Barrier Free Manitoba

Life in a Province Full of Barriers

Material in this section is based on the ODA Brief 1998 Appendix 1

For more than three years representatives of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee reached out to people with disabilities, as well as those close to them, across Ontario, both directly and via community organizations involved with disability issues, to find out what barriers they face, and what impact these barriers have on their lives.

The following provides an abridged listing of the barriers that were identified in the following categories:

• Attitudinal Barriers
• Communication Barriers
• Education Barriers
• Employment Barriers
• Healthcare Barriers
• Housing Barriers
• Product Barriers
• Recreation and Tourism Barriers
• Service Barriers
• Transportation Barriers

Everyone's life is, or will be touched by either having a disability or knowing someone with a disability. As a result, an Ontarians with Disabilities Act benefits not only people who currently have a disability, but their friends, families, coworkers as well as people who will, one day, have a disability.

Attitudinal Barriers

It is the biggest barrier of them all. While it is never written into laws or regulations, it permeates and affects the daily lives of all of us. It affects how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about others. It comes out in the design of buildings and products, as well as job interviews. It is what we think and feel about persons with disabilities.¹
File: AttitudinalBarriers_Ontario.doc

Communication Barriers

There are numerous types of communication barriers encountered in all areas of life. These barriers affect access to public information, opportunities to express oneself and access to essential services such as health, housing, transportation, education and employment. Communication Barriers greatly interfere with the ability of people to participate in life.
File: CommunicationBarriers_Ontario.doc

Education Barriers

People with disabilities often have access to less and inferior education than people without disabilities, because of many types of barriers. The experiences set out here can apply to all levels of educational programming from pre-school to post-secondary programs, and to job training and retraining.
File: EducationBarriers_Ontario.doc

Employment Barriers

Barriers to employment have a profound impact on people with a wide range of disabilities. Many of the barriers reflect the overall lack of awareness and misconception about people with disabilities and their abilities in the employment market. These barriers, whether physical, attitudinal or bureaucratic prevent persons with disabilities from fully participating in the workforce.
File: EmploymentBarriers_Ontario.doc

Healthcare Barriers

There are numerous barriers encountered in the access and delivery of health services. In addition to physical access issues, funding and insurance issues, attitudinal, communication and system issues are prevalent. These barriers have serious implications for the quality of health care that is available to persons with disabilities.
File: HealthCareBarriers_Ontario.doc

Housing Barriers

Many people with disabilities encounter problems finding affordable, accessible housing. Housing is a basic need and people with disabilities face numerous barriers including physical access, communication, funding and attitudinal barriers that significantly impact their lives and the lives of their families.
File: HousingBarriers_Ontario.doc

Product Barriers

Many products, even recently developed products, present physical, technological, and informational barriers to people with disabilities. Custom-adapted products, designed specifically for persons with disabilities, can often add to barriers as they are more expensive and difficult to obtain. Many of the design features that would eliminate barriers for persons with disabilities would provide benefits to the population at large.
File: ProductsBarriers_Ontario.doc

Recreation and Tourism Barriers

The ability to participate in recreational activities and tourism present numerous barriers to persons with disabilities. People face the physical, attitudinal and communications barriers that have been identified in other sections of this document. The consequences of not being able to participate fully in these areas of life take a heavy toll on people with disabilities and their families.
File: TourismRecreationBarriers_Ontario.doc

Service Barriers

• Services Provided by the Private Sector
  People with disabilities who try to use private sector facilities and services encounter numerous barriers. The physical, communication and attitudinal barriers previously described again confront them and interfere with full participation in life.
• Services Provided by the Public Sector and Government
  Barriers are encountered in all areas of the public sector and government services. Once again, people frequently encounter barriers to physical access and communication which significantly affect the services that people receive. Attitudinal barriers are also prominent in accessing government and public services.
• File: ServicesBarriers_Ontario.doc

Transportation Barriers

Transportation is an integral part of almost every activity from attending school to travelling to and from work or joining friends for a social evening. People with disabilities face numerous and substantial barriers to transportation which affect all aspects of their lives. Barriers exist in the regular public transportation systems within and between cities, and in the paratransit systems. In addition to the many physical, communication and attitudinal barriers listed in other sections, numerous barriers are unique to transportation systems
File: TransportationBarriers_Ontario.doc