Manitobans Gathered to Kick off the Public Awareness Campaign Disability Matters Vote

Disability Matters Vote (DMVote) mobilizes a movement once more as the province prepares for the Manitoba General Election. DMVote announced priority disability problems at a launch event at The Forks. DMVote is a non-partisan public awareness campaign launched by Abilities Manitoba and Barrier Free Manitoba. 

The DMVote campaign garnered the support of over a thousand Manitobans in July 2019, giving the message that they have enough numbers to impact the outcome of the provincial election. DMVote relies on volunteers, self-advocates, spokespeople, and the public to raise awareness of the injustices that persons with disabilities face daily. 

Journalist Zuher Almusre spoke with David Kroon, Disability Matters Vote spokesperson, to get more details about this campaign. Kroon said that one in five Manitobans have a disability, which means 234 thousand people are affected by some disability. 

"The community is rallying to launch Disability Matters Vote 2023 provincial election. What we want is to engage the politicians and the candidates and make disability matters part of the political landscape and bring our issues to the forefront and really make sure that we understand where we are respected and that we affect change." 

Representatives from each major party were present at the launch of the campaign. DMVote aims to achieve three goals. First, ensure all Manitobans with disabilities can participate fully in election activities. Second, raise awareness of disability issues identified by their stakeholders, and support Manitobans to make informed voting decisions. 

The campaign represents all Manitobans who live with a disability, their family and friends, support workers, and everyone who works in Manitoba's disability sector. 

Stay tuned for more Civic discussions on Civic Platform: https://u-channel.ca/civic-journalism/ 

Contact Zuher Almusre, our civic journalist, to share your story and explore civic issues at zuheralmusre@u-channel.ca. 

The project is funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).