Barrier Free Manitoba

People with disabilities often can't do activities that most of us take for granted. It’s not because they don’t want to. It’s because they can’t. That’s because barriers stop them.

The barriers faced by Manitobans with disabilities are multifaceted, including

• architectural
• physical
• communication
• attitudinal
• technological and
• organizational

Many of the barriers were put in place decades ago and are part of our sad and uninformed history with disabilities. Most recent barriers have been put in place because no one thought about the need to prevent them. And what might seem to be minor annoyances in daily life can, for people with disabilities, prevent them from fully and equitably participating in employment, education, job training, communications, housing, public and private transportation, health care and social services.

No one would suggest that these barriers benefit society. Barriers come at an enormous cost – to persons with disabilities, to their families and friends, to their communities, to the public and to the overall economy. Unfortunately, new barriers keep coming up in Manitoba.

The barriers faced by persons with disabilities are also faced by other Manitobans. So removing them will also provide significant benefits to many others.