The Parkland Chamber of Commerce was among successful applicants as the province announced over $800,000 in funding to 37 organizations to remove barriers and improve accessibility across Manitoba.

The chamber will use the $32,250 awarded to an accessibility audit of all marketing materials and resources, as well as provide educational resources, training workshops and guidance to members on how to make their businesses more accessible.

Turtle River School Division was also successful in its application under the educational institution stream for a project, which includes the development of an accessible website that complies with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standards. The project will also focus on raising awareness and promoting a culture of accessibility within the broader community. This may involve organizing awareness campaigns, hosting workshops or seminars on disability rights and inclusive design and collaborating with advocacy organizations to amplify messaging around digital accessibility.

The division received $7,500.

“Our government is committed to making Manitoba more accessible for everyone, and I’m proud of the many groups across the province who have stepped up to join us in this work,” Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, minister responsible for accessibility, said.

“The Manitoba Accessibility Fund helps to make sure a wide variety of organizations can take on a wide variety of projects to remove barriers and enhance access for the people they serve.”

The Manitoba Accessibility Fund, managed by The Winnipeg Foundation, provides grant funding to help Manitoba organizations remove barriers, create awareness and support compliance with the Accessibility for Manitobans Act and its standards.

Funded projects must fulfill one of three objectives including:

• raising awareness about the prevention and removal of barriers;
• developing tools, resources and training to support compliance with legislated standards; or
• removing barriers to information and communication electronically, in print and in person.

This is the third year the Manitoba government has funded accessibility projects through the Manitoba Accessibility Fund grant program. Since its inception, nearly $2.5 million has been awarded.