'
Can we afford not to make Manitoba fully accessible?
Making the Right Basic Design Decision
BakerLaw recommends that Manitoba adopt a centralized approach to the development, monitoring and enforcement of accessibility standards under the proposed legislation.
Based on basic design considerations and the recent experience in Ontario, this leading human and disability rights law firm concludes that a centralized approach is much more likely to provide for:
- "adequate coordination, consistency of standards, monitoring and enforcement, adequate breadth of coverage, supremacy of standards and public accountability".
BakerLaw's second report to Barrier-Free Manitoba presents a detailed comparison of a centralized vs. a dispersed approach. This second report is downloadable in regular (Word and pdf) or large print (Word and pdf) formats.
As part its activities to mark National Access Awareness Week and the fifth anniversary of its groundbreaking accessibility-rights legislation, the Province of Ontario released the long-awaited final report of the Charles Beer Independent Review on the implementation of the Accessibiity for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
The Beer report provides the basis to "build momentum and ensure a successful transformation to an accessible Ontario by 2025." You can view the report by downloading a pdf or a large print Word version. You can also view the report online at: tiny.cc/20qs5.
Barrier-Free Manitoba has consistently called for accessibility-rights legislation that builds on the strengths of the models already in place in other jurisdictions while addressing their limitations. This report provides yet another basis for legislative action by the Province to make Manitoba a leader in promoting and protecting the human rights of persons with disabilities.
On May 7, 2010, Barrier-Free Manitoba released a report by BakerLaw on strategic options related to the proposed accessibility-rights legislation in Manitoba (see below). The report has now been distributed broadly within the disability community. We hope that it will provide one basis for informed discussion as the government moves from commitment to action.
What do you think of the report and its 16 recommendations?
Please click here and share your thoughts and feedback. This will take as little as 5 minutes. You can also choose to provide much more detailed answers.
Barrier-Free Manitoba will be preparing a report in September based on the views shared by you and others committed to achieving a fully accessible Manitoba.
The full version of the BakerLaw report is downloadable in regular (Word and pdf) and large print (Word and pdf) formats.
With the recent Throne Speech pledge that legislation will be central to updating and improving Manitoba’s disability strategy, the government has set the agenda to honour the September 2009 commitment made by then candidate for the NDP leadership and now Premier Greg Selinger to introduce landmark accessibility-rights legislation based on the model already in place in Ontario.
To support informed discussion on the proposed legislation, Barrier-Free Manitoba retained the services of BakerLaw to research and report on strategic options related to the proposed legislation. BakerLaw is a Toronto-based legal firm that is a nationally recognized leader in disability and human rights law.
BakerLaw has now completed this report and has concluded that the proposed legislation provides for "a significant advance in the accessibility of the province" and "an excellent opportunity for the proactive identification and removal of barriers of all kinds across Manitoba."
The report makes 16 recommendations related to:
Barrier-Free Manitoba is pleased to release the report which downloadable in regular (Word and pdf) and large print (Word and pdf) formats.
The Fair Access for ALL campaign is now officially over. Launched on September 22, 2009, the eight-week campaign sought a commitment from the government to enact accessibility-rights legislation in the upcoming legilsative session.
The very first day of the campaign was remarkable: Greg Selinger, then a candidate for the NDP leadership, announced his commitment, if elected, to introduce legislation consistent with the principles set out by Barrier-Free Manitoba. We have now called on Premier Selinger to formalize his legislative commitment by including it in his forthcoming Throne Speech.
Barrier-Free Manitoba thanks the hundreds of Manitobans who individually and collectively wrote or called their MLAs over the last several weeks to request their support for this historic legislation.
The campaign closes with more good news: prominent economist Dr. John Loxley has publicly endorsed the call for accessibility-rights legislation. Please see the attached press release (Word or pdf) for more information.
As the Fair Acces for ALL campaign reaches Week 3, Barrier-Free Manitoba is pleased to announce that the Honourable Reg Alcock has added his name to the list of prominent Manitobans supporting accessibility-rights legislation. “Manitoba has long been a leader in providing support for persons with disabilities, but it is important to note that Fair Access for ALL is truly about all of us," Mr. Alcock said. "As more of us are living longer, these provisions will benefit all Manitobans.” The news release is available in pdf and large print pdf.
What a week it's been! Within days of the launch of the Fair Access for ALL campaign, candidates for the NDP leadership said that they would introduce accessibility-rights legislation. Now that’s progress. But this falls far short of the campaign goal – to get a firm commitment from the government to enact the legislation during the next legislative session. We really need support from each and every MLA and from all three political parties.
Please contact your MLA, tell them that Manitoba needs to take action and ask for their support. Yes, it is really important that you make your voice heard. Politicians listen when their constituents contact them. Download the Action Kit (in a colourful version or plain text version) that will help walk you through the process. It will only take minutes of your time and it will make a real difference.
It’s easy to put it off and then forget about it. Act now and now that you helped make a Manitoba a better province for everyone. And getting a couple of your friends and family to contact their MLAs too would be wonderful.
Barrier-Free Manitoba welcomed the public endorsement of the call for legislation from Dr. Paul Thomas, Duff Roblin Professor of Government at the University of Manitoba, who has received widespread recognition for his distinguished contributions to public policy and who is a member of the Order of Manitoba. "Strong and effective accessibility-rights legislation not only promises to address systemic human rights issues," says Dr. Thomas. "It will also enhance accessibility for all Manitobans, a benefit that will become increasingly important with the aging of the population."
Barrier-Free Manitoba has prepared a formal response to Opening Doors: Manitoba's Commitment to Persons with Disabilities, the discussion paper released by the Province in June. Take a look at the Executive Summary, available in Word or PDF or read the complete response in Word or PDF.
On June 4th, Minister Gord Macintosh released a discussion paper, Opening Doors: Manitoba’s Commitment to Persons with Disabilities, outlining proposed directions for a long-term disability strategy in Manitoba.
The 46-page document sets out a series of proposed objectives under ten areas of commitment to Manitobans with disabilities. Commitment No. 3 is called Rights and Justice and the proposed objective reads:
- To make Manitoba a leader in promoting and protecting the human rights of persons with disabilities. (p. 19)
This is the commitment that specifically refers to legislation. Strong and effective accessibility legislation would, however, go a long way toward addressing issues related to all ten of the Minister's commitments.
But this is only a discussion document. The Province has said that consultations are required before it can make a decision to proceed. Unfortunately, detailed information is not currently available on the timelines for consultations or how consultations will be carried out.
Over next short while, Barrier-Free Manitoba will be reviewing the discussion document and seeking details on the consultation process. Then we will be posting further information.
In the interim, here are the links to the:
Press Release: http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/press/top/2009/06/2009-06-04-122700-6038.html
The Discussion Document: http://www.gov.mb.ca/dio/pdf/opening_doors.pdf (you can also download the document from the Disability Issues Office web site: http://www.gov.mb.ca/dio)
On May 26th, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba (CCPA), in collaboration with Make Poverty History Manitoba and many other organizations released The View From Here: Manitobans call for a poverty reduction plan. The report is based on the ideas that emerged from consultations and interviews with hundreds of individuals across Manitoba.
The call for accessibility-rights legislation is featured among the report's key recommendations for change:
- Develop and enact strong and effective legislation that requires the progressive removal of existing barriers for persons with disabilities, and prevents the creation of new ones.
The full report (and a summary version) can be downloaded from the CCPA web site:
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/reports/2009/05/reportsstudies2232/?pa=DA794529
David Lepofsky, who led the 12-year campaign for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, inspired participants at the Disability, Health and Wellness Conference with clear ideas on the benefits of accessibility-rights legislation and some suggestions on how to develop this option in Manitoba. To hear his complete presentation, click here.
Commissioner Karen Tamley, City of Chicago, demonstrated the change that can be achieved with the required recognition and support of municipal, state and national governments. Commissioner Tamley's presentation is available here.
March 11, 2010 Joy and celebration are the two primary emotions felt today by many Canadians with disabilities as the Government of Canada ratifies the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) at the United Nations.
February 17, 2010 ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS/LMS) and social networking environment designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind.