MLC 2018

The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) became law in December 2013 and a truly inclusive Manitoba means we must achieve significant progress by 2023. The Accessibility Standard for Customer Service was the first of five standards of the Act and it required that public sector organizations be compliant by November 1, 2017.

How did your library fare?

Join your colleagues from the Manitoba library community to explore and learn more about steps you can take to ensure your library and the services you provide move from basic compliance to full engagement for all library patrons.

Participants will gain a better understanding of the Act and the Standards and, specifically, the impact it has on libraries, information professionals, library staff and clients. Participants will learn firsthand what people with disabilities experience and the challenges they face when visiting the library. Panelist speakers will share information on accessibility initiatives and resources. A world café activity will offer you plenty of opportunity to discuss your concerns and learn from peers and colleagues. This day will offer you many opportunities to network and share stories and information with others from around Manitoba.

SCHEDULE:

9:00 am - Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:15 am - Manitoba’s New Accessibility Law & the Impact on Libraries 

• Speaker:  Yutta Fricke, Executive Director, Disabilities Issues Office (Province of Manitoba)
• Description: This talk will provide an overview of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) and the five accompanying standards.  Yutta Fricke will discuss the first of five standards, the Customer Service Standard, as well as what to expect as we prepare for the release of the second  standard.

10:15 am - Break

10:30 am - Breaking Down Barriers: Social Media and Digitized Material Accessibility 

• Speaker: Lisa Snider, Senior Consultant and Trainer, Access Changes Everything (http://www.accesschangeseverything.com/)
• This session will focus on basic concepts and tips on how to make social media content, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube video, text, linked content and images more accessible for everyone, including people with different disabilities. The information presented in this session will help with some of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) Standards.

12:00 pm - Lunch (provided)

1:00 pm - World Café

• World Cafés support collaborative dialogue and conversation around the questions that matter to us.  Using this technique, and the power of conversation, we can share our knowledge and learn from each other in an intimate group setting.  This World Café will provide delegates with the opportunity to discuss, with an experienced moderator and in small groups, their experiences on issues around accessibility.

2:15 pm - Break

2:30 pm - Panel Session

Speakers:

• Sabina Iseli-Otto, Public Service Librarian, National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS)
  • NNELS produces books in accessible formats and makes them available through all Canadian public libraries to readers with print disabilities. Sabina Iseli-Otto will discuss what the value of this model might be for other work related to accessibility. Also, though NNELS is a provincially-funded service, they had the pleasure this past spring of working with a million-dollar federal grant to improve the availability of alternate formats. Over the course of that project, NNELS was able to have thought-provoking conversations with consumer groups, publishers, and book editors and Sabina will share some of those conversational highlights with you.

• Michael Ciccone, Executive Director, Centre for Equitable Library Access / Centre d’accès équitable aux bibliothèques
  • The Centre for Equitable Library Access is a non-profit organization that works with public libraries to provide accessible materials to Canadians with print disabilities along with support for member libraries and patrons. It is funded by a number of government and library sources to provide a multitude of support services, and partners with a number of other organizations for production of accessible formats. The annual budget provided to support their efforts exceeds $4 million. Michael will provide a brief history of the organization, discuss partnerships with consumer groups, publishers, producers and international organizations, and reveal what the future holds for the service.

• Jim Hounslow, Instructional Designer, Red River College

• Alan Bridgeman
  • Alan Bridgeman is a final year Computer Science student at the University of Manitoba. He is very active in the accessibility movement including holding positions with the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities (MLPD), National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) and many others. Alan has a particular interest when it comes to making books and libraries accessible having worked as a Technical Assistant for the National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS).

• Fred Dugdale
  • Fred Dugdale joins the panel and brings a unique perspective of dealing with the cognitive challenges resulting from brain damage.

3:50 pm - Closing Remarks