Saskatchewan accessibility legislation aims to remove barriers in the province

The government of Saskatchewan introduced legislation that aims to remove accessibility barriers across the province.

The Accessible Saskatchewan Act came into force on Sunday, creating a framework that will get other public sector bodies to create accessibility plans, and an accessibility advisory committee will be created to advise the province’s social services minister and monitor plans.

“Nearly one-quarter of Saskatchewan residents experience disabilities, and this number is expected to rise as the population ages. This is why it is important to identify barriers to accessibility and plan for ways to overcome those barriers,” Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said.

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Public sector bodies will need to create accessibility plans and make them public by Dec. 3, 2025.

“We recognize the government of Saskatchewan has made huge efforts to create a more inclusive province by passing accessibility legislation and recognizing American Sign Language as the language of the Deaf in Saskatchewan,” Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services executive director Narin Gillies said.

“We know the best way to reduce or eliminate the impact of disability is to provide access to full rich language.”

Makowsky said the province will be engaging the public on what current accessibility barriers people may be facing when accessing government buildings and services.

The province said it received more than 150 applications for the first accessibility advisory committee, adding that the committee will have at least half of its members be someone with a disability or from an organization that represents and supports people with disabilities.

The Ministry of Social Services clarified some information regarding the act, saying that public sector bodies include government-funded agencies, Crown corporations, school divisions, post-secondary institutions, education institutions and municipalities with more than 10,000 people.

Nicole Musey, a preschool teacher at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing preschool in Saskatoon who is deaf, said it was a huge accomplishment to have their language recognized on the provincial level.

“And now we can focus on the provincial level, like education, buildings, transportation,” Musey said.

She said this opens the door to more post-secondary education.

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Musey explained that some people who are deaf and hard of hearing can speak, but noted that varies from person to person.

She said there can be this feeling of being left out and missing parts of conversations, but said this increased access to American Sign Language can help people learn at a fast pace and make them more independent.

Musey related it to her own work, saying she teaches both English and American Sign Language and emphasized that having language is incredibly important.

“How do you identify yourself without language? So with language you can develop confidence, and with that confidence you can eventually go to college and do a variety of things.”

Robyn Holmes, an early child service provider who works for Saskatchewan Deaf & Hard Of Hearing Services, said this recognition on the provincial level will remove some of the barriers when it comes to finding jobs.

“It just provides opportunity for the deaf and hard of hearing individuals or individuals who experience hearing loss, and then they’ll have job access,” Holmes said.

She said people who are deaf or hard of hearing struggle to find work, but said having access to American Sign Language can give them more opportunities.

Holmes said this will help build relationships with other organizations around the province.

“We’re a very small group and we look forward to those partnerships.”

She said this will create options and they won’t have to work alone.