The provincial government released what it called a starting point in making New Brunswick more inclusive.

Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours announced the province’s first five-year strategic plan on accessibility Thursday.

Last year, New Brunswick established the Accessibility Act, setting clear rules to make the province more accessible.

“That legislation aims to identify, remove, and prevent barriers so that everyone can participate fully where they live, work, learn and play,” D’Amours said.

The minister said the release of the strategy represents a launching point for progress that’s anticipated over the next few years.

“This plan will be our roadmap,” D’Amours said. “It will be the first of many measures that we will undertake to make sure that New Brunswick is more inclusive for all.”

D’Amours said the strategy lays out a plan for how government will work with New Brunswickers who deal with barriers in their everyday life, as well as other sectors to achieve the goal of a more accessible New Brunswick by 2040.

Part of the work will be working with the province’s accessibility advisory board.

Haley Flaro, the chair of that board, said New Brunswick has the second-highest rate of disability in Canada, with 35.3 per cent of the province’s population living with some form of disability.

“That data does not capture those living in long-term care facilities or living in our First Nation communities,” Flaro said. “So we know the number is much higher.”

Flaro said even with advances in human rights, inclusion, medical care and rehabilitation, there’s no guarantee in New Brunswick that people with a disability will have good health or a good quality of life.

“Many face barriers due to poverty, a shortage of home support workers, lack of access to physical activities, poor employment prospects and difficulty accessing post-secondary education,” she said.

Flaro said the lack of accessible housing, accessible transportation as well as inaccessible buildings and communities compound those problems.

“As the daughter of a woman who lived her life with a disability, this plan is public and personal,” she said.

“It gives me hope that no other family will have difficulty accessing the services and support they need when they need it,” Flaro said. “It gives me hope that the stigmatization of those with a disability will end.

“Accessibility is a right, not a privilege.”