Barrier Free Manitoba

The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) requires that the Minister table an annual report on the activities completed in the previous year to implement the Act. S/he must do this within 6 months after the end of each fiscal year.

Minister Scott Fielding, Minister of Families and also the minister responsible for the Act, tabled the report (dated March 31, 2016) for 2015-16 in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, October 19th. This is the first annual tabling of this report.

We have included the entire text in the body of the report below. We also invite you to download a copy of the report (Word / PDF).

Minister’s Annual Report with Respect to
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA):

March 31, 2016

The following report summarizes the actions taken to meet the commitments made in the 2015-16 Minister’s Annual Plan with respect to the AMA.

Strategic Priority 1: Development and Implementation of Standards, including Consultation

Commitments:
• Establish Customer Service Accessibility Standard as a regulation in 2015. 
• Create and share an Employment Accessibility Standard discussion paper that will serve as the basis for public consultations by March 31, 2016.

Achievements to Date:
a. Accessibility Standard in Customer Service:
Cabinet established the standard as a Regulation effective November 1, 2015.
The Government of Manitoba must comply by November 2016, public sector organizations by November 2017, and private and non-profit organizations by November 2018.

b. Accessibility Standard in Employment:
• The Accessibility Advisory Council (council) created an Accessible Employment Standard Development Committee (committee) to guide standard development. Members represent AAC and affected stakeholder groups.
• The council developed a seed document and the Terms of Reference for this committee, approved by the Minister.
• After eight meetings, the committee completed its task and submitted its report and initial recommendations for an accessible employment standard to the council.
• The council made minor edits to the proposed standard for inclusion in a discussion paper on a proposed accessible employment standard.

Strategic Priority 2:  Government Leadership

Commitments:
• Work with Government of Manitoba Disability Access Coordinators (DACs) to improve departmental service delivery and training tools to reduce accessibility barriers.
• Work with public sector bodies to integrate accessibility into all publicly funded institutions with the introduction of Accessibility Plans.

Achievements to Date:
• The Civil Service Commission (CSC) led the effort to develop the Manitoba Government Accessibility Plan (MGAP). It identified a project coordinator and attained agreement on the process from the Commissioner, Treasury Board Secretary and Clerk of the Executive Council.
• CSC developed a preliminary work plan to create MGAP by December 2016. With the DIO, it presented the plan to Deputy Ministers in January 2016, and surveyed departments to identify their priorities.
• Many government departments engaged their Disability Access Coordinators to ensure departmental plans are complementary to MGAP and focus on policies and actions that are department specific.
• In August 2015, the Government created a regulation that identifies the larger public sector organizations that must create an Accessibility Plan by 2016, and the others which have a deadline of 2017.
• Manitoba post-secondary institutions created a cross-institution working group to develop shared accessibility tools, building on plans and resources developed by their counterparts in Ontario.
• The Association of Manitoba Municipalities and the Manitoba School Board Association assisted the DIO in reaching all municipalities and school divisions with training. All Crown Corporations and Regional Health Authorities attended training.
• A small reference group of public sector organizations was created to help the DIO determine priorities for the creation of resource tools to support accessibility planning.

Strategic Priority 3: Resource Development

• Launch a guide on how to create Accessibility Plans.
• Complement the guide with templates, resources and other tools.
• Expand the DIO’s web presence to facilitate access to information about the AMA.

Achievements to Date:
• In June 2015, the DIO published the Accessibility Plan Guide for Public Sector Organizations (the Guide) in English and French to assist government departments and public sector organizations to create their plans.
• The Guide was complemented by a glossary of disability terms, examples of accessibility barriers and solutions, a directory of disability resources and contacts, a disability accommodations checklist, and a sample Accessibility Plan.
• Also in June, the DIO launched a new website (English and French), www.AccessibilityMB.ca and www.AccessibiliteMB.ca, to offer a central repository of information, guides and templates for affected organizations.
• In October 2015, the DIO created a brochure, Introducing Manitoba’s Accessibility Standard for Customer Service.

Strategic Priority 4: Training

Commitments:
• Collaborate with community partners during Manitoba Access Awareness Week to organize a disability awareness training event targeting public sector organizations.

Achievements to Date:
• Four DIO policy analysts and the executive director all regularly gave presentations on the AMA.
• The DIO trained all public sector organizations that must create an Accessibility Plan in 2016 and contacted the others with a 2017 deadline. See Attachment 1.
• The DIO organized a day-long training event on June 3, 2015, for approximately 200 representatives of public sector organizations. The goal was to familiarize participants with the AMA, accessibility barriers and to provide an overview of how to create an Accessibility Plan. The DIO invited prominent disability organizations to make public sector organizations aware of local resources.
• Since fall 2015, the DIO has offered half-day workshops once or twice a month for organizations that must create an Accessibility Plan, focusing on those with a 2016 deadline. Special training for Government of Manitoba took place in November 2015 and was repeated in March 2016.
• Training on the Customer Service Standard was integrated into training on How to Create an Accessibility Plan targeting public sector organizations.
• The DIO worked with the CSC and the Organizations for Staff Development (OSD) to create an on-line training on customer service for all government staff.
• The DIO offered its first Government of Manitoba webinar on the AMA. Over sixty individuals registered.
• The DIO responded to numerous invitations in and outside Winnipeg for on-site presentations to senior management of affected organizations, and training for groups of ten or more.
• The World Trade Centre, Winnipeg, invited the DIO to deliver two webinar presentations on the AMA to private and not-for-profit sectors in English and French.
• The DIO organized additional training across public sectors to create awareness and networking among organizations with libraries and archives, and specialists in web technology.
• Barrier-Free Manitoba invited the DIO to participate in planning and presenting a training event for disability organizations and agencies interested in acting as consultants to organizations that must comply with the AMA in Fall 2016.

Strategic Priority 5: Public Awareness

Commitments:
• Approach potential partners in the public and private sectors to explore joint efforts at a broader public awareness campaign about the AMA

Achievements to Date:
• In July 2015, the DIO initiated a six-month social media pilot project with CSM, with the goal of attaining DIO Facebook and Twitter accounts. The DIO provides CSM with regular messaging for the Government of Manitoba’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, flagged under the hashtag #AccessibleMB.
• The DIO regularly offered public presentations, including to the Manitoba Restaurants and Food Services, Brandon Chamber of Commerce among others, Manitoba’s school divisions, universities and colleges.
• The DIO placed articles in regional newsletters, and the AMA was recently featured in the University of Manitoba’s alumni magazine.
• On December 9 and 10, 2015, special guest Ms. Judith Heumann of the U.S. Department of State helped the DIO celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Human Rights Day with presentations on The Americans with Disabilities Act: Lessons Learned (December 9) and the history of the disability rights movement with a focus on the US context (December 10).
• The DIO partnered with other organizations to expand its reach with the events listed above. Partners included the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities, the US Consulate Winnipeg, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. This helped DIO reach a variety of media, including Global Television, CJOB, Free Press and CBC. Ms. Heumann also spoke briefly at the December 10 Jets Game, where she pulled the ticket at the 50:50 draw.
• The DIO created a promotional plastic magnifier and a reusable bag to give away at training events and conferences. These advertise our AMA resource websites, www.AccessibilityMB.ca and www.AccessibiliteMB.ca (French).
• The DIO pursed partnerships with Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, The United Way and The Forks North-Portage Partnership are other potential partners.

Strategic Priority 6: Development of Compliance Measures

Commitments:
• Undertake an environmental scan of existing provincial inspection and enforcement regimes to determine how these can assist in ensuring compliance with the AMA

Achievements to Date:
• The DIO completed the environmental scan of existing provincial inspection and enforcement regimes to determine how these can assist in ensuring compliance with the AMA. Further analysis of the possibilities is required.