This document is available in print and alternate formats upon request. Please contact CitizenSupport and if creating a ticket, please use the category “accessibility” 

Download the Accessibility Plan 2018-2022

This document is available in print and alternate formats upon request. 

Download the Accessibility Plan 2016-2018

PART 1 BASELINE REPORT

A. OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

As a municipal government the City of Selkirk provides a wide range of municipal programs and services as well as public facilities. In general these include:

• Recreation and cultural facilities, activities and programs
• Transportation, streets and sidewalks infrastructure
• Sewer and water utilities infrastructure
• Legislative governance
• Front counter and online customer service

These programs and services are located at a variety of buildings and public facilities.

B. ACCESSIBILITY ACHIEVEMENTS

Preliminary findings include:

Public Facilities

• Municipal Civic Office existing building accessibility, includes automatic door access, street access to building which has a gradient slope to the street, an adjacent parking lot for ease of access; wheelchair access to washrooms, light switches at lower height, wide halls, wide office doors, Council Chambers at ground level.
• Culture Recreation and Green Transportation existing building accessibility includes automatic door access, wheelchair access to the building, light switches at lower height, wide halls, wide office doors.
• Recreation complex has wheelchair access to the ground level of the complex; the banquet hall has access on ground level, and the main entrance has ramps into the main lobby and concourse level.
• Curling Rink, Selkirk Arena and Memorial Hall have ramp access into buildings.
• Gaynor Family Regional Library open in 2014 had accessibility features incorporated in the construction design.
• The City’s Sidewalk Replacement Schedule ensures wheelchair accessibility with each repair or new installation.
• The City constructs all new sidewalks to be wheelchair accessible.
• New Fire hall construction design to incorporate accessibility features into the building.

Services

• Public transportation includes a paratransit bus service.
• Local taxi service provides handivan service.
• Municipal Elections held in accessible locations in 2014.
• Specific crosswalks have audible notice for pedestrians.
• Community information Blue Book is accessible on line and hard copies available in various public locations.
• City website is currently being re-designed and as it is being developed we research and strive to include accessibility features. Working towards website and content to conform with WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), which syncs with Canada Standard on Web Accessibility.
• Incorporating detectable warning strips in high traffic areas of new sidewalk installs.
• Vehicle Parking with disability vehicle identification on streets is at double time for any time restriction on street locations, ie 1, 2 & 3 hour time to 2, 4, & 6 hours.

Legislative Governance

• Council email addresses are accessible via the website.
• Council adopted Recreation Master Strategy 2016 which includes accessibility.
• Public Events – Public Hearings, Council meetings held at Municipal Civic Office which is accessible.
• Public Consultation events held at accessible locations.

C. ACCESSIBILITY BARRIERS

• Staff awareness and training to recognize and respond to an accessibility barrier.
• Assessment of programs, services and public facilities to determine barriers that prevent customers receiving service.
• Front reception desks design not accessible for wheelchairs.Operations Department front entrance design.
• Alternative communication tools to accommodate those attending meetings; and accessing our website who may have accessibility issues.

PART 2 ACCESSIBILITY PLAN

A. STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT

The City of Selkirk will strive to provide equitable treatment and benefits of City services, programs and facilities in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities, including physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which may hinder their participation.

B. POLICIES

The City of Selkirk to review its existing programs and services; public facilities and new initiatives with the goal to remove or prevent accessibility barriers.

City of Selkirk will make information available in an accessible format or provide communication supports to people with disabilities in a way that considers their disability.

C. ACTIONS

Short Term – to Nov 2017
Long Term –  after Nov 2017

ACTION	STATUS
Establish the City of Selkirk Accessibility Team	Short Term
Establish an Accessibility Working Group – comprised of City of Selkirk staff	Complete
Develop the Terms of Reference for the administration led committee made up of key stakeholders to oversee the Plan	Draft Version to be approved
Develop Accessibility Plan for sign off by Senior Management
Forward copy of Accessibility Plan to the Province
Post Accessibility Plan on City website
Understand what barriers prevent accessible customer service
Train and develop awareness of current and future staff related to barriers and solutions; and an understanding to effectively comply with The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) regulations for customer service and The Human Rights Code (Manitoba) on how to serve people disabled by barriers in the areas of:	Short Term and Ongoing
ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS – may result in people with disabilities being treated differently than people without disabilities (e.g., talking to an individual’s support person assuming the individual with a disability will not be able to understand; assuming a person who has a speech impairment or speaks a different language cannot understand you; thinking a person with an intellectual or mental health disability cannot make decisions, etc.). INFORMATIONAL AND COMMUNICATION BARRIERS – arise when a person with a disability cannot easily receive and /or understand information available to others (e.g., print is too small to  be read by a person with impaired vision; public address systems alert only people who can hear, etc.). TECHNOLOGICAL BARRIERS – occur when technology, or the way it is used, is not accessible (e.g., websites not accessible to people who are blind and use screen reader software; accepting only online registration forms for programs, etc.). SYSTEMIC BARRIERS – are policies, practices or procedures that result in some people receiving unequal access or being excluded (e.g., not considering the needs of persons with disabilities at the event planning stage; not being aware of policies that support accessibility, etc.). PHYSICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS – in the environment prevent physical access for people with disabilities (e.g ., a door knob cannot be turned by a person with limited mobility or strength; aisles are narrowed by displays or equipment making them impassable by a person using a wheelchair or walker, etc.).
Identify areas that are barriers to accessibility
Initial consultation with Age Friendly Committee, comprised of representatives from stakeholder organizations – Gordon Howard Senior Centre, City of Selkirk Councillor, Selkirk Transit, Kiwanis on the Red Housing, Tudor House Nursing Home, Army, Navy and Air Force, Interlake-Eastman Regional Health Authority, Royal Canadian Legion Selkirk, Selkirk Friendship Centre, citizens at large; and representative from the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities; and staff members within the City of Selkirk departments. Future consultation with stakeholders including persons with disabilities to be part of plan review process.	Initial Consult undertaken
Create an Accessibility Barrier Checklist	Draft Version
Design an effective database to accurately and efficiently collect and input the information on our existing programs, services and public facilities	Long Term
Undertake an analysis for completeness of the data gathered on our existing programs, services and public facilities	Long Term
Include consultation with people with disabilities as part of the Plan review process	Long Term and Ongoing
Implement actions to remove barriers to accessible customer service
Undertake an assessment of existing programs, services and public facilities to determine barriers that prevent customers receiving service	Long Term
Develop tools, policies and practices respecting barrier-free access to comply with the AMA regulations	Short Term and Ongoing
Create a procedure to incorporate accessibility into the internal review processes for Administration when considering changes to existing and providing new programs, services and public facilities	Long Term
Consider formally adopting accessibility design standards (ie City of Winnipeg)	Long Term
Draft a barrier free policy(ies) to be approved to allow people with service animals, communication, assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen tanks, and support persons; barrier free access to goods and services; how the public will be informed when there are temporary barriers to buildings, spaces or services; employee training on how to service people disabled by barriers.	Short Term
Draft procedure how to let customers know about the City’s accessibility policies and procedures, procedure to let customers know when accessible services are not available; invite customers to provide feedback and complaints	Short Term
Explore software and process enhancements that will allow City staff to enhance front line services and communications to the public, subject to annual budget and human resources	Short Term and Ongoing

D. Expected Outcomes

• The City of Selkirk will continue to strive to provide equitable treatment and benefits of City services, programs and facilities in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities, including physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which may hinder their participation.
• Accessibility Plan posted on website and available in alternate formats.
• Current City staff to have received training and the tools to enable staff to readily respond to an accessibility barrier.
• Current City staff are able to recognize accessibility barriers and be empowered by policies to act to remove accessibility barriers.
• An assessment of City programs, services and public facilities will determine barriers that prevent customers receiving service.
• Alternative communication tools will continue to be investigated and used to accommodate those attending meetings; and accessing our website, who may have accessibility issues.
• Software and process enhancements that will allow City staff to enhance front line services and communications to the public, subject to annual budget and human resources.
• A barrier free policy(ies) to be approved to allow people with service animals, communication, assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen tanks, and support persons; barrier free access to goods and services; how the public will be informed when there are temporary barriers to buildings, spaces or services; employee training on how to service people disabled by barriers.
• A database of barriers that prevent customers receiving service of existing programs, services and public facilities will be completed and used in future decision making.
• Tools, policies and practices respecting barrier-free access to comply with the Accessibility of Manitoba Act Regulations.
• A procedure to incorporate accessibility into the internal review processes for Administration when considering changes to existing and providing new programs, services and public facilities.

CONTACT PERSON

EDIE HENRICHSEN,
DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE SERVICES 204-785-4910
[email protected]