September 2018 Edition - Access Press

PONY'S PLIGHT Page 8

Volume 29, Number 9

September 10, 2018

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Incontinence needs no longer at risk; state drops program

PAID

TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 4766

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply.

Willing is not enough; we must do."

Minnesotans with disabilities who rely on incontinence products can continue to choose items that best meet their needs. A controversial medical supply program that was to start September 1 was dropped by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). The decision to drop the Medicaid Preferred Incontinence Products Program was made just before a temporary restraining order was issued against the program August 24.

The Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services and Supplies (MAMES) took DHS and DHS Commissioner Emily Johnson Piper to court to stop the program. MAMES’ intent was to prevent DHS from granting bids to a supplier or suppliers.

A hearing was held before Ramsey County District Court Judge Leonardo Castro August 16 in St. Paul, with more than two dozen people looking on. After listening to both sides and asking a number of procedural and technical questions about the proposed state program, how the program was created and the program’s potential impacts, Castro took the matter under advisement before issuing his ruling.

“DHS decided to pull back the request for proposals before the court acted,” Piper said in a statement.

“We are committed to ensuring that Medicaid enrollees receive high-quality products and that state funds are used responsibly as we comply with the legislative mandate to purchase incontinence products in bulk.”

While there is satisfaction with the outcome, medical supply companies and disability advocates around Minnesota are still unhappy with the entire process. “MAMES members are grateful that the court issued the injunction, but are extremely frustrated that the (Department of Human Services) forced the provider and disability communities to spend so much time, energy and money fighting this ill-conceived program,” said Tom Jamison, president of Lake Superior Medical Equipment, Inc. in Duluth. Jamison chairs the MAMES Legislative Committee.

Castro’s August 24 ruling put a halt to the program until certain conditions were met. Those included asking DHS to amend the provider program rate to be consistent with state rules, and for the state to initiate rule-making procedures to allow for a modified payment rate to product providers.

But the DHS decision puts an end to a controversy that began in 2017. That’s when the Minnesota Legislature made a last-minute INCONTINENCE To page 4

HANDI MEDICAL SUPPLY

by Jane McClure

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

NEWS DIGEST

Shann and Mary Benhardus

Handi Medical is going strong

by Jan Willms Thirty years ago Mary Miller was studying nursing and working as a personal care assistant to Darcy Pohland, a Twin Cities reporter who had broken her neck in a diving accident. When Miller called for medical supplies, she would often have to wait two weeks for delivery. When a wheelchair needed repair, she was told it would be a month-long wait.

Upset at the length of time it took for services and products to be delivered, Miller thought there had to be a better way. “If you think you can do it better, do

it yourself,” her grandfather told her. He loaned her $15,000 to start Handi Medical Supply in Golden Valley.

That business has expanded to 110 employees, a central location at 2505 University Ave. W., St. Paul and a Mankato branch. But the mission to enrich lives is the same one Mary (Miller) Benhardus began with. She and her husband Shann co-own the medical supply company that has endured and prospered over the past three decades.

Handi hasn’t forgotten its roots, as three

HANDI MEDICAL To page 15

Bike lanes curb access Page 4 Deaf clubs' history is book theme Page 2 Loans are available Page 5 There will be happy campers Page 9

Stipend, training incentives part of enhanced rate effort

by Access Press staff As Minnesota continues to struggle with its care crisis, measures are being taken to address the critical need for direct care workers. Efforts are stepping up to implement the enhanced rates for the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) programs. The programs involved are Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Traditional and PCA Choice, along with Consumer-Directed Community Supports (CDCS) and the Consumer Support Grant (CSG).

One piece of the enhanced rates, which have been in the works for several years, took effect July 1 for PCA and CGS programs. DHS is still in the process of seeking federal approval for the changes in CDCS and extended PCA on a support waiver.

Enhanced rates are seen as a way of helping people with high-need disabilities to have more highly trained staff and more control over services and supports.

A key focus is on helping people who need a higher level of care, and care for 12 or more hours per day.

Another goal is to help direct support workers, by offering them a training stipend and the ability to move to higher rates. Higher rates are offered for people who have gone through training and who

THANK YOU

Direct support staff and clients have welcomed options under a new state program. have the right academic background.

The $500 stipend is only available to the first 5,000 who apply for it, in PCA Choice, CDCS, and CGS who complete qualifying training. People could apply starting July 1.

The stipend for PCA Choice, PCA Traditional, CGS, and CDCS requires completion of three courses from a menu

Access Press thanks this month's issue sponsor!

of options. One requirement is to learn online about the history of the disability rights movement. Other options include courses in CPR, first aid, occupational health and safety, safe patient handling, independent living, managing the stress and challenge of paid caregiving, oral

EFFORT To page 4

Pg 2

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9

EDITOR’S DESK

Tim Benjamin Summer is moving out fast. Hope you’re enjoying the last few days of warm, sunny weather. They all seem more treasured in September than they did in July. I guess that’s like so many things in life: when they become rare, and we can see their end coming, we treasure them all the more.

Good news came from the Department of Human Services; they announced they would end their Medicaid Preferred Incontinence Product Program just before Ramsey County District Court Judge Leonardo Castro made his ruling to stop the state’s collective bidding and purchasing of incontinence products.

The disability community has been concerned over the past year about how this program would affect the thousands of people who use these products. The suppliers felt it was a bad idea as well. A group of medical goods companies, called Medical Equipment Services and Supplies (MAMES), brought the lawsuit that Judge Castro ruled on. They knew that MPIPP would likely result in only a single supplier that could meet the state’s requirements, and that the supplier would in the end provide a lesser quality and reliability of supplies to the elderly and people with

The Olmstead Plan will help Minnesotans with disabilities have the opportunity to live close to their family and friends, live more independently, engage in productive employment, participate in community life.

disabilities on Medical Assistance.

The federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services and Minnesota’s Department of Human Services saw MPIPP as cost savings, but it would’ve resulted in very limited savings, considering that the total spending on these items represents about 8/100ths of 1 percent of the state budget for health and human services. While all dollar savings can be a good thing, the human cost in this case might have been considerable for these goods that are the most personally essential for DHS clients.

The PCA crisis is still causing problems for anyone who needs homecare workers, including the state’s elderly, a population that will almost double in the next 5 to 10 years. It seems there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, in the broader recognition of this problem, but there’s a long way to go. A lot will depend on our new governor and legislature. It’s going to take a strong governor to support a bill that is large enough to solve this massive crisis in the senior and disability community. No matter which party ends up in power on the hill in St. Paul, if something isn’t done about home care, there is going to be a

"We need your commitment to activism from today, through the election, and until the end of the 2019 Legislative Session."

much larger cost down the road when people are institutionalized, and the institutions are having a hard time finding qualified workers. The isolated stories about people dying from lack of quality care will increase.

One sign of conversation and early planning is DHS starting to survey its clients who receive PCA services. I was interviewed a couple weeks ago and was asked by the interviewer if I thought of my full-time job as my hobby. It offended me, of course, but it also scares me that at least one of the people conducting this study didn’t understand disability and our work in real jobs, making contributions to society and earning income. He seemed to imply that I was working as a volunteer just trying to pass the time, maybe out of boredom with disability. No wonder it’s still the case that only 48 percent of people with disabilities participate in the workforce (versus 79 percent of those without disabilities). We have hobbies, sure, but we also have and want jobs. We need work, not pity or condescension.

One component in home care programs that’s been in the works for several years is increased reimbursement from the state to agencies for their clients with complex care needs (meaning clients who have over 12 hours a day of PCA needs). There is also a provision for a one-time $500 stipend for such caregivers, but it seems to be available only through the SEIU union and only for members. Both components went into effect July 1, but I’ve heard that very few

agencies have tried to get the increased reimbursement rate, possibly because DHS doesn’t yet have all the billing codes set up.

The Olmstead Plan seems to be moving along and I think that is what is pushing a lot of planning for revitalizing home care supports. The Olmstead Plan clearly and simply states that there is “a broad series of key activities our state must accomplish to ensure people with disabilities are living, learning, working, and enjoying life in the most integrated setting. The Plan will help achieve a better Minnesota for all Minnesotans, because it will help Minnesotans with disabilities have the opportunity, both now and in the future to: live close to their family and friends, live more independently, engage in productive employment, participate in community life.”

We need your commitment to activism from today, through the election, and until the end of the 2019 Legislative Session. We need the commitment from your PCAs to get involved in this session. If you have more than 12 hours of PCA care a day, you need to get your PCAs enrolled for the enhanced reimbursement rate. Many of the disability advocacy organizations have already begun starting to talk to key legislators about investing in the PCA care program.

Hope you had a good summer and enjoyed its beauty. Before next month’s issue, we’ll see the trees turn into the beautiful yellows and oranges and reds that make Minnesota so beautiful in the fall. ■

HISTORY NOTE

‘The Last Deaf Club’ provides valuable historical perspective

by Access Press staff Deaf clubs for decades provided crucial points of contact for an otherwise isolated sector of the disability community. People would gather to enjoy social events, meet new friends, learn skills and seek resources and support. But changes over time have forced many of the clubs to close their doors. Additional access to assistive technology, more opportunities to participate in society and less interest in a club setting have hurt some clubs.

Author Raymond Luczak’s new book, The Last Deaf Club in America, is a work of literary fiction that draws on his own life experiences. He is author and editor of 15 books, including prose and poetry.

In 2014 Luczak was in the first group invited to join the Anderson Center’s Deaf Artists Residency Program. Deaf

artists not only discussed their own works but the future of their community and its gathering places.

Luczak is an activist who admits that he may have been born too late, and that he appreciates the clubs’ history. He pointed out that the clubs thrived, and drew on the power of the community to organize against the hearing world and its misunderstanding of their ways.

Ironically the loss of many of the clubs over time is a sign of acceptance as well as a growing awareness of American Sign Language (ASL). Many high schools and universities offer classes in ASL. “As I’ve always written literary fiction, The Last Deaf Club in America isn’t really a new genre for me,” he said.

What is new is drawing on prominent past community figures as ghosts. Deaf club board of trustee members, who are reflecting on their club’s fate, met ghosts

Volume 29, Number 9 Periodicals Imprint: Pending ISSN

Co-Founder/Publisher............................................................................................................Wm. A. Smith, Jr. (1990-96) Co-Founder/Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief.............................................................................. Charles F. Smith (1990-2001) Board of Directors...............................Mohamed Alfash, Stephen Anderson, John Clark, Jane Larson, Julius Williams, .....................................................................................................................................................................Kay Willshire, Mark Zangara Advertising Sales......... Michelle Hegarty, 612-807-1078 Cartoonist......................................................Scott Adams Executive Director.....................................Tim Benjamin Production........................................................ In-Fin Tuan Managing Editor........................................ Jane McClure Distribution............................................ S. C. Distribution Business Manager/Webmaster......... Dawn Frederick EDITORIAL: Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material and advertising do not necessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press.

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from the community past in the novella.

The ghosts discuss the importance of the clubs in their heyday.

Luczak drew on his 30 years’ knowledge of community history to develop four of the ghost characters.

Deaf architect Olof Thompson, who designed St. Paul’s Thompson Hall clubhouse, is one of the ghosts. Another is Mabel Hubbard Bell, the wife of the community’s nemesis Alexander Graham Bell. Pioneering woman pilot Nellie Zabel Willhite and George Veditz, a charismatic activist who defended the community’s right to sign, are other ghosts drawn from history. A fifth is a fictitious character.

Descriptions of the unnamed club that is central to the novella are loosely based on Thompson Hall, a place he has a lot of affection for, although Luczak is quick to note it isn’t the last club of its kind.

Additional details are gleaned from the club stories the author has heard from other community members.

Handtype Press is the book’s publisher.

Handtype Press was founded in 2007 to publish titles of interest to the deaf and signing communities around the world. The publishing firm has produced 12 titles so far. All profits from The Last Deaf Club in America go back to Handtype Press so that its mission can continue for years to come. To learn more about the press and its books, go to handtype.com ■ The History Note is a monthly column sponsored by the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, www. mnddc.org or www.mncdd.org and www. partnersinpolicymaking.com.

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 3

MRCI

CHARLIE SMITH AWARD DETAILS FORTHCOMING ISSUE SPONSOR | MRCI

Sage Elkins enjoys the support she gets from MRCI direct support professionals.

Aaron Clancy provides assistance to a client.

Direct support professionals can change lives

by Lisa Cownie, MRCI Strategic Writer As Laura Elkins watches her two daughters, ages 9 and 7, play in her backyard she doesn’t take it for granted. A few years ago, just letting them outside to play wasn’t really an option. Her oldest daughter, Brynn, is what Laura describes as a “bolter”… she just takes off at every opportunity.

Brynn was diagnosed with autism at 3 ½ years of age. That’s when MRCI, a statewide nonprofit, was there to help Laura and her husband Dustin, navigate through the state system to make improvements to their home.

Improvements designed to keep Brynn safe. When their daughter Sage was born with Down syndrome, Laura knew she needed more help in the home.

“MRCI has been very helpful,” said Laura. “Both of my girls depend on caregivers for their basic needs such as getting dressed, eating, bathing and personal care…things most eight-yearolds can do on their own. It takes the pressure off of me always having to be the caregiver 24/7.”

Laura said that financially, the family could never have hired a caregiver on their own. Through MRCI, she enrolled in the PCA Choice program, benefits that help her hire one staff person at a time to help care for both girls.

“We are able to find who we want and who we think will fit in best with our family,” said Laura. “For example,

we utilize Minnesota State University, Mankato for almost everyone we hire!

Nursing students, special education students, even speech and language majors work great. We look at what hours we’ll need them each week and find people we are comfortable with to come fill the shifts.”

Direct support professionals have been an integral part of girls’ lives for more than five years. These are the individuals the Elkins family trust to care for their needs.

Although they may be referred to in many different ways … as counselors, coaches, specialists … one sentiment truly defines them all: heart and soul.

The technical term, direct support professionals (DSPs), just does not quite convey all they do, or the impact they make on people’s lives.

The definition of a DSP is clear-cut: people who work directly with people with physical disabilities and/or intellectual disabilities with the aim of assisting the individual to become integrated into his/her community.

What this really means is being there to help not only with physical needs, but with soft skills and life skills. The dedication shown by our DSPs to the people we support drives our success and helps fulfill our mission of providing innovative and genuine opportunities for individuals with disabilities at home, at work and in their community.

The recruitment and retention of a

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qualified, competent DSP workforce is key as MRCI pursues its mission of community integration for individuals with disabilities.

Each September, these individuals are honored during Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, a nationally-recognized endeavor. While MRCI tries to show our appreciation year round, this week is a time set aside to honor and thank the DSPs who are working hard every day to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. But they’ll tell you, they are rewarded year round by the clients they care for.

And just as DSPs help us be successful, we in turn want to help them reach their goals as well.

Case in point, Julie Lux. She now serves as strategic relations manager as she has utilized the extensive training and opportunities provided through MRCI to advance her career, but she started with MRCI 11 years ago as a direct support professional.

“The most rewarding part is knowing you were able to help someone stay within their home and receive the care they need. Making the connection with the person served and their family. It

really is a relationship you have for a long time. I still speak with families who were my first visits years ago,” said Lux. Stories like Julie’s are common among DSPs who get into the industry early.

Working in this role can be very rewarding, said MRCI’s Aaron Clancy, who has been a DSP since 2010.

“When I tell people I am a DSP, I often hear, ‘That must take someone with a big heart’,” he said. “But the truth is, it’s the people I support that have the big – bigger-biggest hearts to accept me.

“As a DSP, people think I am making a big impact on the people I support.

Truly though, they are making a bigger impact on me.”

MRCI is proud to be supportive individuals at home, work and in the community. If you know of someone who would love to be inspired by one of MRCI’s clients working as a care provider please contact us at www.mrciworksource.org or call 800.829.7110.

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September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 4

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

by the Minnesota Council on Disability The City of Minneapolis’ Public Works Department recently started installing concrete bike lane barriers that limit access for many residents and visitors with disabilities. The concrete barriers measure about six inches high and are between 18 and 24 inches wide. The concrete barrier separate the bike lane, which is next to the sidewalk curb from the traffic lane, not allowing a vehicle to pull up to the curb and unload a rider with a disability. Many of the vehicles used to transport riders with disabilities have a passenger side ramp or lift. This presents a significant problem for paratransit providers and as well as others who provide rides to seniors and people with disabilities.

Metro Mobility management was questioned on how drivers were going to be able to provide door through door service as required by state law. Metro Mobility management agreed with Minneapolis officials, stating that unloading at existing bus stops, private properties with existing driveways, side streets, and defined loading zones would be adequate. This agreement surprised and disappointed the Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD). It is the opinion of MCD staff that many riders with disabilities will have a very difficult time getting from the pick-up/drop-off location to their destination, especially in the midst of a Minnesota winter.

In addition to a potential problem with paratransit services, many of the concrete barriers allow for parking on the traffic side of the barrier. In these instances, riders/drivers using wheelchairs or scooters

INCONTINENCE From page 1 decision to add the supply program into human services legislation. The change was signed into law without any legislative hearings or public discussions, which angered medical suppliers and disability rights advocates.

Activists argued that having the state control product supplies would limit choice and in turn affect the daily lives of many Minnesotans. One objection raised was that a state supply could be lower-quality products, which would affect peoples’ daily lives and possibly, their health. Another objection is that creating such a program is contrary to the movement toward personcentered care, and for not supporting access to choice.

It was estimated that about 14,000 Minnesotans would have been affected by the change.

EFFORT From page 1 care, basics of grooming and dressing, personal care and direct support professionalism.

For the enhanced rate for workers who help clients eligible for 12 or more PCA hours a day, four courses are required. Another option to qualify is through past education. A current CNA, LPN or RN license or HHA certificate can help a caregiver meet the requirements and take fewer courses.

Workers may qualify for either the five percent wage increase, the $500 stipend or both. . It depends upon whom the direct care worker is proving services for, according to DHS. For the enhanced rate or budget, workers must provide services for a person who is eligible for 12 or more hours of PCA services per day.

For the stipend, workers must provide services for a person who uses PCA Traditional, PCA Choice, CDCS or CSG. Home care workers should ask their provider agencies or fiscal support entities if they qualify.

To register for the stipend and increased rate go to: http://bit.ly/EnhancedPCA

would need to deploy the ramp or lift onto the barrier thereby creating a drop off and a severe safety hazard when exiting the vehicle. The concrete barriers are systematically eliminating accessible parking for people with disabilities. The barriers also pose a risk to people with limited mobility, low vision, walking while texting and many others who must now navigate an extra curb while parking.

It is critical that people with disabilities in Minneapolis who are impacted by the concrete barriers contact MCD and city officials. Right now Minneapolis plans to construct more of these barriers.

It is imperative that guidelines be established for their installation that do not adversely impact the ability of residents to participate in everyday life.

If you live on Penn Avenue North and your Metro Mobility driver has had difficulty in finding an accessible location to pick you up or drop you off, or if you have been unable to find an accessible parking space on Oak Street at the University of Minnesota because of the concrete barriers, please email MCD at council. disability@state.mn.us. Please provide us with your name, contact information and a description of how the concrete bike lane barrier is impacting your right to live, work and play in the community of your choice.

This is not an issue of cyclists versus people with disabilities. The City of Minneapolis has a responsibility to meet the needs of everyone. This includes addressing access issues as well as working with bike groups to establish safe and usable bike lanes. It’s important that bike lanes are constructed in a way that protects the cyclist while maintaining required accessibility. ■

MCD

Minneapolis bike paths' barriers limit access, generate frustration

Uh-oh.

Another argument made was that move to a state program would only generate about $2.4 million in savings, out of a much larger state budget.

Many lawmakers worked during the 2018 legislative session to eliminate the incontinence products program.

They agreed with MAMES and disability community members’ objections centering on how the incontinence products program was created.

Measures to eliminate the program were included in bills passed by the House and Senate. But Gov. Mark Dayton, frustrated by state lawmakers’ penchant for wrapping numerous items into tax and spending bills, vetoed both in the spring.

Medical suppliers and disability rights advocates point out that the incontinence product issue, and other

medical supply issues, are part of state and national trends. Supply needs overseen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have increasing been subjected to competitive bidding programs.

The bidding processes, which have stepped up in recent years, do provides the benefit of saving government dollars. But not only do they restrict which products people can use for everyday needs, the move toward bidding has had significant and negative effects on many medical supply and durable goods providers.

Some longtime firms have been forced out of business.

People needing supplies have had to deal with suppliers they don’t know.

To read more about MAMES and its work, go to www. mames.com ■

The rollout of the enhanced rate program is just one care-related issue being watched closely. The second is the ongoing effort by Minnesota’s Olmstead Subcabinet to review and act on the direct care/support workforce group recommendations. The recommendations were reviewed by the subcabinet in July and contain several recommendations to attract, train and retain direct care workers.

Implementation and work plans linked to the report will be the topic for the subcabinet when it meets 3-4:30 p.m. Monday, September 24.

The report, which has won praise for its depth and thoroughness, is already being reviewed by state agencies and department. Assistant DHS Commissioner Claire Wilson said that department is looking not just at the report from a policy, legislative and community collaboration standpoint, but also at how DHS can support this work outside of the agency.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is also looking closely at the report. Deputy Commissioner Jeremy Hanson Willis (DEED) said the department will be an active partner as recommendations go forward. He called the workforce

shortage a “huge crisis facing our state” and predicted it would only get worse as the population ages. ■

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September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 5

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Loans can make life at home, working easier The community of those working for continual prWould assistive technology or specialized equipment help you enter or remain in the workplace? Would it help you live more comfortably in your home? Or do you need help going to school? Thanks to a state program, EquipALife is offering loans to help Minnesotans with disabilities meet such needs. But the clock is ticking on the program and the funding availability, so people wishing to obtain loans need to apply soon.

In 2017, the Minnesota Legislature completed a threeyear process of dedicating $1 million toward low-interest loan programs. EquipALife is working to raise $4 million to sustain the programs into perpetuity.

Apply as we work with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) as the oversight agency for this appropriation. A contract timeline requires EquipALife to spend down a significant share of the funds prior to the end of the 2019 fiscal year, so be aware that time is running short.

If your loan is approved, EquipALife can reserve the funding if you anticipate having to soon replace worn -out assistive technology, add home modifications, purchase employment-related equipment and pay copayments reducing your cost with the lower rate and flexible terms offered through the program.

Eligibility requirements including being a resident of Minnesota for the past six months, having a documented disability and being capable of repaying the loan.

Call EquipALife now for your opportunity to finance equipment to improve the quality of life, to work, attend school, purchase a vehicle and look at your future needs while we continue to raise additional funds to ensure you receive the devices, services and equipment for full inclusion. You will be surprised how technology has really changed our world. Applications are online at: www.equipalife.org/programs.html or by calling 763-497-

8239 or 763-479-8233.

Online applications are available in word or in .pdf file format. Alternative formats are available upon request.

To locate the forms, go to the program tab and download the micro-loan (Alternative Finance Project) for assistive technology or to Telework for anything you need to be successful in building your career.

The current funding builds on EquipALife’s long history of service to our state, focused on elders and people with disabilities. In 2004 EquipALife, then known as Assistive Technology of Minnesota, launched the first program of its type here, with alternative financing to purchase assistive technology and employment-related equipment. In the last year of federal funding under the Technology Related Assistance Act, the federal government awarded 13 states including Minnesota the seed capital to start an alternative financing program. That funding and the federal New Freedom Initiative’s one-time pool of funding helped many people. The New Freedom Initiative had an emphasis on helping people with disabilities to purchase employment-related equipment. A primary emphasis was on working from home, helping people start a business, or maintain or expand an existing enterprise.

EquipALife successfully applied for funds under the Access to Telework project, making Minnesota one of 19 states to receive an award as demonstration projects.

Combined, the programs helped EquipALife to provide more than 900 loans. That meant almost $8 million became available. Recipients had to repay the loan capital in exchange for the funding awards.

Over time EquipALife has researched additional financial solutions, learned how to assist individuals with pooling their funds and worked with insurance carriers to help people play for needed technology and equipment. At EquipALife, we look forward to providing the solution and wiping away the barrier(s). ■

EQUIPALIFE

by EquipALife

EquipALife can help with transportation needs.

Call EquipALife now for your opportunity to finance equipment to improve the quality of life, to work, attend school, purchase a vehicle and look at your future for full inclusion.

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 6

REGIONAL NEWS Massive complaint backlog resolved State health regulators have eliminated a massive backlog of unresolved complaints alleging abuse and neglect at Minnesota senior care facilities. They are also committing to speed up investigations into new complaints.

That’s a huge turnaround from taking months if not years to get complaints handled. Those delays infuriated family members of abuse victims and vexed criminal investigators.

2017 began with 3,147 reports of abuse and maltreatment awaiting scrutiny, including incidents in nursing homes and assistedliving facilities. The Office of Health Facility Complaints, a division of the Minnesota Department of Health, has cleared the massive backlog and launched a new electronic system for processing the roughly 400 new Gov. Mark Dayton allegations it receives weekly. That provides a faster resolution to such cases. It replaced an outdated paper processing system, where files stacked up or even went missing.

“This is a significant milestone,” Gilbert Acevedo, assistant state health commissioner, told the Star Tribune. The newspaper brought the problems to light last year. “We want family members to know that when they submit cases to us that we take them extremely seriously and we will respond to them in a timely fashion.”

Gov. Mark Dayton gave the much larger Department of Human Services sweeping new powers over the facilities complaints office under an interagency agreement. DHS sent a team of staff to help sort through thousands of unreviewed cases and to develop a new electronic document management system.

State officials said eliminating the giant backlog is significant because it frees up time for the office's 55 staff to address new complaints more quickly.

Timing is critical in elder abuse cases because the victims often suffer from dementia and may forget critical details. “This clears the deck so that we can focus on current cases,” Acevedo said. “We want to make sure we never get back into a situation where we have a backlog.”

At a press briefing Dayton praised the commissioners of the departments of Health and Human Services for their efforts at clearing out the backlog of maltreatment complaints. “That's the way it should have been all along,” he said.

“But the fact that they eliminated a backlog of over 3,000 [complaints] was really, really impressive and they deserve credit for that.”

(Source: Star Tribune)

Settlement provides additional dollars

Minnesota will receive an estimated $85 million in additional funding for MinnesotaCare in 2018 as a result of a lawsuit filed against the federal government. MinnesotaCare, Minnesota’s basic health program, was expanded under the Affordable Care Act to provide insurance to people whose incomes are just above requirements for Medicaid eligibility.

“Last fall, without analysis or justification, the federal government cut funding for MinnesotaCare, eliminating cost-sharing related payments,” said Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper.

“I am pleased today they acknowledge Minnesota is entitled to return of some of that funding. We are assessing whether this sufficiently addresses our concerns raised in the lawsuit.”

Minnesota and New York filed the lawsuit after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reduced payments to basic health plans. The

reduction was related to President Trump’s decision to eliminate costsharing subsides for insurance purchased in the individual market.

After the lawsuit was filed, CMS consulted with Minnesota and New York on a new formula for basic health plans. The revised payment rate returns approximately 72 percent of the federal funding that was taken away in December 2017. It is not yet clear whether CMS will make similar adjustments for 2019.

MinnesotaCare provides insurance for 89,000 low-income, working Minnesotans.

(Source: DHS)

Attorney enters guilty plea

Minneapolis attorney Paul Hansmeier, whose aggressive litigation in the name of disability access angered advocates and business owners, has pleaded guilty in an unrelated case involving fraudulent copyright lawsuits.

Hansmeier was indicted in December 2016, charged with conspiring to extort $6 million from thousands of people

through "porn trolling" lawsuits. A second attorney involved in the case pleaded guilty last year. The men would post pornography online, then file copyright infringement claims against persons who downloaded their posts. They threatened individuals with financial penalties and public embarrassment, unless settlements were paid. Hansmeier has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering. Other counts against him will be dismissed.

In the past Hansmeier has tried to take advantage of businesses and people with disabilities under the banner of groups including the Disability Support Alliance (DSA). He would demand settlements unless businesses made access improvement. That led to an FBI investigation as well as state and federal law changes.

Now Hansmeier is accused of taking money from the DSA. District court records show that Hansmeier in early 2016 took more than $300,000 from the DSA. Court documents indicate that the DSA began noticing cash withdrawals from January through February 2016 from an ATM in Burnsville. In an examination of the DSA's bank account, investigators learned Hansmeier had transferred approximately $304,718 from a fund established by the DSA for litigation proceeds and had also taken an additional $7,500 of client money.

(Source: KMSP-TV)

State reaches agreements with more schools

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced in August that it has reached agreements or tentative agreements with 39 of 43 school districts and charter schools it met with last fall about reducing disparities in suspensions and expulsions for students of color and students with disabilities in non-safety related incidents.

State officials have signed settlement agreements with 34 of the charter schools and school districts. Tentative agreements are in place with five more districts.

Changes were sought about a year ago after a review of five years’ worth of public data. The data is from reports by schools and districts to the Minnesota Department of Education's Discipline Incident Reporting System. While students of color make up 31 percent of the population in the state's schools, they receive 66 percent of all suspensions and expulsions.

Students with disabilities make up 14 percent of the population, but receive 43 percent of suspensions and expulsions.

Finalized agreements are now in place with Bemidji School District, Best Academy, Bloomington Public Schools, Brooklyn Center School District, Cass Lake School District, Cloquet School District, Columbia Heights Public Schools, Dugsi Academy, Duluth Public

Schools, Eden Prairie Schools, Fridley School District, Hinckley Finlayson Public Schools, Hopkins Public Schools, ISD 15 St. Francis, Mankato Area Public Schools, Mastery Charter School, Minnesota Transitions Charter School, Mounds View Public Schools, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale Public Schools, Onamia Public Schools, Prairie Seeds Academy, Prodeo Academy, Red Lake Public Schools, Richfield Public Schools, Robbinsdale Area Schools, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, St. Louis Park Public Schools, St. Paul City School, Saint Paul Public Schools, South St. Paul Public Schools, Wayzata Public Schools, Willmar Public Schools and Winona Public Schools.

Osseo Area School District has an agreement in process. Anoka-Hennepin School District, Edina Public Schools, Kipp Minnesota Charter School, the Minneapolis Public School District and Rochester Public Schools are expected to act on agreements soon. Negotiations are ongoing with Global Academy Charter, Moorhead Public Schools and St. Cloud Public Schools.

(Source: Minnesota Department of Human Rights)

Lengthy legal case resolved

A lengthy class-action lawsuit over the constitutionality of Minnesota's civil commitment program for sex offenders effectively ended in August when U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank dismissed the remaining claims. The judge stood by his earlier statements that some revelations during a six-week trial shocked his conscience.

The Minnesota Sex Offender Program has more than 720 sex offenders who have finished their prison sentences. They are confined in secure treatment facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter. Lawyers who filed the class-action lawsuit in 2011 argued that commitment to the program was tantamount to a life sentence because almost no one is ever released. More provisional discharges have occurred recently, but the program has raised red flags. One issue is how people with disabilities are treated.

Frank cited a 2017 decision by the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which overturned his 2015 declaration that the program was unconstitutional because few people had ever been released from the program since began in the mid-1990s. The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2017 declined to hear the case, letting the circuit court ruling stand and the program to continue operating as it was.

"Some of the facts revealed during the lengthy Phase One trial in this matter are indeed shocking to this court's conscience," Frank wrote. He considers the continued confinement of the only woman in the program “truly conscienceshocking.” He called the continued REGIONAL NEWS To page 13

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September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 7

Charlie Smith Award presentation, event on hold until 2019 A familiar story is missing from this month’s issue of Access Press. September is when the Access Press Board typically announces the winner of the Charlie Smith Award, given annually to a Minnesota individual or group in recognition of outstanding service to the state’s disability community. The winner is honored at a banquet and award presentation.

The award, which is named for the Access Press founding editor, isn’t going away. But as Access Press continues to work on its future plans and its long-term financial stability, the Charlie Smith Award nomination process and award event will be postponed until 2019.

The newspaper board and staff appreciate the patience of those who have asked about submitting nominations, and those who like to read about the many great people in our community who are nominated.

Access Press Board Chairman Steve Anderson assures readers that the award will be back. Readers should watch for details in the months ahead. “The Access Press Board of Directors greatly appreciates the financial support from you, our readers and advertisers, in recent months,” he said. “Your response to our crisis call for help has been tremendous.

Your generosity has allowed Access Press

to continue providing monthly news to our community. Because of your support, Access Press and the Board of

Directors now has the opportunity to make the changes and improvements we need to ensure that Access Press has a

sustainable future.”

Anderson said that postponing the award until next year gives the newspaper staff and board time to continue to work on financial stability and future planning, while continuing to provide the news and information readers have come to expect.

The newspaper continues to welcome donations as well as new advertisers and issue sponsors.

“We know the award is very important to our readers and the disability community,” said Tim Benjamin, executive director of Access Press. “We also know that people enjoy the banquet, with attendees from a broad spectrum of Minnesota’s disability community, and that the event will be missed this November. As we make progress here on stabilizing the newspaper and planning for its future, we need to set aside the award competition and banquet for a time. It will be back.”

The Charlie Smith Award tradition will continue, and new names will be added to the honor roll of previous winners, Benjamin said. The past winners all continue to contribute to Minnesota’s disability community, each in his or her own way. ■

∏∏f∏∏

In Memoriam

He founded hockey group

Luke F. Pederson’s lifelong love of sports led to his co-founding of the United States Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association.

The 45-year-old Minneapolis resident died in August.

Pederson was born in North Dakota, part of a large family. At age five he was diagnosed with facial scapula humeral muscular dystrophy. He played piano and began playing and following sports.

After seventh grade he began to use a wheelchair. He graduated from St. Peter High School and Concordia College in Moorhead, earning a degree in mass communications in 1995.

He developed a love for electric wheelchair hockey, so he and several friends founded the USEWHA – United States Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association. He organized tournaments in the United States and was statistician for his team. He truly enjoyed playing floor hockey with the Minnesota Stars team and was able to travel and play throughout the United States as well as Germany, Toronto and Calgary, Canada.

He lived in Minneapolis where he could follow the professional sports team he loved. Family was important to him.

Pederson is survived by his mother, seven siblings and their families and many friends.

Services have been held.

Adaptive sports pioneer dies

Marie Moilanen is remembered for starting the competitive adaptive sports program in the Edina Public Schools. She died this summer after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

She will be inducted into the Edina Athletic Booster Club Hall of Fame September 20.

“Marie was the teacher of your dreams if you had a special needs kid,” Mary Beth Cavert, a retired Edina teacher and friend and neighbor of Moilanen, told the Star Tribune.

Moilanen graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1962, then earned a bachelor's degree from St. Cloud State University and a master's degree from Mankato State University. She spent summers at Camp Courage, where she worked with children and adults with physical disabilities.

It was at Camp Courage that she met

her husband Mark. Their 1970 wedding reception was at the camp.

She spent most of her teaching career in Edina. She at one time was one of only two adaptive physical education teachers in the Edina school system.

"She was a real visionary in my mind, as well as a compassionate and caring person," said Marcia Carthaus, director of special education in the Edina school system when the adaptive sports program began. "She got other districts going, too."

Her retirement from Edina in 2005 lasted one week before she started a second career as a personal trainer at the Marsh, a health and wellness center in Minnetonka, and as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas.

She is survived by her husband, two children, two grandchildren and other family members and friends. A Services have been held.

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He spent three decades in workforce

Scott Burpee enjoyed pranks as much as he loved his work, spending 33 years at J’s Restaurant in Burnsville. Burpee, who had Down’s syndrome, died this summer from pneumonia at age 57.

Raquel Sidie-Wagner, a manager at Lifeworks, said the nonprofit was about to surprise Burpee with a tour of the Vikings training center in Eagan at the time of his death. She recalled his love of pranks, especially sneaking off with other peoples’ pens, and his dislike of the “good for you” sandwiches and casseroles packed as his lunch.

Burpee was a fixture at J's Restaurant, where customers and staff alike claimed him as family. Every April, everyone celebrated his birthday, with white cake with white or lemon icing, funny cards and Vikings gifts.

“Burpee was a big part of our life. He was family,” Lora Dilly, co-owner of J's, said in an interview. Burpee walked the two blocks to work each day from his group home to run the dish operation. Coworkers loved him and admired his work ethic and high standards. They also provided the structure he needed to do his job.

Burpee is survived by his mother, brother, stepmother, stepsiblings, coworkers and friends. Services have been held.

Want to be in the next Directory of Organizations?

It appears in our October 2018 print issue and 24/7 online Credit Call Dawn 651-644-2133 or Email: access@accesspress.org

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 8

PEOPLE & PLACES

DIRECTORY OF ORGANIZATIONS MEMBER

PawPADS focuses on training service dogs for indiivduals with disabilities. Clients include wounded warriors, children and adults with diabetes, children with autism, and people with diabilities.

PawPADS offers several training programs for their service dogs – Prison Road Puppies, Paw Corps, Project Y.E.S., and the SIT Programs – all of of which happen due toe the generosity of veterans, inmates, and volunteers.

PawPADS Phone: (952) 643-5671 • Online: www.PawPADS.org Did you know you can join the Directory for $60/yr?

Available online year-round and in four print editions.

Canoeing at Vinland’s main campus in Loretto, Minnesota

Vinland Center provides drug and alcohol treatment for adults with cognitive disabilities. We make all possible accommodations for cognitive deficits and individual learning styles.

Located in Loretto, Minnesota — just 20 miles west of Minneapolis.

866.956.7612 • VinlandCenter.org

‘Pony up’ for animal’s replacement Replacing employees is tough in today’s time of low unemployment.

But the folks at Hold Your Horses, an equine therapy nonprofit in Greenfield, have a unique hiring situation on their hands. They must replace Lily, a legendary pony.

Lily is a 20-year-old therapy pony at Hold Your Horses. She has carried countless clients, providing calmness and joy since 2006. Retirement age has arrived as Lily is ready to “go out to pasture.” The little brown pony is no longer able to carry even the smallest clients. Lily is a Fjord Haflinger mix and one of the finest therapy ponies to work here. Hold Your Horses will keep Lily but she can no longer assist clients.

An online fundraising campaign has been launched to raise funds to purchase, transport and care for the next pony to fill Lily’s horseshoes.

A Hold Your Horses client and Lily the pony shared some time together. The pony is retiring.

Details can be found at crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/lilys-legacy. and a dynamic base of support to help challenge Hold Your Horses is a Minnesota nonprofit that and develop skills. In this treatment environment, improves the lives of people with disabilities through children with balance, coordination and body individualized equine assisted therapy. Hold Your Horses awareness impairments can develop skills for greater engages a team of professionals that includes licensed independence in their daily life activities. clinicians in occupational therapy and psychology. An Hold Your Horses hosts equine-facilitated experienced team of horse handlers are also critical to psychotherapy programming. Individual and group the professional service delivery. services help trauma survivors learn coping and Occupational therapists provide hippotherapy communication skills through equine activities that at Hold Your Horses. Used as a treatment strategy, lead to improved daily living skills. ■ the horse provides multi-dimensional movement

Lijewski is DHS’s first accessibility coordinator

An advocate for people with disabilities and a user of assistive technology for more than 38 years has been named to the new position of accessibility coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). Lynnette “Lolly” Lijewski, who has served in a Lynette "Lolly" Lijewski variety of positions in DHS’s Disability Services Division since 2005, began her new position in mid-August.

Lijewski brings to the new position a background in digital accessible content and a background in development of agencywide policies. She also has served as chair of the Accessibility Standards and Design Team, a departmentwide group that monitors and promotes digital accessibility throughout the agency, and as chair of the MNIT Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Lijewski said she looks forward to being the department’s go-to person on accessibility issues and concerns.

“DHS is at an exciting point in its accessibility

evolution,” she said. “Until now, accessibility has been done informally. With the creation of this position, DHS can move to formalizing accessibility and building an accessibility ecosystem to further embed accessibility into the agency’s culture, policies and processes.”

Lijewski earned a bachelor of social work degree from the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in St. Paul and a master’s degree in public affairs from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Zbaracki to take helm at PRI

Julie K. Zbaracki is the new chief executive officer at Partnership Resources, Inc. (PRI).

PRI provides day treatment and habilitation and supported employment services to adults with developmental disabilities.

PRI’s mission is “to create partnerships between people with Julie Zbaracki disabilities and the community.”

PEOPLE AND PLACES To page 10

PROPOSED CHANGES TO

EXTENDED EMPLOYMENT RULE The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is proposing changes to state rules that govern the Extended Employment (EE) program. The program helps Minnesotans with significant disabilities keep their jobs and advance in their careers.

Proposed Changes

Experiences & adventures for all abilities

Prioritize funding for competitive, integrated employment

• Summer, Day & Winter Camp • true StriDeS therapy horSeS • team QueSt Camp Courage Maple Lake

Camp Friendship Annandale

Camp eden Wood Eden Prairie

Camp Courage north Lake George

952.852.0101 | truefriends.org

PROGRAMS

Align the program with new practices in the broader disability services system Reflect principles such as personcentered practices and informed choice

Public Comment Notice of an opportunity to make formal comments on the proposed EE rules will be published Fall 2018. For more information and to sign up for email notifications, please visit the DEED – EE website at: mn.gov/deed/eerule

»»

For further information, contact: Extended.Employment@state.mn.us

»»

MN.GOV/DEED/VRS

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES

HOLD YOUR HORSES

PawPADS was founded in 2005 in Orgeon, of which it relocated to Minnesota in 2008.

Extended Employment is a program of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, An equal opportunity employer and service provider.

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 9

PEOPLE & PLACES True Friends Camp Courage will be ready for its next crew of happy campers.

The nonprofit unveiled extensive renovations at its Maple Lake Lakeside camp at a September 9 open house.

True Friends recently received $2.2 million from the Camp Cambria Foundation to renovate several buildings at Camp Courage.

“The investment from the Camp Cambria Foundation has truly enhanced the quality of experiences our participants enjoy,” said True Friends President and CEO John LeBlanc. “We are humbled by their dedication and commitment to support individuals of all abilities.”

Renovation of the Lakeside dining hall, health center and arts and crafts building True Friends Camp Courage has unveiled new facilities. The new arts and crafts space is shown at left. The building at right houses facilities including dining and other camp functions. began in February and wrapped upin July.

The dining hall is now equipped with a 1,300 children and adults with disabilities who enjoy the new kitchen layout to better serve those with special camp each summer. dietary needs, as well as a nutrition bar to promote Camp Courage was established in 1955 by Courage healthy choices. Bathrooms were updated and an Center, to serve people with physical disabilities elevator was added to enhance accessibility. High-end including polio, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Cambria products were used throughout the space in congenital and acquired disabilities. The original areas such as the bathrooms, kitchen and fireplace. The location, which is called Lakeside, is where the health and wellness center and arts and crafts buildings renovations were focused. received new layouts, updated fixtures and accessible A second campus was added to serve children with work spaces. communication disorders in 1966. Children with The project was supported by almost 50 local vendors speech, hearing and language disabilities were the focus. from 19 different trades.

Originally called Speech and Hearing Camp, it is now The Camp Cambria Foundation’s mission is to raise called Woodland at Camp Courage. awareness and funds to benefit the more than 324,000 In late 2012 Courage Center Camps and the kids and teens challenged by juvenile arthritis in the Friendship Ventures camping programs merged to form United States and Canada. Every summer, it hosts Camp True Friends, continuing a long tradition of providing Cambria, a life-changing summer camp experience in services for campers with a wide range of disabilities.

Minnesota and McKellar, Ontario, Canada. Its partner True Friends is a nonprofit agency providing lifeare the Arthritis Foundation in the United States and changing experiences that enhance independence and Arthritis Society in Canada. self-esteem for children and adults with disabilities. True The Camp Cambria Foundation and the Arthritis Friends’ programs include camp, respite, therapeutic Foundation team up every summer to offer a specialized horseback riding, conference and retreat, travel and camp session for kids and teens with juvenile arthritis team building; serving more than 25,000 individuals at Camp Courage in Maple Lake. Over the years the annually. With camps near Maple Lake, Annandale, group saw an opportunity to not only create a better Eden Prairie and Bemidji, True Friends serves individuals experience for their campers, but also the more than in Minnesota and throughout the United States. ■

TRUE FRIENDS

True Friends Camp Courage Maple Lake is newly renovated

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 10

PEOPLE & PLACES The Minnesota Department of Human Services has awarded $2.6 million to community organizations for efforts supporting the goals of competitive jobs, stable housing and community involvement for people with disabilities. The grants will help lead to better choices and outcomes for people with disabilities.

Over the next two years, the grants will fund innovative ideas such as providing mentors for young people with disabilities interning at businesses, helping with rent deposits, moving costs and apartment set-up and supporting those with disabilities in the competitive workforce.

DHS Commissioner Emily Piper recently visited Interact Center in St. Paul, which will use $491,433 to help artists with disabilities market original artwork online and in galleries throughout Minnesota and nationally. The “Proclaiming Our Place” initiative will help artists earn income through sales of their work and create opportunities for community engagement.

“These grants will help expand options and pathways for people with disabilities to live the lives they want,” Piper said. “These organizations are broadening choices for people to live, work and engage in their communities.”

The large innovation grants program is one of three disability innovation grants programs DHS offers to organizations throughout Minnesota, alongside a small innovation grants program and a micro-grant program.

Gov. Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature first appropriated funding for the three grant programs in 2015.

Other grantees include: •Guild Employment Services, St. Paul, $483,470 to support youth with disabilities transitioning into employment and adults with disabilities in competitive jobs. Guild is pioneering individualized placements and support for youth with disabilities moving into jobs. They also support adults with disabilities working with people who do not have disabilities. Dakota and Scott counties have partnered with Guild to support employment, part of recovery for those with serious mental illnesses.

• The Institutes for Community Inclusion, Minneapolis and Boston, $560,000 to help people with disabilities achieve integrated, competitive employment with an emphasis on those with more significant disabilities. The University of Minnesota, the University of Massachusetts Boston and other partners will help service providers statewide build capacity to support people with disabilities and offer technical assistance to increase community integration.

• Opportunity Partners, Minnetonka, $293,035 to provide mentors to people with disabilities interning at Twin Cities businesses. The agency provides disability

PEOPLE AND PLACES From Page 8 Zbaracki will succeed Norm Munk effective February 2019. She has worked for PRI for more than 18 years and brings with her a wealth of resources, knowledge and experience in the social services field. She most recently has served as PRI chief operating officer for the past nine years overseeing finance, human resources, and overall operations.

Zbaracki holds a degree in psychology from Hamline University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management. She is a Leadership Twin Cities Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce alumnus, an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management, Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota (ARRM) and an active participant in the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR).

“PRI has a strong foundation built over many years of successful service to people with disabilities. I look forward to continuing to strengthen this foundation through the innovative, progressive programming that PRI provides,” said Zbaracki. “The programming we provide has an immense impact on the individuals we serve, the employees of PRI and the community as a whole. Working with a dedicated team of individuals and continuing to grow that team will result in continuing the successful story of PRI.” “One quote that has always inspired me is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s: ‘Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?’ said Munk.

“During her time at PRI, Julie has dedicated herself in a unique and tireless way, to our mission and her vision of always making life better for others.”

“No matter how someone is tied to PRI,” Zbaracki said, “the moment that connection touches someone in a real way, it is amazing. A spark lights up someone’s face. It can be something small, it can be something big, but it is all about the connection. It is hard to explain, but when I am fortunate enough to witness it, it lights up my world.

I want everyone to experience that spark and see what we do, what it means to people, and how valuable it truly is.”

MOHR announces new leaders

Julie Johnson is the new president of the Minnesota Organizations for Habilitation and Rehabilition (MOHR). She succeeds Mike Burke, who will serve as past president. Burke, executive director of the

DHS

Grants fund new efforts to support people with disabilities

(top) Interact center clients were excited to host DHS. (below) Emily Piper, DHS commissioner, greeted an artist.

awareness training for businesses, supports mentors at each internship site and helps interns to make arrangements for transportation to work.

• RISE, Minneapolis, up to $294,000 to place young adults in paying jobs with people who don’t have disabilities. RISE’s new “Let’s Get to Work” program focuses on 18- to 24-year-olds eligible for public

Alexandria Opportunities Center, will also chair MOHR’s governmance committee.

Johnson is at St. Paul-based MSS, long known as Midwest Special Services. MSS provides an array of programs and supports for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. She has worked for MSS for 28 years and will become the nonprofit’s chief execurive officer this fall. Johnson became involved with people with disabilities at an early age, growing up with extended family members with disabilities. She volunteered in her high school’s special education department, sparking an interest that would lead to a long career.

Other executive committee members are Robin Harkonen (Region 2), vice president; Steven Howard (Region 6), secretary; Steven Ditschler (Region 10), treasurer; Lynn Noren (Region 10), government affairs committee chair; Steve Skauge (Region 10), extended employment providers committee chair; Lynne Megan (Region 10), membership and marketing committee chair; Jo Bittner (Region 1), training and education committee chair. Tom Weaver and John Wayne Barker, both from Region 10, are board memnbers elected by the executive committee.

New community mental health services receive more than $2 million in funding

A new behavioral health care center, emergency department case management and transition services to community programs are just some of the innovative services that will be available soon in Minnesota as a result of the Mental Health Innovation Grant Program.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently awarded six grants to counties, tribes and non-profits, focused on helping people with mental illness receive effective services in their community. The innovation grants will support unique programs. All share in common the goal of getting people the right care in a way that works for each individual.

The new innovation grants are dedicated to improving access to and the quality of community-based, outpatient mental health services. A major goal is to help people avoid stays in state regional treatment centers, community behavioral health hospitals and psychiatric hospitals, and expedite discharges for those who are in state facilities once they no longer meet medical criteria for hospitallevel care.

“These new resources provide the opportunity to get people mental health care right in their community,” said

assistance, including individuals with significant barriers to competitive employment. RISE will be paid for success in helping people develop customized employment plans, securing jobs and maintaining them over 90 days.

• Rochester Public Schools, Rochester, $264,927 to support youth ages 16 to 21 whose needs have not been met through traditional educational and rehabilitative programming. The Launching Emerging Adults Program supports young people in the Rochester area who have mental health disorders, histories of adverse childhood experiences, chemical use and/or physical aggression, with the goals of improving overall functioning, participation in competitive employment and access to housing options.

• Touchstone Mental Health, Minneapolis, $235,040 to help people find housing of their choice and explore employment and vocational services. Expanding with new funds, the Housing Innovation Program helps clients consider work and develop employment skills such as having a schedule and engaging in work conversations.

Grant funds will pay for deposits, moving costs and apartment set-up.

More information on the innovation grants programs is available on the department's website or by emailing DSD.Innovation@state.mn.us. ■ DHS Commissioner Emily Piper. “Innovation is key – we need to try new approaches while focusing on community resources that can really make a difference for people.”

Approved by the 2017 Minnesota Legislature, the program offered $2.171 million in grants for fiscal years 2018/2019. Funds for the program come from revenue captured from the county share of treatment costs for people receiving care at Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center and the Community Behavioral Health Hospitals.

All grants are for 18 months, with the option to extend another six months. The amounts listed reflect 24 months’ funding. Grantees are: • Adult Mental Health Initiative Region V+: Transition Services, serving Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, $260,958 to assess individuals and coordinate services so that clients may avoid needing inpatient mental health care, and for those who do need inpatient psychiatric care, start discharge planning at admission.

• American Indian Family Center: Healing Journey, serving the American Indian community in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties, $218,425 to bring culturally specific and responsive services to the urban Indian population through a multidisciplinary team of mental health staff and community consultants.

• Hennepin County Adult Behavioral Health: behavioral health care center, serving Hennepin County, PEOPLE AND PLACES page 13

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September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 11

OPPORTUNITIES EVENTS ATTEND HEALTH CONFERENCE Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities hosts its second annual health and wellness conference, Healthy Independent Living for People with Disabilities Tue, Sept. 25 at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church, Mpls. Matthew Sanford is the keynote speaker.

The conference is for direct support staff, professionals working with people with disabilities and people experiencing significant health challenges. CEU’s and certificates of attendance available. Sponsors are still welcome. FFI: www.mnccd.org CREATING CARING COMMUNITIES Speakers from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota present Creating Caring Communities 5-6 p.m. Tue, Sept. 11, at NAMI Minnesota, 1919 University Ave. W., Suite 400, in St. Paul. Learn about mental illnesses, the impact of negative attitudes and five things everyone can do to make Minnesota a better place for people who experience a mental illness. Free and open to the public. FFI: Brianna Libby, 651-645-2948 x128.

SELF-ADVOCACY SUMMIT SET Autism Society of Minnesota has announced its first-ever AuSM Self-Advocacy Summit, presented by Anime Twin Cities. Save the date of Sat, Sept. 22. It will include a keynote presentation and nine breakout sessions featuring topics including mental health, executive functioning, sensory needs, employment, relationships, and more.

This event is for individuals on the spectrum, by individuals on the spectrum. Visit the AuSM Bookstore, network with peers, and visit with vendors who support adults on the spectrum. Additional details about the summit have been posted and registration is open. FFI: www.ausm.org IN OUR OWN VOICE Speakers on recovery In Our Own Voice, a free public education program featuring two speakers sharing their personal stories of living with a mental illness and achieving recovery, will be offered 5:30-7 p.m. Wed, Sept. 12 at NAMI Minnesota, 1919 University Ave. W., Suite 400, in St. Paul. The program includes a short video and a question and answer period. NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers IOOV presentations around the state to improve public awareness of mental illnesses. FFI: Briana, 651-645-2948 x128, blibby@namimn.org

CHILDREN & FAMILIES PACER WORKSHOPS SAMPLING PACER Center offers many useful free or low-cost workshops and other resources for families of children with any disabilities.

Workshops are at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, unless specified. Workshops are offered throughout the state. Advance registration is required for all workshops. At least 48 hours’ notice is needed for interpretation. Ask if workshops are live-streamed. Check out PACER’s website and link to the newsletter of statewide workshops that allows participants to pick and choose sessions catered to their needs.

Simon Technology Center Family Fun Day and Tech Expo is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat, Sept. 15 at PACER Center. From high-tech gadgets to technology that supports everything from play to learning to employment, there will be plenty to explore and try at the Simon Technology Center Family Fun Day and Tech Expo. Come explore the possibilities of assistive technology and enjoy interacting with a variety of devices for children, teens, and adults. Attend mini sessions to see iPad app demonstrations, get creative with accessible art and do-ityourself technology, and learn about PACER’s resources. The event is free but advance registration is encouraged. FFI: PACER, 952-838-9000, 800-537-2237, www.pacer.org FAMILY COURSE ON MENTAL ILLNESSES NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers a free educational course that helps families gain a greater understanding of mental illness, discuss resources, build communication skills, reduce stress and find support. More than 4,000 Minnesota families have benefited from this course, taught by family members who have walked the walk. The Family-to-Family course meets weekly for 12 weeks on Mon starting 6:30-9 p.m. Sept. 10 at NAMI Minnesota, 1919 University Ave. W., Suite 400, St. Paul. Preregistration required.

FFI: Helen, 763-227-0271.

INFO & ASSISTANCE AUTISM SOCIAL GROUP FOR AGE 15+ Reach for Resources offers Social Seekers for individuals (age 15+) on the autism spectrum. Social Seekers activities include games, crafts, discussions, outdoor recreation, and other opportunities for socializing.

The program is designed to build group cohesion, sustain friendships, and provide gentle verbal redirection when needed to assist individuals with issues surrounding conflict, assertiveness, boundaries, and more.

The next session will run on Wednesdays, 5:00-6:30 p.m., from Sept 12Nov. 28, but participants can join at any time with advance registration and a required intake. The group meets at the Depot in Hopkins, and cost is $200 for the 10 weeks. FFI: 952-393-5866 MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT OFFERED NAMI Minnesota offers more than 300 free educational classes statewide each year, along with help in navigating the mental health system. NAMI also has more than 70 free support groups for people living with a mental illness and their families. Get to Know NAMI in St. Paul is 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wed. Sept. 12, at NAMI Minnesota, 1919 University Ave., Suite 400, in St. Paul. Meet NAMI staff and volunteers and hear firsthand how NAMI’s work directly affects the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families.

Learn about education and support programs and how to advocate for better mental health policies. RSVP to Kay King, 651-645-2948 x113 or kking@namimn.org In the Twin Cities NAMI has about two dozen family support groups, more than 20 support groups for people living with a mental illness, anxiety support groups, groups for veterans and other groups. Led by

trained facilitators, groups provide help and support. Parent resource groups are facilitated by a parent who has a child with a mental illness and who has been trained to lead support groups. A group meets 6:30-8 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday at Eagle Brook Church, 2401 East Buffalo St., White Bear Lake. FFI: Jody Lyons 651-645-2948 x109.

Family support groups help families who have a relative with a mental illness. A group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wed at Centennial United Methodist Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West, Roseville. FFI: Anne Mae. 651-484-0599.

Open Door Anxiety and Panic support groups help people cope with anxiety disorders. One group meets 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. the second and fourth Thu in Room 104, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 Snelling Ave. S., St. Paul. Another group meets 6:30-8 p.m. the first and third Thu at Woodland Hills Church, 1740 Van Dyke St., St. Paul.

A peer support group is offered for LGBTQ adults living with a mental illness. The group meets 1-2:30 p.m. Sat, Living Table United Church of Christ, 3805 E. 40th St, Mpls. FFI: David, 612-920-3925, 651-645-2948.

Young Adult NAMI Connection is a free support group for persons ages 16-20. One group meets 7-8:30 the first and third Thu at Friends Meeting House, 1725 Grand Ave., St. Paul. A group also meets 7-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Thu at Dental Office of Dr. Crandall & Associates, 2300 East Highway 96, White Bear Lake. The group is facilitated by young adults who live with mental illnesses and are doing well in recovery. A full calendar of all events is offered online. FFI: 651645-2948, www.namihelps.org OLMSTEAD SUBCABINET The next meeting of the Olmstead Subcabinet is 3-4 p.m. Mon, Sept.

24 at Minnesota Housing, 400 Wabasha Street North, Suite 400, Lake Superior Conference Room, St. Paul. Work plan reporting for September includes crisis services, the Quality of Life Survey updates and transportation goals by Minnesota Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Council. Notify the Olmstead Implementation office if you plan to make public comments during the September Subcabinet meeting: FFI: https://mn.gov/olmstead HOPE FOR RECOVERY WORKSHOP IN ST. PAUL NAMI Minnesota hosts a free, interactive workshop that provides families and individuals with information on mental illnesses, practical coping strategies, and hope for recovery. The workshop is 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sat, Sept. 29 at Loyola Spirituality Center, 389 N. Oxford St., St. Paul.

FFI: 651-645-2948, www.namimn.org VISION LOSS GROUP OFFERS ACTIVITIES Vision Loss Resources provides free and low-cost activities in the Twin Cities for people who are blind or visually impaired. Life skills classes for those with low vision; card games, craft classes, book clubs, walking groups, dinners out, special outings and technology classes are among the offerings. Participants need to RVSP to participate, at least three working days prior to an event. The calendar is also available on the Vision Loss Resources website and as a printable large-print PDF document for those who wish to print their own or additional copies.

FFI: RSVP hotline, 612-843-3439; activity line and audio calendar, 612253-5155, www.visionlossresources.org MCIL HOSTS CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living provides many life skills classes as well as fun outings and events for people with disabilities.

MCIL is at 530 N. Robert Street, St Paul and most activities are there or start there. Classes and events are listed on the website, www. mcil-mn.org. Click on “Classes Groups and Sessions” for updated information or to print their calendar. Please give two weeks’ notice if the alternative format or other accommodations are needed. Events are free, accessible and mostly scent-free.

NEW! A People of Color with disabilities group has started

meeting, 5:30-8 p.m. the third Thu of each month. FFI: 651-603-2030 ILICIL OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES ILICIL Independent Lifestyles, 215 N. Benton Drive, St. Cloud, offers a number of classes, events and other opportunities for Minnesotans with disabilities in central Minnesota. The center offers its own programming and hosts other groups. The free mental health discussion group 6-:30 p.m. Mon. Learn to live life to the fullest and support each other. The center has a full schedule of activities including support groups, martial arts, Nordic walking and more FFI: 320-267-7717 ADULT SUPPORT GROUPS OFFERED AuSM offers free support groups for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Groups include those for adult family members, women with autism spectrum disorders and independent adults with autism. Check the website for upcoming groups. Groups meet at the AuSM offices at 2380 Wycliff St. FFI: 651-647-1083 ext. 10, www.ausm.org PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP The St. Cloud Area, Parkinson's Disease Support Group meets 1-2:30 p.m. the third Mon of each month at ILICIL Independent Lifestyles, 215 N. Benton Drive, St. Cloud. Free. Open to those diagnosed with Parkinson’s, their families, caregivers and the public. The group provides support, education, and awareness about the disease. FFI: 320-529-9000 QPR SUICIDE PREVENTION QPR is a free, one-hour presentation sponsored by NAMI Minnesota that covers the three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide - Question, Persuade and Refer. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught gatekeeper training program in the United States, and more than one million adults have been trained in classroom settings in more than 48 states. The QPR class is 7-8:30 a.m. Mon, Sept. 17, at Ramsey County Library, 4560 Victoria St. N., Shoreview. FFI: Heather at 651-645-2948 x114, namimn.org DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS SUPPORT Jewish Family Service of St. Paul, in partnership with Sholom Home East and the Alzheimer’s Association, facilitates a caregiver support group for people who are providing care to a loved one suffering from dementia. Designed to provide proven resources and methods for caregivers who are caring for someone at home or considering in-home services or a transition to assisted living or long-term care. Meets 3-4 p.m. on the second and fourth Mon of each month in the Community Room at Sholom Home East, 740 Kay Ave., St. Paul. Free and open to the public. RSVP. FFI: Grace, 651-690-8903, glundquist@jfssp.org, or Cassandra, 651-328-2014, cnickell@sholom.com

VOLUNTEER READERS SOUGHT Volunteers are a valuable resource at Radio Talking Book, broadcasting local news and information programs to blind and print-impaired listeners from sites in Duluth, Fergus Falls, Grand Rapids, Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud and the Communication Center in St. Paul. The goal is to provide accurate and timely information to thousands of listeners throughout Minnesota and across the nation. FFI: Roberta Kitlinski, 651-539-1423 OPEN THE DOOR TO EDUCATION Help adults reach their educational goals and earn their GED. Tutor, teach or assist in a classroom with the Minnesota Literacy Council.

Give 2-3 hours a week and help people expand their opportunities and change their lives through education. Provides training and support and accommodations for volunteers with disabilities. FFI: Allison, 651-251- 9110, volunteer@mnliteracy.org, http://tinyurl.com/adultopportunities

FUN IS GOOD

on St. Paul’s Front Porch!

ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE! 651-644-6659 saintsbaseball.com

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 12

ENJOY! highlighted in purple have the best view of the interpreter, are only visible via weblink, and will not be released to the general public until the Mon after the ASL reservation deadline. Assisted listening devices available. FFI: 651-429-5674, www.lakeshoreplayers.org

SIGN LANGUAGE SATURDAY Minnesota Renaissance Festival hosts its annual Sign Language Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sat., Sept. 15 at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival grounds, 3525 145th St W (King's Gate, off Hwy 169, 7 miles south of Shakopee).

Festival patrons will enjoy a variety of comedic acts, performances and improvisations with American Sign Language interpreting.

Motorized scooters are available for rent every day of the festival, but not wheelchairs or strollers. Tickets $24.95 (advance $21.95); other discounts available. Discount tickets available online and at participating Menards, Super America and Walgreens. Discount coupons available at participating Subway and Dairy Queen locations. Free parking; disability parking and portable toilets as well as a First Aid Station are available. FFI: 952-445-7361, www.renaissancefest.com

MADE IN THE SHADE Made in the Shade Walk, Run & Roll helps disability service agencies raise funds and celebrate community. This year’s event is Sat, Sept.

15 at Bde Maka Ska (Lake Calhoun), Mpls. The 2018 partner agencies include EGH, Homeward Bound, Inc., PAI, Partnership Resources, Inc., The Phoenix Residence, TSE, Inc., and Wingspan Life Resources.

These seven agencies provide support and services to more than 6,000 people. FFI: Kristin Morin, 763-746-4821, www.facebook.com/ madeintheshade5k NAMIWALKS RAISES AWARENESS More than 4,000 people from around the state are expected to join in NAMIWalks Minnesota, a 5K walk to raise awareness about mental illnesses and celebrate hope on Sat, Sept. 22 at Minnehaha Park, Mpls.

Enjoy live music, food and fun. Teams can be formed to do the walk together. National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Minnesota uses the walk to provide education, support and advocacy for children and adults with mental illnesses and their families. Registration begins at 11 a.m., with the walk starting at 1 p.m. One in five people are affected by a mental illness in any given year. FFI: 651-645-2948, www.namimn.org AUSM SWING FLING Dance over to the AuSM Swing Fling, 6-10 p.m. Tue, Sept. 25 at Landmark Center, Rice Park, St. Paul. Kick off the all-abilities dance party with a dance lesson and demo, and then cut a rug to the sounds of the Roseville Big Band. Register for the dance competition or social dance the night away. All proceeds benefit AuSM programs and services. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door; individual with ASD/student $15 in advance, $10 at the door. Dance contest entry fee is $10. FFI: www.ausm.org CAN DO WOOFAROO The annual Can Do Woofaroo, a fundraiser for Can Do Canines, is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat, Sept. 29 at Can Do Canines, 9440 Science Center Drive, New Hope. Take part in a fundraising walk, enjoy games, music, food and activities including paw painting. Bring your furry friend.

Preregister soon for this day of fun. FFI: www.can-do-canines.org RUN, WALK, ROLL AGAINST BULLYING Join PACER Center for the ninth annual Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying Sat, Oct. 6 at Normandale Lake, Bloomington to raise awareness for bullying prevention. More than one out of every five students reports being bullied during the school year. Help PACER make a difference by taking steps to help create a world without bullying and uniting for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Registration opens soon. Event sponsorships available. FFI: www.pacer.org/rwr UMBRELLA COLLECTIVE'S NIGHT OF NEW WORKS Umbrella Collective (formerly Savage Umbrella) presents three new plays in progress, at Bryant-Lake Bowl & Theater, 810 W. Lake St., Mpls. ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Wed, Sept. 12. Tickets $5 - $20, sliding scale (pick one’s own price). Priority seating reserved for patrons using ASL. For accessibility requests, email hello@umbrellaco.org. FFI: www. umbrellaco.org MARY POPPINS Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre presents the story of a magical nanny, at the Stage at Island Park, 333 4th St. S., Fargo. AD offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Sept. 15, with pre-show description at 7:10 p.m. Tickets reduced to $10 for AD patron and companion (regular $25). AD tickets not available online, call the box office. Other discounts available. FFI: 701-235-6778, www.fmct.org DRACULA: PRINCE OF BLOOD Commonweal Theatre Company presents an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic, at Commonweal Theatre, 208 Parkway Ave. N., Lanesboro. AD offered 1:30 p.m. Sun, Sept. 16, pre-show at 1:10 p.m. Request a tactile tour at noon. Please make AD reservations at least one week in advance. Two- week notice requested for a Braille program. Five-week notice requested for ASL interpreting. Assistive listening devices available at the box office. Special seating available for people with mobility issues. Tickets reduced to $15 for AD/ASL patrons (regular $35), other discounts available. FFI: 507-467-2525, www.commonwealtheatre.org THE FULL MONTY Duluth Playhouse presents the story of unemployed steelworkers and an unusual career change, at NorShor Theatre, 211 E. Superior St., Duluth. ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Thu, Sept. 20. Tickets $35-$50. To reserve an ASL viewing seat, call 218-733-7555. (Reserve early.) FFI: www.duluthplayhouse.org

IS GOD IS Mixed Blood Theatre presents an Obie Award-winning show outlining the issues of cyclical violence, at Alan Page Auditorium at Mixed Blood Theatre at 1501 S. 4th St., Mpls. Projected supertitle translations in English at all performances. AD and ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Sept. 22, with tactile tour at 7 p.m. Recorded AD available at all performances after Access Night. Mixed Blood’s Access Pass provides complimentary guaranteed admission for shows to patrons with disabilities and their companions, as well as free transportation to and from the theatre for patrons with disabilities. Advance reservations $35 online or by phone. Or join as members for $9 per month. Radical Hospitality admission is free on a first come/first served basis starting two hours before every show. FFI: 612-338-6131, www.mixedblood.com WAIT UNTIL DARK Theatre in the Round Players presents the story of a blind woman trying to evade criminals, at Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Ave. Mpls. AD offered 2 p.m. Sun, Sept. 23. Tactile tour at 1 p.m. upon request based on reservations. Large-print programs and assisted-listening devices available at every performance. Tickets $22, discounts available. FFI: 612-333-3010, www.theatreintheround.org AWAKE AND SING! Artistry presents the tale of a family waiting for better times, at Bloomington Center for the Arts, Black Box Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Sept. 23. AD offered 2 p.m. Sun, Sept. 30. Tickets reduced to $30, other discounts available. FFI: 952-563-8575, www.artistrymn.org THE SLEEPING CHILD Enjoy the McCreary puppets at outdoor shows, with Marya Hart at the piano, Bruce Wintervold on percussion. ASL offered 1 p.m. Sat, Sept.

22 at Marydale Park Fall Festival, 542 Maryland Ave. W., St. Paul. Free and family-friendly. Bring chairs or blankets to sit on. FFI: 612-735-7296, www.margomccreary.com EMERGING ARTIST EXHIBIT AND RECEPTION Twelve Minnesota artists who received VSA/Jerome Emerging Artist Grants in 2016 and 2017 will show their work at a reception and program 6:30-9 p.m. Sat, Sept. 22 at Creators Space, 218 7th St. E., St. Paul. AD, ASL and OC offered. Free. Meet artists, see their work, participate in activities and enjoy refreshments. A related exhibit continues through Sun, Sept. 30, Featured artists are Ayesha Adu, Mpls, screenplay writing; Becca Cerra, Shafer, dancing sculpture hybrid; Kristin Dieng, Plymouth, stained glass-on-glass mosaics; Sarah Drake, Sauk Rapids, painting & mixed media; Paul M. Ernst, Mpls, photography based art; Ruth Lais, Mpls, mixed media; Angelique Lelee, Mpls, dance; Samuel Lyn, Brooklyn Center, painting; Luke Lyon, Mpls, ceramics; Carrie Salberg, White Bear Lake, creative non-fiction writing; Joey Schad, St. Paul, music performance; and Lucas Schelk, Mpls, poetry. FFI: 612-332-3888, www.vsamn.org ONCE Theater Latte Da presents a powerful and complicated love story, at Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, Mpls. AD and ASL offered 7:30 p.m.

Thu, Sept. 27. Tickets reduced to $17.50 for ASL/AD patrons and one guest. FFI: 612-339- 3003, www.latteda.org

THE MIRACLE WORKER Yellow Tree Theatre presents the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, at Yellow Tree Theatre, 320 5th Ave. SE, Osseo. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Sept. 30. Please request ASL services no later than Wed before the scheduled performance (which is pay what one can). AD is offered if requested no later than two weeks before the performance.

Large print playbill and advance script available with one week’s notice.

Assistive listening units available. If cost is a barrier, $5 tickets are available through the Arts for All program. Tickets $25. Other discounts available. FFI: 763-493-8733, http://yellowtreetheatre.com DR. FALSTAFF AND THE WORKING WIVES OF LAKE COUNTY: A PICNIC OPERETTA Mixed Precipitation presents a Lake Superior mining town story with a Shakespearean twist, at Loring Park Garden of the Seasons, 1382 Willow St., Mpls. ASL and AD offered 3 p.m. Sun, Sept. 30. People with visual disabilities should bring a guide. Voluntary donations ($10-20) collected at show’s end. Seating is limited, advance reservations are requested online or by phone. This is one in a series of performances at community gardens and is billed as edible opera. FFI: 612-619-2112, http://mixedprecipitation.org TOUR FOR PEOPLE WITH MEMORY LOSS At 10 a.m. on the first Tue of every month the historic James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Ave., St. Paul, offers a sensory-based tour designed for people with memory loss and their caregivers. Each themed tour, usually an hour or less, highlights three rooms and is followed by an optional social time until 11:30 a.m. with pastries and coffee. Private group tours are available for care facilities. Next tour is Tue, Oct. 2. Free but reservations required. FFI: 651-297- 2555, www.mnhs.org CHARLOTTE’S WEB Stages Theatre Company presents the E.B. White children’s classic, at Hopkins Center for the Arts, Mainstage, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins.

SENS offered 10 a.m. Thu, Oct. 4 and Sat, Oct. 13. These tickets not available online. Call 952-979-1111, option 4. AD and ASL offered 4 p.m.

Sun, Oct. 14. Tickets $16, AD and ASL reduced to $12. Other discounts available. FFI: 952-979-1111, option 4, www.stagestheatre.org OPEN FLOW FORUM The Artists with Disabilities Alliance is the first Thu of the month, 7-9 p.m. at Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Ave. S., Mpls. Upcoming dates are Oct. 4, Nov 1 and Dec. 6. Join artists with disabilities and supporters to share visual art, writing, music, theater and other artistic efforts or disability concerns. Informal, fragrance-free, shared refreshments. Facilitators are Dan Reiva, Tara Innmon and Kip Shane.

Fully accessible, but anyone needing special accommodations, contact Jon at VSA Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or jon@vsamn.org LITTLE WOMEN Jungle Theater presents playwright Kate Hamill’s interpretation of the favorite tale, at Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls. AD offered 7:30 p.m. Thu, Oct. 4. AD subscription for all six shows is $130.50 including fees. Contact the theater to request an ASL-interpreted show.

Tickets reduced to $24.50 including fees (regular $37 plus fees). FFI: 612-822-7063, www.jungletheater.com THE AGITATORS Park Square Theatre presents the story of allies and adversaries Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, at Park Square Theatre, Proscenium, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul. AD offered 7:30 p.m. Fri, Oct. 5. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 7. OC offered 7:30 p.m. Fri-Sat, Oct. 26-27 and 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 28. Assistive listening devices available.

ASL/AD/OC single ticket discount is half-price for patron and one

ENJOY! To page 15

Our award-winning access services can help make your visit a memorable one.

Connect with us to learn more.

SOMETIMES THERE’S WINE Park Square Theatre presents the 2 Sugars, Room for Cream team and their comedic conversations about life, at Park Square Theatre, Andy Boss Thrust Stage, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul. AD offered 7:30 p.m. Fri, Sept. 28. ASL/OC on request. Assistive listening devices available.

AD single ticket discount is half-price for patron and one guest with code ACC. Other discounts available. FFI: 651-291-7005, www. parksquaretheatre.org WEST OF CENTRAL Pillsbury House Theatre presents a drama of 1966 and the aftermath of the Watts riots, at Pillsbury House Theatre, 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls. ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Fri, Sept. 28. AD offered 7:30 p.m. Thu, Oct. 4. Tickets pick-one’s-price (regular $25). FFI: 612-825-0459, http:// pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org CABARET Lakeshore Players Theatre presents the musical set in 1930s Berlin and the seedy Kit Kat Klub, at Hanifl Performing Arts Center, 4941 Long Ave., White Bear Lake. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Sept. 30. (If no ASL seats are reserved within two weeks of the performance – by Sept. 16 – the ASL-interpretation will be cancelled).Tickets $20, reduced to $10 for ASL patrons, who can purchase tickets online with a direct link that is active until two weeks before the performance. The $10 ASL seats

612.377.2224 / guthrietheater.org accessibility@guthrietheater.org Access programs at the Guthrie are sponsored by Travelers, Medtronic and Xcel Foundation

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 13

PEOPLE AND PLACES Johnson is new MSS leader

Julie Johnson will succeed Lyth Hartz as the President/ CEO of MSS. Hartz is retiring in November after a long career with the nonprofit, which provides person-centered services and supports for individuals with disabilities in the Twin Cities area.

Julie Johnson Clients come to MSS for many reasons, including receiving help finding and keeping employment, engaging more fully with their community, and learning to express themselves through the creative arts.

Johnson has worked for MSS for 28 years, primarily in the role of vice president of administration. In that role, she has used her in-depth knowledge of the agency’s ’ financial and administrative functions, program services along with her passion for strategic planning and shared leadership, to continually improve the strength of MSS and its services.

“I am thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to lead this wonderful organization,” said Johnson. “Our industry is facing significant changes and challenges which gives us the opportunity to adapt and innovate our programs to meet the changing needs of the people we support. MSS is ready and able to do this thanks to the

PEOPLE AND PLACES From page 10 $867,074 to pilot the final component of its new center: a collaborative triage, urgent care and care coordination unit.

• Human Development Center: emergency department case management, serving Duluth, $348,442 to partner with the emergency departments of both St. Luke’s and Essentia Hospitals to develop discharge and followup plans, including linkages to community services.

• Kanabec County: care connector/navigator model, serving Kanabec County, $195,512 to develop a program to assist residents with serious mental health issues who are transitioning from an Emergency Department, hospital, treatment center or jail to programs in the community.

• White Earth Mental Health Program: holistic health practitioners, serving the White Earth Nation, $280,558 to add certified and licensed practitioners to support the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of people in their healing and recovering from mental illness.

Human services leaders are feted

Minnesota Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper is recognizing the work of programs throughout the state for their contributions to human services and their communities, with the Commissioner's Circle of Excellence Awards. Department of Human Services leadership will travel to each organization to present the awards and recognize their work within their communities. Visits will take place over the summer and fall.

“It is an honor to recognize these leaders in human services helping all Minnesotans through hard work, innovation and partnerships,” Piper said. “These organizations highlight the real impacts our work has on individuals’ lives, from youth to families to older adults, across the state.”

The awards place a spotlight on excellence among human services providers, counties, tribes, advocacy groups and other organizations that work with DHS to help people meet their basic needs, live in dignity and achieve their highest potential. This is the seventh year that the awards have been given. Three of the awards honor those who provide services to Minnesotans with cognitive disabilities.

The 2018 Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Award recipients are:

REGIONAL NEWS From page 6 confinement of elderly people with a low likelihood of reoffending “an egregious affront to liberty, particularly in light of the pervasive sense of hopelessness at the MSOP.” He also expressed “great concern” with the confinement of individuals with cognitive disabilities. and those who committed sex offenses only while they were juveniles. He said they could be safely kept in less restrictive facilities.

The dismissed claims, which had been put on hold for a second phase of the case, dealt mostly with alleged violations of religious freedom, free speech and free association, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The effect of the rulings is that anyone in the program who wishes to pursue such claims must do so as an individual instead of a class action. Frank noted that several such cases are pending, and more may now follow.

(Source: Star Tribune)

Assisted living facility found negligent

A Minneapolis assisted living facility was found to be negligent when a 76-year-old woman wandered outdoors in March. She was found more than eight hours later in a snow bank, and subsequently died of hypothermia complications. The Minnesota Department of Health issued the finding recently.

The woman, who had multiple disabilities including

strength of its team of staff.”

She is actively involved in MOHR, a statewide trade association comprised of more than 110 service providers, and began serving as its president in July. Through her participation with MOHR, she has gained extensive knowledge of the many legislative initiatives at the federal, state and local level – an extremely valuable asset for the next President of MSS. Johnson and Hartz will work together over the next several weeks on a leadership transition.

Program—the first of its kind in the world—at the Washington State Correctional Center for Women.

The prison dog training concept is now employed by organizations all over the world. Assistance Dogs International members alone operated 126 prison-based programs in 2017.

Assistance dogs conference in Minneapolis

The Assistance Dogs International Conference, hosted by local accredited member Can Do Canines, took place in August at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bloomington.

The bi-annual conference alternates between Europe and North America, bringing together hundreds of professionals from the assistance dog industry.

This year almost 300 experts from Australia, Norway, Taiwan, and gathered to share their expertise and best practices. Participants will include representatives from more than 75 organizations representing 17 countries and 25 states. As a group, Assistance Dogs International had more than 19,000 active assistance dog teams and placed more than 3,000 new assistance dog teams in 2017.

At the event Sister Pauline Quinn was honored for her lifetime of service to the assistance dog industry. In 1981, Sister Pauline created the Prison Pet Partnership

• St. Paul Police Department, Cops Autism Response Education, St. Paul – The St. Paul Police Department’s Cops Autism and Response Education (CARE) program helps peace officers better identify and serve people on the autism spectrum. Training officers to better identify and understand “invisible disabilities,” such as autism, leads to better service and better outcomes for community members and officers alike. The CARE program – along with support from those on the spectrum, their families and support organizations – such as the Autism Society of Minnesota, Fraser and VITALS – has enabled the department to provide trusted service with respect to people who previously might not have received the help, support and services they need.

• Volunteers of America; Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, Jewish Family Service of St. Paul, and GlobeGlow Consulting & Research. Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis (JFCS) as the lead agency, in collaboration with Jewish Family Service of St. Paul (JFSSP) and GlobeGlow Consulting & Research, Inc., worked together on the Providing Services, Education and Resources for Persons with Dementia and their Caregivers project. The project was designed to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach to serve Somali, Russian-speaking, Jewish and Christian seniors. The focus was on increasing cognitive testing; connecting caregivers to services, education and resources; and increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

• Volunteers of America-Minnesota’s Caregiver Support and Dementia Services helps address racial health equity gaps, reflected in higher instances of chronic disease and healthcare disparities. Caregiver Services provides culturally and linguistically appropriate support, information and resources for our diverse aging population and those that care for them, with an emphasis on those facing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The service offers culturally specific and evidence-based caregiver education, caregiver support groups, individual/family assessments, care planning, caregiver coaching, memory screenings, community outreach and respite care to more than 1,000 individuals and families to promote independence and enhance their well-being and quality of life.

• Franklin Industries and Cedar Mountain Cougar Cub Child Care, Franklin – The partners opened Cougar dementia, has not been named.

The woman left the Golden Nest facility without adequate clothing for winter weather. She also didn’t have her cane or walker. She was able to leave after two employees forgot to lock and latch two different doors. It took staff nearly an hour to discover that she was missing.

Staff drove around the neighborhood. It took almost another hour to let the home’s executive director know.

The director said 911 shouldn’t be called as staff was still out searching. The state report indicates it took almost three hours for 911 to be called. The woman’s family was then notified. They joined the search, and found the woman around 11 p.m., in a snowbank. That was more than eight hours after she left the facility.

The MDH report quoted a police report which stated, “The area where (the woman) was found was treacherous because there were large snow banks surrounding her. (The woman) was lying in between the train tracks and snow banks. There was little to no lighting in the area she was found. (She) would not have been visible from any roadways.”

The state report also indicated that the woman had arrived at the facility just six days earlier. She had no care plan and other medical and health paperwork was missing.

The facility doesn’t have a memory care unit and typically doesn’t accept patients with a history of wandering.

(Source: KSTP-TV)

(l-r) Yummy, Zest, Scout, Trackr and Maggie Cub Child Care Center in December 2016. The early learning center for ages six weeks to school-age aims to provide children with social, emotional, physical and cognitive opportunities that allow them to develop to their fullest potential. The center works with Parent Aware and uses curriculum that aligns with Minnesota’s early learning standards.

• Life House, Duluth – Life House works with more than 750 teens and young adults in the Duluth area each year, to provide a place of safety, acceptance and belonging to the community's disadvantaged and disenfranchised youth. Life House’s core programs – the drop-in Youth Center, Housing, Mental Health & Wellness, and Futures Education & Employment – help young people thrive.

• Red Lake Nation Oshkiimaajitahdah “Oshkiimaajitahdah is committed to educating families to discover their strengths as individuals,” as its mission statement describes. Oshkiimaajitahdah is a culturally grounded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/ employment services program on the Red Lake Nation, offering a wide range of services and supports to help participants meet their employment goals and become self-sufficient.

• White Earth Nation Human Services WECARE – WECARE (White Earth Coordination Assessment Resources & Education) is White Earth Reservation’s twogenerational approach to coordinating and supporting family services. It engages families in a meaningful way in the development of their own case plans, with accountabilities and support at the client and system level for accomplishment of the goals identified in the plan.

• • •

Remodeling for accessibility Ramps Roll-in showers Happy at home, safe at home 651-644-9770

Evaluator is licensed Assistive Technology Professional & Certified Aging in Place Specialist Waiver accepted MN Contractor License #BC708388 handihomeliving.com

Polar Plungers start time of chills, thrills

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 14

AROUND THE DIAL

RADIO TALKING BOOK

BOOKS AVAILABLE THROUGH FARIBAULT Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. Call 1-800-722-0550, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The catalog is online at www.mnbtbl.org, click on the link Search the Library Catalog.

Persons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies of books via an inter-library loan by contacting their home state’s Network Library for the National Library Service.

Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book, either live or archived program from the last week, on the Internet at www.mnssb. org/rtb. The sampling published monthly in Access Press doesn’t represent the full array of programming. Many more programs and books are available.

Call the Talking Book Library for a password to the site. To find more information about Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network events go to the Facebook site, Minnesota Radio Talking Book.

Audio information about the daily book listings is also on the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) Newsline. Register for the NFB Newsline by calling 651-539-1424.

Access Press is featured on It Makes a Difference, 9 p.m. Sun. Donate to the State Services for the Blind at mn.gov/deed/ssbdonate CHAUTAUQUA* Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.

The Undoing Project, nonfiction by Michael Lewis, 2017. Two psychologists become lifelong friends as they create groundbreaking research to explain judgment and decisionmaking. Read by Lannois Neely. 14 broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 26.

PAST IS PROLOGUE* Monday – Friday 9 a.m.

The Accidental President, nonfiction by A.J. Baime, 2017. The death of Franklin Roosevelt thrust Harry Truman into the Presidency, to take on Germany, Stalin, Japan, and the

atomic bomb. Read by Judy Woodward. 17 broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 12.

BOOKWORM* Monday – Friday 11 a.m.

Meet Me At the Museum, fiction by Anne Youngson, 2018. A Danish museum curator and a Scottish woman begin a letter correspondence that flourishes over the years. Read by Judith Johannessen. Seven broadcasts; begins Mon, Sept. 24.

THE WRITER’S VOICE* Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

Alone At the Top, nonfiction by Lonnie Dupre and Pam Louwagie, 2018. Arctic explorer Lonnie Dupre climbed Denali alone and in the harshest conditions, and was caught in a storm for five days. Read by John Potts. Five broadcasts; begins Tue, Sept. 25.

CHOICE READING* Monday – Friday 4 p.m.

We Begin Our Ascent, fiction by Joe Mungo Reed, 2018. A professional cyclist and his wife are drawn into drug use during the Tour de France, with enduring consequences.

Read by Mary Hall. Eight broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 19. - L PM REPORT* Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

The Crusade for Forgotten Souls, nonfiction

by Susan Bartlett Foote, 2018. In the 1940s Minnesota began a reform movement that resulted in the first steps toward a modern mental health system. Read by Pat Muir. 12 broadcasts; begins Mon, Sept. 17.

NIGHT JOURNEY* Monday – Friday 9 p.m.

Sulfur Springs, fiction by William Kent Krueger, 2017. Minnesota detective Cork O’Connor and his new wife search for her son Peter, who may have confessed to a killing. Read by Neil Bright. 12 broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 26. - V OFF THE SHELF* Monday – Friday 10 p.m.

Island Home, nonfiction by Tim Winton, 2015. Writer and ecologist Tim Winton explores the history of Western Australia in remembrances from his own life. Read

by John Marsicano. Six broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 19.

Spy of the First Person, nonfiction by Sam Shepherd, 2017. The final work from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, actor and musician Sam Shepherd. Read by Edy Elliott. Two broadcasts; begins Thu, Sept. 27.

POTPOURRI* Monday – Friday 11 p.m.

The Nature Fix, nonfiction by Florence Williams, 2017. Our connection with nature is much more vital to our brainpower than we realize. Read by Carolyn Light Bell. Nine broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 19.

AFTER MIDNIGHT* Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.

Murder on the Red River, fiction by Marcie R. Rendon, 2017. When the body of a murdered Native American is found, a young Anishanaabe woman uses her dreams to look for clues. Read by Tom Speich. Six broadcasts; begins Wed, Sept. 12. – V, L, RE Summer, fiction by Karl Ove Knausgaard, 2018. A young man leaves home to focus on writing, and contemplate the meaning of moments as they pass. Read by Don Lee. 11 broadcasts; begins Thu, Sept. 20. – L, S WEEKEND BOOKS YOUR PERSONAL WORLD (1 p.m. Sat) presents Living in a Mindful Universe by Eben Alexander and Karen Newell, read by Beverly Burchett.

FOR THE YOUNGER SET (11 a.m. Sun) presents Love Songs and Other Lies by Jessica Pennington, read by Brenda Powell.

POETIC REFLECTIONS (noon Sun) presents Poems of the Laughing Buddha by Jane Marla Robbins; followed by Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted by Tolu’ Akinyemi, both read by Scott McKinney.

THE GREAT NORTH ( 4 p.m. Sun) presents Gunflint Burning by Cary J. Griffith, read by Tom Speich; followed by Minnesota 1918 by Curt Brown, read by Don Lee. Remember that all program times are U.S. Central Standard Time.

ABBREVIATIONS: V – Violence, L – Offensive Language, S – Sexual Situations, RE – Racial Epithets, G – Gory Depictions

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DISABILITY AND PROGRESS Disability and Progress is aired on KFAI Radio, 6-7 p.m. Thursdays. Host Sam Jasmine and her guests explore a wide range of topics that are important to people with disabilities.

KFAI is at 90.3 FM in Minneapolis and 106.7 in St. Paul. Listeners outside of the Twin Cities, or those looking for a past show, will find the show’s archives online at www. kfai.org Look for the link to archives and for Disability and Progress. Listeners need to have a Real Audio Player downloaded so that this will work. A smartphone app is also available to hear archived programs.

To make comments or make suggestions, for future shows, call 612-341-3144, or email disabilityandprogress@tcq.net. Postal mail can be sent to KFAI, 1808 Riverside Ave. S., Disability and Progress, Box 116, Minneapolis MN 55454.

DISABILITY VIEWPOINTS Disability Viewpoints is an award-winning public access television show by and for people with disabilities. Mark Hughes and his team of co-hosts feature current news, interesting people and groups, and events in Minnesota’s disability community. The show is produced by volunteers at CTV North Suburbs in the Twin Cities. The North Suburban Access Corporation, CTV, is a nonprofit organization that provides community media for several communities in that area. Some shows are archived on YouTube, so search for Disability Viewpoints on that web channel to find past shows.

The program has also been shown in the past on Twin Cities Public Television.

Disability Viewpoints has a Facebook page, and a web page at www.ctv15.org/ programs/local/dv OTHER PROGRAMMING Access Press is interested in listing regularly scheduled broadcast, cablecast or podcast programs by and for people with disabilities. Programming needs to have a tie to Minnesota or the Upper Midwest.

Around the Dial is published on a spaceavailable basis. Anyone with questions can contact jane@accesspress.org

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HANDI MEDICAL SUPPLY

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 15

Handi Medical staff gathered recently to celebrate the company's anniversary

conference rooms are named after people who have made a difference in company history. One honors Mary’s grandfather, who loaned her the money to start the business; one is named after company inspiration Pohland, and one is named after Charlie Smith Jr., founder of Access Press.

The showroom of Handi Medical Supply is expanding from 5,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet once remodeling is done, said Laurie Tomaszewski, chief marketing officer. She was hired as a respiratory therapist 13 years ago.

Requests for supplies typically come through a clinic, a transition care unit or a home care nurse. With a larger showroom, more client people can view a needed product and pick it up or have it delivered that same day.

“The company started out very small, working with people who used wheelchairs,” Tomaszewski said. “Today we have everything for any kind of ostomy.

ENJOY! From page 12 guest with code ACC (regular $40, $60). Other discounts available. FFI: 651-291-7005, www. parksquaretheatre.org FRANKENSTEIN – PLAYING WITH FIRE Guthrie Theater presents an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s famous tale, at Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust, 818 2nd St. S., Mpls.

OC offered 1 p.m. Sat-Sun, Oct. 6-7. AD and OC offered 7:30 p.m. Fri, Oct. 12. AD and ASL offered 1 p.m. Sat, Oct. 13. Free sensory tour at 10:30 a.m. OC offered 1 p.m. Wed, Oct. 17. ASL offered 7:30 p.m.

Fri, Oct. 19. Tickets reduced to $20 for AD/ASL, $25 for OC (regular $15-93). FFI: 612-377-2224, www. guthrietheater.org SENSORY FRIENDLY SUNDAY Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Place, Mpls. hosts Sensory Friendly Sunday 8-11 a.m. Sun, Oct. 7. Free.

Sensory Friendly Sunday is a monthly, free event for kids, teens and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder or sensory sensitivities and their families, offering the opportunity to make art together, explore the galleries, watch a short film, or just hang out in a different setting. The galleries will be closed to all other visitors, allowing guests to enjoy the museum in a safe environment where accommodations such as quiet spaces, headphones and fidgets can be provided. In order to ensure an optimal experience and avoid crowds, reserve space ahead of time online. The program was created in consultation with the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and the University of Minnesota’s Occupational Therapy Program. FFI. 612-375-7610, https://walkerart.org LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET Children’s Theatre Company presents an adaptation of the Newberry Award-winning book, at Children’s Theatre Co., United Health Group Stage, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Mpls. AD and ASL offered 7 p.m.

Fri, Oct. 12. SENS offered 7 p.m. Fri, Oct. 18. To reserve seating in the ASL section, enter the ASL19 promo code in the upper right hand corner. To reserve AD seating, enter the AD-19 promo code.

Assistive listening devices, induction loop system, Braille programs and Sensory Tours available upon request. Sensory friendly performances provide a supportive and welcoming environment for children and families affected by autism spectrum disorders and other sensory, social and cognitive disabilities. Features include reduction of loud or jarring sounds, reductions in flashing or strobe lights, modification of the house lights, audience members are free to talk or move during the show, extra staff and volunteer support, designated Quiet Room and Take a Break Space, guidance and sensory supports (fidgets, earplugs, noise cancelling ear-muffs) available in the lobby before the show, audience members are welcome to bring their own manipulatives, seat cushions, comfort objects, and extra support items to the show. Families may select their own seats, but if special assistance or a buffer seat is needed, call 612-874-0400 or email access@childrenstheatre.org. For pre-visit resources to prepare for your visit, go to https://

We carry any kind of wound supplies, catheters, adult incontinence supplies. We have CPAP products, supplies for tracheotomies.”

Handi recently started its Handi Home Living Solutions division to provide home Darcy Pohland modifications.

“We do so much with complex rehab and wheelchairs,” Tomaszewski said. “If people have a chair and need to get in and out of their home, we remodel the home, do the bathrooms and showers.” An assistant technology professional visits the home to see what is needed.

“We think the right thing to do is to have people who are properly trained so we can help people to be well and be safe in their homes,” Tomaszewski said.

Keeping any business growing with the same owners and name is a feat in itself, but another challenge are Medicare regulations. A concern is that the regulations affect product quality, a key focus for Handi.

“Medicare, in all its glory, a few years ago came out with a program called competitive bidding,” Tomaszewski said.

“For certain product lines we had to fill out a request for proposal and say what we would be able to be paid for these items.

But it was not guaranteed you would get that price. There were nine categories offered, but we would not be able to offer a quality product, so we turned some down.”

“It looks like this program may be going away next year, but Medicare is not willing to do anything with the pricing. I think Medicare has been hearing there are access issues, and some people have been waiting for weeks to get items. They need to do something, but will it be enough? A lot of small businesses have had to close their doors because of what Medicare has done.”

But Handi has persevered. Many of

its employees have been working for decades. “Five years ago we won the Better Business Bureau Integrity Award, and we were nominated again this year,” Tomaszewski said.

A strong focus on supporting and rewarding employees is paired with an equally strong focus on clients and disability groups. Handi recently raised about $10,000 for the National MS Society through a golf tournament.

Looking at the long-term success of Handi, Tomaszewski gives much credit to the owners. “We base our decisions on doing the right thing for the customers and our employees,” she said. “Sometimes we are not making much money on our products, but we are doing the right thing.” She said quality brand names are important, as is informing customers about product use.

What has been the secret to Handi Medical Supply’s success for the past 30 years? “We feel like we’re doing the right thing,” Tomaszewski said. ■

tinyurl.com/yd58etjv. Tickets start at $15. Other discounts available. FFI: 612-874-0400, www. childrenstheatre.org

performances are not available online; to reserve, call 952-979-1111, option 4. FFI: www.stagestheatre.org

332-3888 or statewide 800-801-3883 (voice/TTY).

To hear a weekly listing of accessible performances, call 612- 332-3888 or 800-801-3883.

Access Press only publishes performance dates when accommodations are offered. Contact the venue to find out the entire run of a particular production and if discounts for seniors, students or groups are provided. VSA Minnesota advises everyone to call or email ahead, to make such that an accommodation is offered, as schedules can change. VSA Minnesota can also refer venues and theater companies to qualified describers, interpreters and captioners.

A WOMAN CALLED TRUTH: A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF SOJOURNER TRUTH Youth Performance Company presents the story of an anti-slavery and women’s rights activist, at Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, 1900 Nicollet Ave, Mpls. ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 13. Tickets $15. Other discounts available. FFI: 612-623-9080, www.youthperformanceco.org FOR COLORED GIRLS: WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF Penumbra Theatre presents the Obie Awardwinning play, at Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul. ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 13. Tickets $40. For $5 discounted tickets to ASL interpreted performance, or for discounted tickets on Wed evenings, contact the box office at boxoffice@ penumbratheatre.org. Other discounts available FFI: 651-224-3180, http://penumbratheatre.org/ THE LARAMIE PROJECT Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre presents the story of a 1998 kidnapping and fatal assault, at the Stage at Island Park, 333 4th St. S., Fargo. AD offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 13, 7:30 PM; pre-show description at 7:10 p.m. AD tickets not available online. Tickets reduced to $10 for AD patron and companion (regular $23). Other discounts available.

FFI: 701-235-6778, www.fmct.org DEAR FINDER 2018 UMD Theatre presents a new imagining of the award-winning documentary play about the Holocaust, at UMD Marshall Performing Arts Center, - Mainstage Theatre, 1215 Ordean Court, Duluth. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 14. Tickets $21. Other discounts available. FFI: 218-726-8561, www.d.umn.edu/theatre THE GREAT SOCIETY History Theatre presents a story about historic legislation and its times, at 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul. ASL and AD offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 20.

OC offered 7:30 p.m. Sat, Oct. 27 and 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 28. Tickets reduced to $25 for OC/AD/ASL patrons (regular $25-56). The accessible entrance is on the east side of the building off Cedar Street.

The theater has six spaces for wheelchairs, plus companion seats. Hearing enhancement devices and Braille or large print playbills are available. FFI: 651-292-4323, www.historytheatre.com MARY POPPINS Artistry presents the story of a lively nanny and her charges, at Bloomington Center for the Arts, Schneider Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 21. AD offered 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 28. Tickets reduced to $30 (regular $46). Other discounts available. FFI: 952563-8575, www.artistrymn.org FISH IN A TREE Stages Theatre Company presents a story about disability and pride, at Hopkins Center for the Arts, JC Studio, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins. SENS offered 10 a.m. Sat, Oct. 27. Tickets for sensory-friendly

WAR OF THE WORLDS Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre presents the true story of a radio hoax, at the Stage at Island Park, 333 4th St. S., Fargo. AD offered 7:30 p.m.

Sat, Oct. 27, with pre-show description at 7:10 p.m.

Tickets reduced to $10 for AD patron and companion (regular $23). Other discounts available. Contact box office for AD tickets; not available online. FFI: 701-235-6778, www.fmct.org ART SHOW BY KEN DOBRATZ The exhibit, part of a rotating series of exhibits coordinated by VSA Minnesota, features the artwork of Ken Dobratz of Bloomington. The paintings represent a new beginning for Dobratz, who lost his sight 13 years ago to ischemic optic neuropathy. Like many fellow veterans who experience life-altering events due to injury or illness, he passed through a period of mourning, anger and eventually acceptance before he could move forward. He was helped by the Mpls VA Medical Center, and began to paint as part of his recovery. He is inspired by nature and strives to capture its beauty. At Vision Loss Resources, 1936 Lyndale Ave. S. (at Franklin), Mpls. The exhibit is on display through November. Lobby hours are 8 a.m.4:30 p.m. Mon-Fri. Free. FFI: VLR, 612-871-2222, http://vsamn.org MORE EVENTS INFORMATION VSA MINNESOTA VSA Minnesota is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to create a community where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in and access the arts, at http://vsamn. org. The website has a comprehensive calendar at the upper right-hand corner of its homepage.

For galleries and theater performances around the state join the Access to Performing Arts email list at access@ vsamn.org or call VSA Minnesota, 612-

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Another web events listing is http://c2net.org (c2: caption coalition, inc., which does most of the captioned shows across the country. Facebook is another way to connect with performances.

Sign up to connect with Audio Description across Minnesota http:// tinyurl.com/ d34dzo2. Connect with ASL interpreted and captioned performances across Minnesota on Facebook http:// tinyurl.com/ FBcaption. Another resource is Minnesota Playlist, with a recently updated website calendar with all the ASL-interpreted, audio-described, captioned, pay-what-you-can shows and other features. Go to http://minnesotaplaylist.com/calendar Arts festivals are held throughout the state. Check: www.exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx, http:// festivalnet.com/state/minnesota/mn.html, www. fairsandfestivals.net/states/MN/ ABBREVIATIONS: Audio description (AD) for people who are blind or have low vision, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Open captioning (OC) for people who are hard of hearing, and sensory-friendly (SENS) performances. Performers and artists with disabilities are noted.

ROOMMATE WANTED A forty-eight-year old male with Cerebral Palsy is seeking someone to share his fully-accessible New Hope home. The roommate must have his or her own services. It’s equipped with an elevator and ceiling lift. Rent includes 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, and 2,700 sq of shared space. $750/month, all utilities included. If interested, please contact via Ayan (763) 587-5513.

CLASSIFIEDS

HANDI MEDICAL From page 1

FOR RENT Calvary Center Apts: 7650 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN. A Section 8 building now accepting applications for our waiting list. Call 9 am to 4 pm, Mon – Fri 763-546-4988 for an application. Equal Opportunity Housing.

Find your new home with At Home Apartments. Call 651-224-1234 or visit AtHomeApartments.com for an apartment or town home. Equal Opportunity Housing.

EMPLOYMENT Legal Assistant - Litigation (PT): Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. For details go to www.mylegalaid.org/jobs Classified rates: $15 for the first 18 words and 65¢ per word thereafter. Classified ads prepaid. Mail to: Access Press, Capitol Ridge Inn Offices; 161 St. Anthony Ave; #910; St. Paul, MN 55103; Phone: 651-644-2133; Fax 651-644-2136; Email: access@accesspress.org

September 10, 2018 Volume 29, Number 9 Pg 16

Coverage for all.

UCare has been de-complicating health plans for people of all abilities for more than 30 years. Get started at ucare.org or call 800-707-1711 | TTY: 800-688-2534

...because everyone has the right to pursue their dreams.

Resources for Individuals, Families and Employers 800.829.7110 I MyMRCI.org