September 1, 2010
Location: Victoria Inn, 1808 Wellington Ave. - Winnipeg
Independence YOUR WAY – builds on the momentum from the last two conferences, providing an opportunity to all persons with disabilities, including those who are aging into a disability, to come together and have their voices heard.
Download the registration package in full or print the registration page alone.
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August 31, 2010
 SMD Foundation/ Easter Seals Manitoba in the 6th annual Easter Seals Drop Zone.
All rappellers had to generate a minimum of $1,500 in pledges to
participate in this adventure of a lifetime while challenging their
daily comfort zone for a great cause!
Over $136,000 was raised for this year’s Drop Zone in Manitoba, which
was a 28% increase from last year’s totals! All proceeds raised stay
here in Manitoba to support SMD’s programs and services that reach over
40,000 children, youth and adults with disabilities per year.
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August 16, 2010
The July/August Disability Resource Digest is now online - and this month's is a very special edition.
This issue celebrates the 20th anniversary of the signing of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and highlights numerous stories
drawing attention to the important event.
Among the articles is a profile about championing disability in a
digital age, a collection of multimedia materials pulled from the vault
that document the signing, remarks from President Barack Obama on the
state of disabilities and many more.
The DRD also includes non-ADA related pieces on employment, education,
government, technology and much more. Particularly interesting is a
piece questioning whether Manitoba can afford to not be a fully
accessible province, a profile on Obama's order to increase the number
of jobs for Americans with disabilities and a news item on Canadian top
soldier Walter Natynczyk's criticism of young disabled soldier's
spending of compensation.
It also includes an interesting US study on joint replacement and
regeneration using stem cells and a human interest piece on a
California-based on-campus not-for-profit Baskin Robins outlet that
hires students with disabilities to provide life skills.
Read all these and many more in this month's DRD - online, PDF or Word.
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August 2, 2010
More than 100 brave and dedicated superheroes from Manitoba businesses,
media and the surrounding community will scale 17 storeys down the side
of the Royal Bank Building (220 Portage Ave) on August 19th, 2010 for
the 6th Annual Easter Seals™ Drop Zone.
All rappellers have generated a minimum of $1,500 in pledges to
participate in this adventure of a lifetime while taking a leap outside
of their comfort zone.
The event raised more than $107,500 last year in Manitoba - and this
year's is expected to raise more than $130,000. All proceeds raised stay
here in Manitoba to support SMD’s programs and services that reach over
40,000 children, youth and adults with disabilities per year. Since
2004, more than 2,500 “Superheroes” have joined this exclusive club for
Easter Seals™, collecting over $3 million dollars across Canada.
There are all kinds of droppers, including first-time participants
Claude Labossiere and Miranda Dorno, who will make their first leap when
they recite their wedding vows on top of the RBC Building on event day.
Members of the public are welcome to watch the event all day!
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June 18, 2010
June's Disability Resource Digest is now available - and this month
draws special attention to accessibility issues in our own province.
Right up front, the digest profiles four Manitoba-made stories that
focus on the ongoing fight to break down barriers and ensure long-term
accessibility for Manitobans with disabilities.
The Digest also features its regular profiles on worldwide
accessibility, education, employment and other issues faced by the
disability community.
Download your copy today or view it online.
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June 17, 2010
Manitoba is one step closer towards across-the-board accessibility with
the introduction of plans to create a series of "visitable" homes in
one of Winnipeg's most desirable new neighbourhoods.
The
MMM Group took plans to build 670 fully accessible homes before the
Riel Community Committee earlier this week and earned the praise of the
Canadian Centre on Disability Studies.
The homes - arguably a big step in the long journey towards ensuring
all of Manitoba is fully accessible - have wide doorways, washrooms on
the main floor and a front approach without steps.
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June 17, 2010
Two Winnipeggers have taken the disability community's fight for end-of-life rights to Ottawa and are pushing for more careful and humane disability-rights legislation across the board.
Jim
Derksen and Rhonda Wiebe, Winnipeg members of the Council of Canadians
with Disabilities, appeared in front of a Parliamentary committee
earlier this week and pleaded that giving Manitoba doctors the power to
disconnect a patient's life support discriminates against disabled
people who may not meet the minimum legal standards to be assistively
kept alive.
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June 17, 2010
Barrier-Free Manitoba continues its push for widespread accessibility and disability rights legislation.
The grassroots advocacy group has released a second report prepared by
Baker Law, the Toronto-based legal firm nationally recognized as a
leader in disability and human rights law and is heralding the progress
made so far on the way to a more accessible province.
The latest report looks at
whether it is better to use a centralized or dispersed approach to
develop, monitor and enforce accessibility standards. It also includes
key findings from the Beer report, which provides an independent review
of the Ontario law that requires the province be fully accessible
within 20 years.
Download the latest Baker-Law report
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June 4, 2010
As Barrier-Free Manitoba works to break down systemic barriers locally, Winnipeg teen Sam Unrau is taking the issue of accessibility and human rights to a larger forum.
Unrau recently won a contest by federal backbencher and Manitoba MP Pat Martin to have a bill introduced into the House of Commons and is prompting the federal government to order an accessibility audit of transportation like planes and trains.
Read more about the bill and Unrau's story in a Winnipeg Free Press feature on the teen.
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June 4, 2010
The Province of Ontario has released a final version of the Charles
Beer Independent Review on the implementation of the Accessibility for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
The report is based on a comprehensive review required under the AODA.
Its recommendations provide the basis to ensure Ontario is fully
accessible by 2025.
Barrier-Free Manitoba is calling for similar legislation in Manitoba,
which will build on the strengths of models already in place in other
jurisdictions.
Barrier-Free says the Beer Report provides an
important piece of research to support the development of
made-in-Manitoba legislation that is required to make Manitoba a leader
in the protection and enforcement of the human rights of persons with
disabilities.
Read the full report online.
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