Barrier Free Manitoba

The Accessibility Advisory Council (AAC) has just released the "Discussion Paper on a Proposed Accessibility Standard for Employment" (Word / PDF). This discussion paper sets out the AAC's proposal for an accessibility standard to address the myriad of barriers to equitable employment opportunities and outcomes faced by Manitobans with disabilities.

This is the second of five accessibility standards that will be developed under The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA). The first of the standards, the Customer Service Standard, came into force in November 2015.

As required under the AMA, the discussion paper has been released to invite and secure comment and feedback from stakeholder groups and the general public on the proposed standard. The discussion paper suggests the following questions:

• Does the standard provide clear direction on how to remove employment barriers?
• Is the standard too broad?
• Is the standard too narrow?
• Are there items missing from the standard?
• Is the standard achievable?
• Will the standard make a difference?

February 15, 2017 as been set at the deadline for public comment on the proposed standards. Based on the feedback received, the AAC will be submiting recommendations for changes and improvements in a report to Minister Scott Fielding by March 31, 2017.

The AAC has also scheduled a single date for in-person consultations on the proposed standard to be held in Winnipeg on January 18, 2017.

   Wednesday, January 18, 2017
   1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
   Main Floor, Royal ABC Ballroom
   Viscount Gort Hotel
   1670 Portage Avenue
   Winnipeg MB R3J 0C9 

You can attend the session in person or participate virtually via webcast. Registration information is available at: http://www.accessibilitymb.ca/index.html

As we have done consistently in the past, Barrier-Free Manitoba (BFM) will be supporting the participation of Manitoba's diverse disability communities in the consultation process. This will include sharing a preiminary brief that reviews the proposed standard's strengths and weaknesses, and identifies key areas where it needs to be strengthened. You can download a copy of BFM's preliminary brief at: http://www.barrierfreemb.com/whatsnew/173/362

Based on community feedback, BFM will prepare a final brief that we will submit to the AAC by the February 15, 2017 deadline.

We will be posting updates on developments related to the proposed employment standard on our web site and social media channels (FaceBook and Twitter).