The issuing of the survey is one of the requirements put forth in the province’s Accessible Saskatchewan Act, which took hold in December — its purpose is “to remove and prevent accessibility barriers that persons with disabilities experience.”
The Act also calls for the establishment of a provincial roll-out plan, the creation of an Accessibility advisory committee, the forming of an accessibility office to enforce compliance with the Act and the issuing of annual reports on the implementation of the legislation.
According to an April 15 news release, the survey’s results will help inform the province’s accessibility plan.
“I encourage all interested members of the public to provide their accessibility experiences when accessing Government of Saskatchewan services," said Gene Makowsky, Saskatchewan social services minister, in a statement. "We are seeking diverse perspectives to guide our work to develop government's accessibility plan.”
The survey “covers various potential accessibility barriers, such as physical access to buildings and user experience of online services,” states the release. Based on multiple-choice answers, the survey touches on four types of barriers: physical, information and communication, technology, and attitude.
Questions include:
- Have accessibility barriers impacted your use of [provincial government] facilities, programs and services in the last year?
- What accessibility barriers do you experience?
- Which of the following disability types best describe your lived experience?
The survey can be accessed between April 15 and May 10.
In late 2023, Saskatchewan, in partnership with numerous community organizations, declared October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.
According to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, 22 per cent of the province’s population aged 15 to 74 reported in 2023 as having some form of disability. In 2022, 61 per cent of human rights complaints “formalized” by the commission “related to the prohibited ground of disability.”
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