www.accesspress.org
April 10, 2007
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History Note
Inside
“[If] you are going to let the fear of poverty govern your life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live. ”
■ On Being Poor, Part II—p. 5 ■ Pursuing a Dream—p. 8 ■ Video Remote Interpreting—p. 12
— George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950) Page 2 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Mpls. MN Permit No. 4766
Volume 18, Number 4
Minnesota’s Disability
Community Newspaper
April 10, 2007
Mending The ADA Together We Bill to be Re-introduced to Restore Courtweakened Rights for Persons with Disabilities Are Stronger by Kathleen Hagen, Staff Attorney, MN Disability Law Center
New Network will Build MN Self-Advocacy
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by Bret Hesla, Staff Writer
n the years since the 1990 passage of the ADA, disability advocates have been concerned with what is perceived as a steady erosion of these rights by the Supreme Court. To repair the damage, federal lawmakers plan to introduce a bill later this session that adds language to the ADA both defining disability unambiguously and ensuring that the courts enforce the ADA as it was originally intended by Congress. Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wisconsin) called for legislation to strengthen the ADA at the New York Last year, a similar bill had School of Law last month. Photo by Rick Kopstein bipartisan support but was introduced too late in the session the person could not be de- the sisters did not have a visual to make it to the floor of the fined as disabled. A person acuity problem if they wore House of Representatives; could be defined as disabled, glasses, they did not have a there was no companion bill in the court said, only if correc- disability. In other words, their the 2006 Senate. tive measures did not elimi- potential impairment was cornate the disability. rected through the use of Momentum for a restoration glasses. bill began building in 1999, In the Sutton case, for example, when in the course of one day, two sisters applied to be pilots Advocates and attorneys have the Supreme Court decided for United Airlines. They were scrambled ever since that rulthree cases that each under- already certified pilots. With- ing to find ways to pass the mined disability rights. The out their glasses, their sight initial hurdle—defining a dismain arguments in these cases did not meet the vision qualifi- ability. Holdings by the Suwere cited in the principal case, cations set out by United Air- preme Court in employment Sutton vs. United Airlines. The lines. When they wore glasses, discrimination cases continue court held that if a person with however, they met the qualifi- that conservative approach to a disability could remedy the cation. United Airlines used a defining disability. Speaking effects of that disability by, for standard that persons must earlier this week example, wearing glasses to meet the required visual acu- at the New York correct vision, or taking medi- ity without glasses. The Su- Law School, cine to control seizures, that preme Court argued that since ADA - cont. on p. 12
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rdinary folks have more clout when they band together. This spring, self-advocates and their allies from across Minnesota have taken that wisdom to heart, as they join forces to launch a new statewide network of self-advocacy groups, Self Advocates of Minnesota (SAM). Organizers expect the new network to assist persons with developmental and other disabilities assert their right to self-determination and to increase individual and collec-
“The lack of a statewide self-advocacy structure in Minnesota has left many groups feeling isolated and disconnected.” tive power to live the lives they want and deserve. The network’s goals are to strengthen local self-advocacy groups in three ways: by increasing their ability to raise funds, by increasing their influence in local and regional affairs, and by increasing their individual and group skills through exchange
of expertise between fellow with the new network is typiSAM members. cal of the grassroots flavor of SAM. “I got involved a year The new SAM network is the and a half ago when ACT sent result of a 20-month process out a mailing across the state coordinated by St. Paul-based asking if anyone was interAdvocating Change Together (ACT). Mary Kay Kennedy, “Self-advocates came up ACT co-director, sees fund- with the ideas, and that raising as a key motivator for is the best part. I attended the new network. “I think the almost all of the meetbiggest difference this network will make will be our ability to ings and am proud of collectively secure resources what we have done. You to support and sustain our could say that we are work. Social change work making history in MN.” takes money; there is no way around it.” Cliff Poetz, a mem- ested in talking about forming ber of the SAM organizing a statewide structure for selfcommittee and member of advocacy. Myself and another People First Minnesota, ADAPTer went to that first agrees. “The sooner we get meeting, in March 2005, down SAM going, the sooner we can at Mystic Lake. At the end of start using our collective power that meeting, they asked if anyto go for broad-based funding one was interested in taking at the state or federal level. the next steps. I thought it was Look at Wyoming. Their state- a good goal and a good group, wide group gets $100,000 an- so I ran it by my boss and he nually. Minnesota self-advo- agreed that we should go forcates can do that—or better.” ward. So now, 18 months later, here we are launching SAM.” Crookston resident Gordie Haug, a long-time organizer Bemidji self-advocate Don with the disability rights group Larson, who has also been inADAPT, is playing a lead role volved from the beginnings, is in organizing SAM’s north- proud of what the organizers west region. Haug’s history SAM - cont. on p. 8
Disability Issues on the Agenda at the State Capitol Funding For Waivered Services
Mid-Session Report Tracking the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities’ Legislative Priorities (p3)
Let’s Mend Our Broken Promises (p2)
Nursing Home Relocation
Changing Technology, Growing Needs
Options Too Continues to Promote Community Living for all Minnesotans, Even with Future Funding Uncertain (p4)
Losing Parental Rights
Federal
In Many States, a Parent’s Disability Can be Grounds for Taking Away Their Children (p11)
Assistive Technology Bill of 2007 Addresses Variety of Statewide Issues (p3)
Money Follows The Person Minnesota Among Leaders in Funding the Shift to Community Living (p4)
