The Information and Communications Standards under the AODA and the Information and Communication Standard under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act both require organizations to make information and communication accessible to citizens with disabilities. Moreover, both standards require many of the same processes and practices to ensure accessibility. However, there are many important differences between the standards. The third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government should coordinate with other provinces and the federal government to ensure that accessibility laws are consistent across Canada. Therefore, requirements in the AODA may one day change to align with mandates under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act. In this article, we will explore Manitoba’s requirement for accessible information and communication policies.
Accessible Information and Communication Policies
Under the accessible Information and Communication Standard of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, organizations must create and implement policies, practices, and measures for accessible communication. Moreover, public-sector organizations, and large private-sector organizations, must document these policies, practices, and measures in writing. Furthermore, these organizations must make their written policies, practices, and measures available to the public.
The Standard does not outline or provide examples of a policy, practice, or measure for accessible communication. However, this requirement is similar to the mandate for accessible customer service policies in Ontario and Manitoba’s customer service standards. Both these provincial mandates require organizations to have policies outlining how they will:
- Identify, remove, and prevent barriers that limit customers’ access to goods and services
- Respect customers with disabilities’ rights of equal opportunity to access goods and services
For example, policies in Ontario operate under the principles of:
- Dignity and independence
- Integration
- Equal opportunity
Similarly, policies in Manitoba must respect customers’ rights to accommodation under the Human Rights Code.
Organizations creating and implementing accessible information and communication policies, practices, and measures in Manitoba may follow similar guidelines. For example, a policy could describe an organizational commitment to identify, remove, and prevent information and communication barriers. In addition, organizations could also establish practices and measures for providing information using accessible formats or communication supports. Establishing these practices proactively would help organizations provide people with disabilities improved access to information.
Ontario may one day develop similar requirements for accessible information and communication policies, to align with Manitoba’s accessibility law. In contrast, both provinces could work together to create clearer, more comprehensive accessibility for both provinces. Alternatively, other provincial or federal jurisdictions may work together to develop consistent requirements for accessible information and communication policies across Canada.