August 2013 Edition - Access Press

David Rosenthal: Page 9

Volume 24, Number 8

One month in, competitive bidding raises concerns

by Jane McClure One month into the new Medicare durable good competitive bidding program for the Twin Cities region, area medical suppliers and clients are already reporting some problems. Some clients have had to drop longtime suppliers to receive goods from approved out-of-area companies. Others are raising questions about the quality of supplies received from the new vendors.

Even though medical supply corporations throughout the region did extensive outreach prior to the July 1 change, company officials said there is still confusion.

There is also concern that longstanding relationships Competitive bidding - p. 17

www.accesspress.org Poverty pay for professional work?

Commitment to community: Advocates launch 5% Campaign

by Access Press staff Just 5 percent. That is what Minnesotans with disabilities, aging adults, care providers, family members and advocates are requesting from the 2014 Minnesota Legislature. The 5% Campaign is getting momentum to reverse years of funding cuts to reimbursement rates to home and community based services. Advocates with disabilities, older adults, caregivers, providers, and family members throughout Minnesota are launching a major campaign for what they call a “longoverdue” rate increase.

Nursing home workers received a long-overdue 5 percent reimbursement increase from state lawmakers in 2013. These workers Erin Zolotukhin and her son Max advocate at the capitol so he can rewill see some of that in their first ceive adequately-funded services and quality staff. wage increase in several years.

Photo courtesy of Arc But facilities and direct support The 5% Campaign - p. 7

Visit new attractions

Planning ahead makes state fair visit fun challenge. Crowds can be daunting, so keep that in mind.

After arriving at the fairgrounds, guests can find many services available for people with disabilities. These include wheelchair/ stroller/wagon/electric scooter rentals, parking on the fairgrounds, assistive listening devices, wheelchair battery recharging, sign language interpreters, accessible seating at all entertainment venues, and curb cuts throughout the fairgrounds.

A mobility company rents manual wheelchairs, electric scooters, strollers and wagons at four locations on the fairgrounds. These are the north side of Como Avenue inside the Loop Gate Nine; the west side of Cosgrove Street between Wright and Dan Patch avenues inside Gate Five; the northwest corner of Cooper Street and Service Drive and on the north side of Liggett Street by the west Skyride Tower.

If rented onsite, all equipment is available on a first-come baA greyhound seeking a new home found a friend at the Minnesota State Fair. sis with no guarantee of availability. It’s best to reserve in adPhoto courtesy of Minnesota State Fair vance. Hours are 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily. The deposit of a

by Access Press staff driver’s license or state ID is required. Cash, check, credit Attending the Minnesota State Fair takes planning for people cards and debit cards are accepted, with fees ranging from $15 with disabilities. This year’s fair, August 22 - September 2, ofper day for a wheelchair to $55 for an all-day electric scooter fers plenty of accommodations ranging from accessible shuttle rental. Reservations are accepted for all-day wheelchair and buses, wheelchair charging stations to scooter rentals. Make electric scooter rentals. Call 877-928-5388 at least 24 hours in plans now to make the most out of a fair visit. advance or visit www.hometownmobilityia.com Brienna Schuette, Fair Marketing and Communications ManResources for fairgoers with disabilities can also be found at ager, said one good tip is to buy fair tickets in advance. “That the Care and Assistance Center, located across from Heritage saves you time and waiting at the gate.” Tickets are on sale until Square on Dan Patch Avenue. Hours are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Power August 21. Locations can be found at http://tinyurl.com/mn-fair-tic wheelchairs and electric scooters can be recharged here; outlets Veteran fair attendees offer other tips. Bring bottled water, any are available on the south wall of the Grandstand building. medications, devices that will be needed and plenty of money to Two events with interpretation are offered daily. Timberlast during the day. For service animals, bring food, water, works Lumberjack Show is every day at 11 a.m., at the North cleanup bags and whatever else is needed. Don’t over-pack but if Woods exhibit on Cooper Street between Randall and Lee avthere are specific foods or items of clothing needed, bring those enues. Enjoy Sean Emery’s performance at 12:30 p.m. daily on along. Also, be prepared to have bags checked at the gate. the Family Fair Stage in Baldwin Park.

Be prepared for long lines. If lines are a problem, plan on atDuring the fair ASL interpreters will be available to assist tending early in the day and on weekdays. Some days, such as guests from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Inquire about this free senior day, can get very crowded. Remember that being in a service at the Administration Building located on Cosgrove wheelchair or on a scooter means being at a lower level than evStreet. Special requests for interpreter services will be schedMinnesota State Fair - p. 19 eryone else. Getting through a crowd with a cane can also be a

August 10, 2013 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Twin Cities. MN Permit No. 4766 Address Service Requested

“I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.”

— Ken Venturi

NEWS DIGEST

Thanks to UCare, the August issue sponsor of Access Press. UCare hosts regular information meetings. See the Events page for details.

Law changes affecting voting, service dogs, appropriate language and more take effect this month.

Page 3 and 8

New light rail vehicles pose accessibility challenges for riders.

Page 5

Metropolitan Center for Independent Living has broken ground on new space.

Page 10

Remembering someone who remembered others with dignity.

Page 11

INSIDE Accessible Fun, pg 13 Events, pg 14 People & Places, pp 9-12 Radio Talking Book, pg 16 Regional News, pg 6 Theater Guide, pg 15

Pg 2 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

EDITOR’S DESK

Tim Benjamin We’ve had the best summer, weather-wise, that I can remember in Minnesota in many years. Except for a week or so of air-conditioning hot weather, most daytime temperatures, have been comfortable for most activities. And then these perfectly cool evenings have been great for early evening walks (and rolls) or windows-open TV watching. Best of all has been the long streak of great sleeping weather.

I’m excited about the “Five Percent” campaign. I do not recall ever being aware of the beginnings of a legislative lobbying effort this early in the season.

And I sure don’t remember seeing this much community support effort about a lobbying endeavor this early in the season. It is very encouraging.

The campaign has the support, backing and peoplepower of a broad variety of organizations, and is planning a legitimate request to the legislature that, personally, I feel cannot be denied. There is far too much at risk, and the costs of not realizing the goals of the five-percent campaign in a timely manner will be far too costly for everyone in the future. People that need home health services cannot stay healthy themselves without a healthy and stable personal care attendant (PCA) workforce. That workforce cannot stay healthy and live stable lives without a livable wage. How can the legislature expect the quality of life to be better

for people with disabilities and aging adults without caregivers having a good quality of life? It’s essential that we create a qualified workforce for the upcoming “Silver Tsunami” of aging baby boomers who will be become more dependent on services to maintain their independence and quality of life. The economy is getting stronger and the cost of living will be going up.

We have to address now how to supply a livable wage for career professionals providing these services.

Whether you call them PCAs, direct support professionals, caregivers, or home health aides, we have to enable people with the passion for doing this work to have a career and not just a stepping stone job with a meager living.

On Minnesota Public Radio, Cathy Wurzer has been doing an excellent series following University of St. Thomas Professor Bruce Kramer as he copes with life after being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The latest piece in the series, The right kind of bucket list http://tinyurl.com/not-pity, is incredibly insightful about living with disabilities.

Kramer quietly but firmly articulated the origins of pity vs. empathy so well that it brought tears to my eyes.

He gave voice to what so many of us in the disability community talk about in a way that few of us have been able to say so well. For Kramer, a new member of the disability community, the common public perception of disability as deserving of pity or even inspiration comes out of a sense of “otherness.” That “otherness” separates us in a way that makes us look at disability as the other guy’s problem or “there but for the grace of God go I.” He said that if we can approach one another out of a sense of “oneness,” we could achieve real empathy. He told Wurzer that how we talk about

disability and fatal conditions like his either separates us or brings us together as a much more accepting society. He explained that embracing and accepting his disease and disability has actually given him a sense of the “oneness” that unites us. “Why couldn’t we be pouring our resources into oneness of humanity, rather than otherness of humanity?” I agree with him wholeheartedly. Please go listen to the NPR story.

On a lighter note, it is State Fair time again. Minnesota has a grand tradition in the fair, a long and continuous one. Only a few times in its history has the fair been canceled—once because of the US Civil War, Dakota Indian war, and later because of the World War and once in the 1950s during the polio epidemic. I don’t usually talk about my family, but my father has a tradition at the fair as well. For years, he took days off from his job at the postal service to work at the fair; then after he retired my parents would travel from Arizona to “visit,” but we all know it was to go to the fair. They would park their travel trailer in the fairgrounds and stay the whole 10 days.

He’s a couple years short of 90 years old and is coming again this year to experience the Great Minnesota Get-Together. So, I’ll be spending a lot of quality father-son time at the fair. We will buy advance tickets, for cheaper admission and less time wasted standing at the entrance gate (“There are enough lines after you get through the gate.”). I’m sure my dad will encourage me to bring all-weather clothing while I’ll have to remind him to bring his sunscreen and Meds. He has some breathing problems, so not having to deal with tobacco smoke will be helpful to his lungs. And Ron Iversen of IMed Mobility has offered a scooter for my dad so we don’t have to reserve a rental scooter (one less line!).

Have a great August and a wonderful time at the Great Minnesota Get-Together, the State Fair. ■

HISTORY NOTE

All children have the same rights to education

by Access Press staff

All children have the same basic right to education, thanks to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

The nation’s highest court ruled that the right and opportunity to an education must be made available to all on equal terms, “all” meaning people of all races.

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Even though the Brown case had no reference to children with disabilities, its legal precedent provided for 1971 and 1972 court decisions in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Those decisions extended the right to a free public education to children with any kind of diagnosed disabilities.

One of the many people who followed Brown v.

Board of Education with interest was Dr. Gunnar Dybwad. He was professor of human development at the Florence Heller Graduate School of Brandeis University and an internationally known authority on developmental disabilities. In 1954, early in his tenure as executive director of what was then the National Association for Retarded Children, Dybwad called attention to the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v.

Board of Education.

Dybwad suggested that what Brown sought to recognize and change for African-American children, that “separate facilities are inherently unequal,” had enormous possibilities for children with disabilities as well. But the biggest breakthrough didn’t come until 1971, when attorney Thomas K. Gilhool, representing

the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Citizens v.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (PARC v. Commonwealth), used Brown v.

Board of Education in his arguments. The Pennsylvania case resulted in a landmark decision affirming the right to education at public expense and due process for children with disabilities.

At the time of that ruling, Dr. Gunnar Dybwad Dybwad was quoted on page one of the New York Times. He stated, “The decision makes Pennsylvania the first state in the union to guarantee education and training to all of its children with developmental disabilities now and in the future.”

Four days later, on its editorial page, the New York Times called on the Congress to do that for all of the states of the United States. Within two months in the House of Representatives, and another month later in the United States Senate, what became Section 504 was introduced. Shortly thereafter, what became the Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act of 1975 was became Public Law. In a video clips, Dybwad speaks of the influence of the courts and Gilhool speaks of Dybwad’s influence on the courts, at www.mnddc.org/ parallels2/three/video/ video19-dybwad.html Longtime Access Press History Note readers may recognize Dybwad’s name. In May 2009 writer Luther Granquist described how in the 1940s, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician adHistory note - p. 18

August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

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Voting law changes to be seen in future elections

by Jane McClure

New laws making it easier to vote take effect in Minnesota in time for the August 13 primary and November 5 general elections. Measures enacted by the 2013 Minnesota Legislature take effect this year and in 2014, and will be welcomed by many Minnesotans with disabilities.

The most anticipated change starts with the 2014 state primary election when No Excuses Absentee Voting begins. Many Minnesotans with disabilities and senior citizens use absentee voting as a means to cast ballots without waiting in long lines or arranging transportation.

Currently voters have to have an excuse to vote absentee, such as illness or absence from the precinct on Election Day. The No Excuse Absentee Balloting measure recently signed into law will allow Minnesota voters to cast absentee ballots without having to provide an excuse. Minnesota will join 28 other states in offering no excuse absentee voting. The new law allows the voter to claim permanent absentee voter status, which would result in an absentee ballot mailed to the voter before each election.

Other changes are now in effect. Voters who live in townships outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area will be able to use Expanded Mail Balloting.

Registered voters in these rural areas will be able to get their ballots directly in the mail and mail them back for counting. That will help people with disabilities and senior citizens in areas where otherwise individuals might have difficulty getting to the polling place.

Another change that will be in six selected communities is a task force to monitor electronic roster book pilot project. The selected communities are Dilworth, Minnetonka, Moorhead, St. Anthony and St. Paul.

The task force will examine the use of electronic poll books for use on Election Day. That will save time with data entry and will in turn save voters time at the polls.

People with disabilities have many options to help with voting.

Access Press file photo

The pilot locations will use electronic rosters to process Election Day-registration, to verify the registration status of preregistered voters, or both. The Office of the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the task force will evaluate the pilot project and report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the Elections Committees in the Minnesota Legislature by Jan. 31, 2014.

One change that had drawn concerns during the last session won’t affect people with disabilities as advocates for people with disabilities and those who work with residential facilities had feared. This change limits the number of people an individual can vouch for

at the polls. The law had allowed individuals to vouch for up to 15 people during an election. Candidates often use vouching as a way to get supporters registered at the polls. The change lowers the number to eight.

One worry had been that community residential facilities would be hampered in helping residents register to vote. But the new law specifically exempts facilities, said Sara Grafstrom. She is director of advocacy and community relations for ARRM, the statewide organization that supports and works with residential facilities and individuals. “The key is that residential facilities have to decide Voting law changes - p. 4

UCare is the August Access Press issue sponsor

Pg 4 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

GUEST COMMENTARY

View public dollars as investment, not entitlement

by Steve Larson

Editor’s note: This is excerpted from testimony recently given at a hearing on Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan.

My name is Steve Larson, the Senior Policy Director for The Arc Minnesota. The Arc Minnesota provides advocacy and supports for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

During a recent planning process The Arc developed the following vision: The Arc’s vision for the future is that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) will have an annual budget allocation; will have clear guidelines about how they can spend it: will know how they will be held accountable; and, with appropriate support, will then be able to design their own services and supports to best meet their needs, goals, and dreams.

Another concept to consider is for all of us to view the public dollars spent on Minnesotans with disabilities as an investment rather than as an entitlement.

Most investments expect a return and the return expected is that individuals with disabilities will be able to “build a life” a life which is fully integrated into the community, a life in which they attain services they choose at the right time, in the right place and in the right amount. By having the goal of “building a life” with public dollars individuals will have the

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freedom to design their own services and supports system that will help them attain their personal outcomes.

Each life will and should be different and will require supports that are customized to that individuals needs. Some will require fewer supports and some will require more than available through our traditional systems.

So what are the keys to accomplishing our vision for individuals with disabilities to build a life? Number one is the successful implementation of MN Choices. With the implementation of a common assessment we can rapidly move to individual budgets for all persons with disabilities. This is the key to letting persons build their lives.

Currently 3,000 individuals on our waivers are on Consumer Directed Community Supports and have individual budgets and greater flexibility in designing their customized supports. With the transition from the personal care attendant (PCA) program to Community First Services and Supports potentially 20,000 more Minnesotans will have greater control of the resources available to them.

Another key is giving persons with disabilities control of their housing. Minnesota has the potential to move more rapidly than in the past to have Minnesotans with disabilities be in greater control of the housing in which they reside. A few of the tools in place are the Moving Home Minnesota federal grant, the availability of MSA Housing Assistance dollars, the Housing Access Services (HAS) program operated by The Arc Minnesota and its chapters with a grant from DHS, and moving more towards self-direction in our waiver programs through the initiatives in Reform 2020.

Housing Access Services has helped more than 700 individuals find places of their own in the past four years. Housing Access Services has demonstrated that

focused efforts can achieve substantial results using a person centered process that meets the needs of individuals one at a time.

The final key point I will highlight today is measurement. For years we have been able to measure the amount of dollars we have spent on persons with disabilities, we have been able to measure how many people are receiving what services but we have not be able to measure whether we are achieving the outcomes that individuals with disabilities desire.

Numerous potential measurements are identified in the draft plan. Let’s identify those measurements that will tell us whether we are achieving our goal of helping individuals build a life with the public resources available to them. Are individuals achieving their employment, housing, and other goals to live the most integrated life possible in the community? ■ Steve Larson is senior policy director for the Arc Minnesota.

Voting law changes - from p. 3 which employee or employees will vouch for residents at the polls,” Grafstrom said. Those employees would be identified to local election officials no later than 20 days prior the election. Those employees can still bring proper ID to the polls and vouch for residents.

Grafstrom and other disability community advocates like the law changes. “Any time you make voting easier, it’s good,” she said.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie praised the measures enacted by lawmakers this spring. “These laws further modernize our elections by make voting more convenient for eligible voters, and reducing costs and workload for election officials,” said Ritchie. “I thank our legislators and their bipartisan support. More work remains, however, to ensure Minnesotans have access to the ballot box and that our elections are run as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.”

“These are smart laws already in effect in many other states. These are common-sense and modest reforms that bring Minnesota closer to a system that is in alignment with our neighboring states and even closer to meeting the needs of 21st century voters while remaining cost-effective and efficient. These are smart laws already in effect in many other states.”

One disappointment is that legislators didn’t act on any proposals early to create an early voting system.

Both House and Senate bills initially did contain provisions for early voting, so that voters could cast ballots up to 15 days before an election. Election officials from around the state and various advocacy groups support early voting; noting it is simpler and less expensive than absentee voting. This proposal ran into opposition from members of both major parties.

Gov. Mark Dayton indicated he wouldn’t support changes that didn’t have broad bi-partisan support so that initiative was dropped. ■

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August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

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GUEST COMMENTARY

Lack of access a concern in new rail vehicles

by Margot Imdieke Cross

Editor’s note: As Access Press went to press, discussions were underway about ways to modify the light rail cars’ seating areas. Although modifications suggested

by Imdieke Cross are being considered, no decisions have been made. Even with the modifications, the second-generation cars will still have fewer accessibility options than the first-generation cars had.

I assert that the new, second-generation light rail transit (LRT) vehicles are inaccessible to riders who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The new vehicles fail to address our access and traveling needs and force us to separate from those who we may be traveling with and for whom we may be responsible.

The failure to involve people with disabilities in the selection process, to assure us that there would be no substantive changes in vehicle design and then to make such changes, and to fail to provide adequate access in the second-generation vehicles is an act of discrimination that will adversely impact our ability to use the LRT system.

Specifically, the new vehicles eliminate dedicated seating for wheelchair users; and companion seating for individuals traveling with the wheelchair user. The new vehicles also reduce the size of the bike racks so that they cannot be used as backup wheelchair seating. The new shared seating area only allows for wheelchair seating if the seats are unoccupied and in a flip-up position. The area could also create congestion that could be very problematic for the traveling public.

The first-generation vehicles provided a dedicated wheelchair seating area that measured 36 inches by 48 inches. The dedicated space also provided two seats for companions traveling with the wheelchair user.

I have encountered people with baby strollers or luggage seated in this area, and in those instances, other wheelchair users and I have been known to use the bike rack area as a back-up wheelchair seating area. The bike rack in the first-generation vehicles measured 50 inches wide and provided 24 inches of clear depth. A wheelchair user could easily ride in a forward or backward position in this space.

The second-generation vehicles eliminate the dedicated seating and provide in its place fold-up seats. There are four such shared seating areas per vehicle.

Because this area represents shared seating and as there are no conductors or engineers present to ask riders seated in this area to move, it will become the responsibility of the wheelchair user or his/her companions to clear the seats in order to use the seating area. It is very possible that many of the riders seated in this area may also be ambulatory disabled people or seniors and are using this seating area because of the signage. If the shared seating area is occupied by riders and they cannot or will not move, the wheelchair user will be forced to occupy space immediately inside the entrance and possibly block the entrance/exit area of the vehicle.

These new vehicles also eliminate the companion seating and force individuals who may be traveling together to separate if the companion also needs to be seated. On an evening when my husband and I returned from the Mall of America, the closest seat available to him was three rows away from where I was seated.

This was fine for us, but if I were medically fragile or if I were the responsible adult for small children, this separation wouldn’t have been advisable or acceptable.

The new vehicles designed the shared seating areas to be directly across from each other. From fold-up seat to fold-up seat the clear space measures 60 inches.

As shown, the space appears adequate. But in this instance both power chair users are using narrow adult wheelchairs.

According to state and federal access standards that have been in place for more than 20 years, the design footprint that is used when creating wheelchair access measures 30 inches by 48 inches. Thirty inches is a minimum distance for accessible design.

When two such spaces are placed side by side, and if the individuals are using

In the new vehicles, there are fold-up seats to make room for wheelchair and scooter users, instead of dedicated spaces.

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When passengers in wheelchairs are aboard a light rail vehicle, it can be difficult for other passengers to get to other seating.

Photos courtesy of Margot Imdieke Cross

full-size or large wheelchairs, the entire space could be occupied and the aisle could be completely blocked. Obstructing the aisle could be very problematic for individuals entering the vehicle and not realizing until they are on-board that the aisle is blocked.

One possible resolution would be to remove a single seat by every entry door.

This would create a space that some wheelchair users would be able to use, especially if they use a small or child’s wheelchair. One positive result is the ability to sit immediately next to their companion.

Or, in every cluster of shared seating one flip-up seat section could be removed.

Although we would lose our companion seats, the absence of a seat section would make it less likely to be occupied, and if occupied with standing passengers, easier to maneuver into the space and relocate the standing riders.

Regardless of what resolution we reach, I would like to have a written directive that the Metropolitan Council utilizes its own Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee (TAAC) when considering design options for future LRT vehicle purchases. Input from this critically important committee could have resulted in a far better, more accessible and inclusive design. ■ Imdieke Cross is Accessibility Specialist for the Minnesota State Council on Disability.

Pg 6 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

REGIONAL NEWS Actor helps veteran build home Academy Award-nominated actor Gary Sinise was in Minneapolis in early August to help a Twin Cities wounded veteran raise money to build a new home.

Sinise is best known for playing Lieutenant Dan in “Forrest Gump.” The role of the title character’s disabled Vietnam veteran friend earned Sinise an Oscar nomination in 1994. Sinise has been an active supporter of the U.S. military and operates a foundation.

Corporal Mark Litynski, who lost both of his legs and an arm in an IED blast when he was 23 years old, was the focus of the fundraising efforts. The goal is to build him and his family a “smart home,” with features so that they can all live more independently.

“We want to do everything we can to make sure he and his wife Heather have the specially-designed home so they can have a happy life,” Sinise said.

“Obviously if you lose both your legs and an arm you’re going to have some special challenges.” ■ (Source: KARE-11 News)

Halfway house loses bid to expand

Home cited in resident’s death

A North Mankato halfway house for recovering alcoholics won’t be allowed to increase its maximum occupancy from six to eight. The North Mankato City Council voted 3-2 against Belle House expansion. It was the third vote on the matter in a year. Six female residents of the house filed a petition with the city, although their attorney did the presentation. The residents said the expansion needs to be allowed under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The expansion advocates had asked one council member to recuse himself after he brought up last year’s denial of the request. But the North Mankato city attorney said that would set a bad precedent and ask council members to set aside previous opinions.

Proponents argued that expansion would be a benefit, as more residents could provide each other moral support in their efforts toward sobriety. Another issue raised was the financial viability of Bell House and how that would be affected by expansion. But city officials countered that the expansion would be a fundamental change to North Mankato’s zoning regulations. ■ (Source: Mankato Free Press)

Fairview University Transitional Services, a Minneapolis nursing home, has been cited in the January death of a resident. Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) found that the home’s staff failed to ensure that anticoagulant medication was administered to a resident. The man went into cardiac arrest and died.

The state investigation was released last month.

The nursing home is disputing the state findings, calling the incident an isolated event. MDH found that the nursing home was neglectful and that the “the facility’s policies and procedures did not provide an effective system of reviewing all medical information pertaining to treatment of the resident.”

The patient was supposed to have the drug heparin but staff members assumed other staff members were providing the drug. As a result the resident didn’t receive the correct medication.

Regulators have issued correction orders, which the facility met, including reminding caregivers of who is responsible for entering medication orders and acting on them. ■ (Source: Star Tribune)

Man sentenced for thefts A Coon Rapids man accused of stealing prosthetics and related supplies from the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis was sentenced recently in federal court. Peter Stasica Jr., 52, was sentenced to two years’ probation. He had stolen the items and sold many online, including on the auction site eBay. More than 60 items were sold on eBay. Stasica pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He must pay more than $88,000 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service. Fellow employees raised suspicions about Stasica. In one instance, a Fairview Health Services employee told investigators that Stasica interrupted a consultation with a patient and recommended a new prosthesis, which was odd be-

cause the patient already had a top model. The employee recorded the leg’s serial number. It was later found to have sold on eBay for $4,561 to a buyer in Alabama.

Stasica’s duties included buying supplies and equipment, working with vendors and advising patients about whether a new prosthetic limb was necessary. He was fired in the wake of the charge against him. He worked for the hospital’s owner, Fairview Health Services, since 1994. He also was the secretary of the Minnesota Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthists, a nonprofit industry group that promotes ethical standards. ■ (Source: Star Tribune)

Find more Regional News on page 15

Stolen bike brings support A young Minneapolis man with special needs volunteers his time to keep others safe by patrolling area walking paths on a specially designed bike. When the bike was stolen last month community members worked to help him replace it. Joe Toth had worked odd jobs for two years to earn the $1,400 needed to buy and outfit his bike. It had lights and sirens.

Joe Toth always wanted to be a police officer. He is developmentally disabled and had to find a new way to pursue his lifelong dream. He instead became a one-man safety patrol. He is a welcome sight to walkers, joggers and bikers and is equipped with first aid items to help injured outdoor enthusiasts. He also provides path directions.

The loss of the bike was devastating for the Toth family but they were delighted days later to get a generous donation toward its replacement. As of Access Press deadline the bike hadn’t been found. ■ (Source: KSTP-TV)

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August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

The 5% Campaign - from p. 1 providers for people with disabilities and older adults only saw a 1 percent increase in the final health and human services bill. When the 1 percent increase takes effect in 2014, the average worker will get an additional 12 cents per hour, according to campaign groups.

“This year our elected officials placed a high value on education, property tax relief, and balancing the state budget. But one priority they missed was adequate support for people with disabilities and older adults,” said Steve Larson, Senior Policy Director at The Arc Minnesota.

“This is a very important effort, and one you will be hearing a lot about in the weeks and months to come,” said Bruce Nelson, executive director of ARRM, a residential facilities advocacy group.

Members of the 5% Campaign argue that people with disabilities and older adults have as much value as other Minnesotans, and that the state should show that it values them by providing adequate funding for their services. Costs that continue to climb every year have been hard on organizations and institutions that provide services, and just as hard on their direct care employees.

Since the 2013 legislative session ended in May, advocacy groups have been preparing to launch the 5% Campaign. Many groups are asking state legislators for a 5% rate increase for aging adults, people with disabilities and home- and community-based services in 2014. Those include Aging Services of Minnesota, The Arc Minnesota, ARRM, Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD), Minnesota HomeCare Association, Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, Minnesota Developmental Achievement Center Association and Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation. Additional groups are expected to join the campaign.

Direct support workers and their clients will be in the front line of the campaign. “Most direct support workers make about $11 an hour, and need more than one job just to pay their bills,” said Sam Subah. He has worked for Living Well Disability Services (formerly Dakota Communities) as a caregiver for people with disabilities since 1998.

The 2013 annual update of federal Health and Human Services poverty guidelines indicate that $11 an hour or $22,000 a year is below the poverty threshold of $23,550 for a family of four. An income below $31,322 would make an individual eligible for programs including: Head Start, the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, the LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Individuals like Subah, who take care of the most vulnerable Minnesotans are eligible for poverty level programs.

Subah considers his clients to be like family. “I used to have just one job, but the cost of food, gas, everything kept going up. Now working three jobs at 57 hours a week, I still can’t afford health insurance for my three kids and my wife.”

During the 2013 legislative session, Subah told his story to legislators at a hearing. He believed his testimony was well-received. Upon learning that legislators didn’t approve the requested 5 percent pay increase this year, he was devastated, frustrated and upset.

“I felt like the ladder was pulled out from under us.

But we can’t give up,” Subah said. But legislators indicated that they could only fund so many requests.

Subah said that his pay doesn’t reflect the difficulty and stress of the work he does. “Someone might be screaming, and you have to figure out what is going on. People may not be able to speak, so when they are in the hospital, we advocate for them with doctors and make sure food is prepared properly. We give emotional support. The job is physically and mentally exhausting, but I love what I do.”

Between 2007 and 2011, provider rates dropped by 0.1 percent, while inflation increased by 9.9 percent.

Campaign advocates maintain that the 1% rate increase slated for April 2014 falls short of addressing the years of cuts. 2013 marks the fifth year in a row that services for people with disabilities and older

adults have not received rate increases to keep up with rising costs of living.

The lives that many people with disabilities and aging adults build for themselves depend on the state for critical support. Members of the 5% Campaign say these critical supports allow people to be more independent by providing staffing, housing and transportation so that people can be active employees and volunteers in their communities, fostering skill development, ensuring health and safety, and more.

Community-based services affect approximately 37,500 individuals and support thousands of jobs in Minnesota. Advocates say they are an efficient use of funding in the face of continued state budget woes.

For example, the average cost of support for an indi-

Pg 7

vidual with a developmental disability in Minnesota is about $12,000 less per year in the community than in an institutional setting.

The 5% Campaign encourages everyone to join their cause by talking with their legislators at the State Fair and MN-CCD’s upcoming Town Hall Forums, and by following ARRM’s weekly series “All in a Day’s Work: Caregiver Stories” through February.

The group asks supporters to “like” their Facebook page at facebook.com/5PercentCampaign, where updates and additional ways to get involved will be posted. To add an individual, family or an organization’s name in support of The 5% Campaign, or for more information, contact Steve Larson at 651604-8077 or stevel@arcmn.org ■

The case for an increase The 5% Campaign has four main points it is emphasizing to the public, in the quest for adequate compensation for people providing supports and services to aging adults and individuals’ with disability.

The points are the economy of employing people, the quality of life and future for Minnesotans, the direct support professionals (DSP) or caregivers themselves, and the individuals and the families.

Economy • DSPs/Caregivers and their employers are significant economic engines in Greater Minnesota.

• Investments in community based services will result in job growth throughout Minnesota.

• Community based services, as opposed to institutional care, result in long-term cost savings for the state.

Further investments in reform and innovation will spark even greater cost savings for Minnesota.

• Supporting people to stay in the community allows individuals to be more independent, hold jobs, purchase goods, and pay taxes.

Quality/Future • Low wages lead to higher staff turnover, creating more stress, less stability and lower quality care.

• Stagnant funding limits providers’ ability to explore new and innovative ways to support individuals.

• The growing number of people with disabilities

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and older Minnesotans fuels the demand for quality direct care professionals.

DSP/Caregivers • Despite performing such valuable, demanding and crucial work, the average DSP/Caregiver wage is still near the Federal poverty line. DSPs/ Caregivers receive poverty pay for professional work.

• DSPs/Caregivers are the backbone of the field; retaining consistent, trusted staff is crucial to quality care.

• DSPs/Caregivers are supporting your family; shouldn’t they be able to support their own?

• DSPs/Caregivers perform many roles: counselor, medical and mental health personnel, advocate, translator, chauffer, and many more.

Individuals and Families • Community-based services that support people with disabilities to develop strong job skills and gain professional experience provide greater opportunity to gain employment.

• Community-based services provide people with disabilities and older adults greater opportunity to be more independent in the community and build strong relationships.

• Individuals and families want and need choice in community-based services to design the life they choose in their community.

Pg 8 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

No ID required for service dogs People who rely on service animals will benefit from a change in state law, effective August 1. A law sponsored by Rep. Zachary Dorholt, DFL-St. Cloud, and Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, amended a state statute regarding service animals.

One change brings the state law in line with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA, and eliminates outdated language.

“It helps clarify the definition of service animal as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Dorholt said. “Service animals are defined as dogs that do tasks for people with disabilities. Service animals are working animals not pets.”

Another change deletes a state law provision that required service dog to be properly identified as being trained. This was done through papers that are carried by the dog’s owner. The papers stated that the dog was from a recognized training program. Some owners found it difficult to always have papers with them, and considered the requirement to be a hassle.

Groups that work with service dogs do see the change as beneficial. People with service dogs have had problems in the past. Twin Cities resident Judy Mielke and her retired service dog, Ben, are insepa-

rable. Mielke is blind and has cerebral palsy. She and Ben, who worked together for six years, were recently featured in a KSTP-TV story.

A few years ago, a restaurant owner told Mielke’s family they couldn’t book a reservation with a service dog. She filed a discrimination complaint and won.

“As a practical matter, some people will challenge somebody using a guide dog and ask for proof that it’s a guide dog,” said Chris Bell, a retired lawyer and disability rights advocate. He explained the new law to KSTP-TV. During the 2013 session he also testified to help pass the new law.

Bell, who is blind, didn’t usually carry his dog’s proof of training. He has been questioned before. “I was on a beach with (service dog) Ryan and he had his harness on, and I don’t know whether this person was in charge of the beach, he came over and said, ‘you’re not allowed to have dogs on the beach.’ And I said ‘This is a guide dog, and I’m allowed to have him wherever I’m allowed to go.’ And he challenged me and said, ‘how do I know it’s a guide dog?’” Bell said.

“The experience of being challenged doesn’t happen all that often, but it does happen, and it did violate federal law,” Bell said. ■ Information from KSTP-TV and Session Daily was used in this article.

Kacy Lyman and Jamal, his Dog Guide Photo from MCIL's Spring issue of Independently Speaking,

Offensive language removed from statutes Same-sex marriage may have stolen all of the headlines when dozens of new laws took effect August 1. But one law change may deserve as much celebration by Minnesotans with disabilities.

The 2013 Minnesota Legislature reviewed numerous statutes and removed antiquated and offensive language including the word “retarded.” The R word has been replaced with modern references, including “person with developmental disabilities.” Although offensive language hadn’t been used in laws for many years there were still many updates needed.

The law making the changes was sponsored by Rep. Zachary Dorholdt, DFL-St. Cloud, and Sen. Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center. The law also makes changes in information sharing with the state and the Remembering With Dignity Project. This ongoing project replaces serial number grave markers with name markers.

Most of the 144 laws approved by legislators and signed by Gov. Mark Dayton took effect August 1.

The laws cover everything from the mining industry to foster families. Arsonists face stiffer penalties, as do people who make prank 911 calls.

One change affects Minnesota military veterans with 100 percent service-connected permanent disability. They can apply for a free permanent card that allows them to receive a free small game and eithersex deer hunting license each year. The Minnesota

Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced the change.

“Our veterans have made great sacrifices to secure our freedoms, which in Minnesota include the freedom to enjoy the great outdoors,” said Dayton.

“Through their service to our state and country, disabled veterans have more than earned the right to hunt in Minnesota free of charge.”

“We appreciate the sacrifices made by our disabled veterans, and this is one small thing the DNR can do to make it easier for them to enjoy the outdoors,” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr.

Disabled veterans will no longer have to bring their paperwork to the license agent every year, but will only have to apply one time and receive a permanent card.

The DNR has mailed letters and applications to 2,294 disabled veterans who have previously obtained a free small game or either-sex deer license.

Other Minnesota resident military veterans with 100 percent service-connected permanent disability, as defined by the U.S. Veterans Administration, may obtain an application online at www.mndnr.gov/ military or call toll-free at 877-348-0498 Curious about other new laws? Have some time to read? Link to them at http://tinyurl.com/nx57gsp And as for the bills that didn’t get passed in 2013, there’s always next year. The 2014 Minnesota Legislature convenes Tuesday, February 25, 2014. ■

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August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

Pg 9

Gophers bring cheer to campers

PEOPLE & PLACES Rosenthal named director of deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing unit The Minnesota Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division has a new director. David Rosenthal became director earlier this summer. He is responsible for managing the division and its services for the at-risk deaf, deafblind and hard of hearDavid Rosenthal ing people living in Minnesota. He succeeds Bruce Hodek, who retired.

“In a national search, David stood out as well qualified and as sharing our commitment to helping people who are deaf and hard of hearing to live independently, engage with their families and participate in their communities,” said Loren Colman, assistant commissioner for the Continuing Care Administration.

Rosenthal brings to the position an extensive background in services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. He was president of the Kansas Telecommunications Industry Association since 2007. In that job, he oversaw the Kansas Relay Service, which administers the Telecommunications Relay Service contract and the Telecommunications Access Program in Kansas.

Before that he worked as community relations manager for AT&T in Kansas from 1990-2007. He was involved in the initial development of the Telecommunications Relay Service in Kansas, including program and facilities design and personnel planning and training. He also developed program policies and public relations strategies resulting in significant improvement in customer satisfaction with the relay service and growth in call volume.

Rosenthal also served as executive director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing from 1986 to 1990. ■

Several University of Minnesota Gopher football players made a surprise appearance for campers and staff at Camp Friendship in July. Bringing new excitement to camp, the players set up various activities for campers including flag football and an obstacle course. The football players and campers had a fun day together, which ended with campers lining up for autographed maroon and gold t-shirts.

Offensive lineman Johan Pirsig first learned about camp from his sister Whitney, who is a counselor at Camp Friendship. Her enthusiasm for the camp inspired her brother to volunteer his time and bring some teammates along.

“She always misses camp so much and talks about how much she loves the campers,” Pirsig said. “I think I have the same feeling she does.”

Throughout the summer the Camps of Courage & Friendship invites special guests and community leaders to provide entertainment and special activities for campers.

“It’s always great to see the community get involved with camp. We are excited to have a new relationship with Gopher sports and look forward to building on it,” said Erin LaVine, camp activities coordinator.

Fraser has new clinical operations director Mary Jo Jensen is now the clinical operations director at Fraser, a Minnesota nonprofit serving children and adults with special needs. Jensen will oversee operation functions for all Fraser clinical service locations.

She will also focus on systems Mary Jo Jensen and processes to improve and enhance the client experience.

Jensen was previously employed at Courage Center for the last 25 years, most recently as the compliance quality and education consultant. She managed multiple projects including leading the Courage Center therapy areas through the development and implementation of the documentation component of their electronic medical record. In addition, Jensen put multiple audits and oversight systems in place that improved billing accuracy to more than 98% and eliminated documentation compliance issues.

Jensen is a physical therapist by training and also a longtime supervisor and clinical operations manager.

She received her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the College of St. Scholastica. ■

Woman a leader in teaching of Braille Some believe Braille, the tactile reading method used by the blind, is slow and hard to learn. One Minnesota woman has proven that isn’t true. Two national organizations serving the blind have given her their highest awards because of her revolutionary teaching methods.

Emily Wharton, Curriculum and Technology Coordinator at BLIND, Inc. Minneapolis, is the 2013 recipient of the A Touch of Genius Award by the National Braille Press. She is also the winner of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award by the National Federation of the Blind. The awards include grants of $10,000 from National Braille Press and $15,000 from the Federation. The latter is the largest Bolotin grant given this year. The awards recognize the result of Wharton’s

work in developing the Code Master system of Braille instruction.

Wharton has received attention worldwide for her efforts. About 1.4 million Americans are legally blind, including up to 40,000 Minnesotans. Braille is an area where there had been little innovation over the last century. Today only 10 percent of legally children are taught Braille nationwide, compared to about 60 percent in the 1960s.

Wharton’s work has put BLIND, Inc. on the map in the Braille world, according to Executive Director Shawn Mayo. “The whole field of work with the blind is excited about this development,” said Mayo.

“We’ve gotten lots of calls, and now Emily has been People & Places/Braille - p. 10

Each year the Camps of Courage & Friendship provide fun activities for about 4,000 people with developmental or physical disabilities and special needs.

Camp locations include Camp Friendship near Annandale, Camp Eden Wood in Eden Prairie, Camp New Hope near McGregor, Camp Courage near Maple Lake and Camp Courage North near Lake George. ■

Pg 10 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

PEOPLE & PLACES MCIL groundbreaking is celebrated The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) is on the move from St. Paul’s Midway area to downtown. The consumer-directed nonprofit organization serves the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area.

The 30-year-old organization held a groundbreaking ceremony July 17 at its future home at 530 N. Robert St., St. Paul. Dozens of people, including elected officials, MCIL Board members, staff and consumers, attended the event. After the ceremony many participants went to a reception and press conference at Keys Café. “Needless to say, the staff, board, customers and partners are very excited for this next stage in our organizational growth and development,” said Executive Director David Hancox.

Renovation of the new space got underway this summer. The center hopes to make the big move in November. The building will replace leased space at 1600 University Ave. The new space provides enhanced facilities, community meeting space, and greater access to public transportation services. It also marks the first time in the organization’s history that it will own its own building.

Like the 535 other Centers for Independent Living across the country, the St. Paul-based organization

practices and promotes the independent living philosophy by providing the four core independent living services including skills training, peer support, systemic and individual advocacy, and information and referral services. The organization also provides many other helpful services, including ramp building, nursing home relocation, a personal care attendant program, an education to employment program, transition program and fun social events and lifelong learning classes for youth and young adults with disabilities.

MCIL’s consumer-directed support services program provides personal care assistance or direct support professional to disabled individuals, with 200 direct services professional. Its nursing home relocation program has helped 190 individuals transition from costly nursing home and institutional settings into homes of their choice. The nationally recognized ramp project has installed more than 5,000 entryway ramps for metro area consumers.

The consumer directed nonprofit also works with state agencies. The Department of Employment and Economic Development/Rehabilitation Services and MCIL work together to provide independent living services to customers at workforce centers. The St. Paulbased center works with the Department of Human SerPeople & Places/Braille - from p. 9 invited to write a separate book for use with blind children.” Wharton herself is a little embarrassed by all the attention she has received, and tends to downplay her accomplishments. Her system is revolutionary, and in a field where Braille teaching methods haven’t changed much in the last 100 years, that says a lot.

BLIND, Inc. already is a national federation training center for blind persons of all ages. Using previous Braille instructional systems, students often needed six months or longer to learn Braille. Code Master students can learn Braille in six weeks. Instead of using “one size fits all” learning texts, Code Master students use a variety of methods geared toward different learning styles to learn the Braille code. Having the new system available for learning allows more people to learn Braille more quickly.

The system leverages adults’ ability to understand the logic of systems and utilize context. They work on building speed and fluency by reading books and articles they choose rather than textbook materials. This increases their motivation and reduces stress.

Under the Code Master system, Braille and computer technology are fully integrated. Students have Braille access to the nearly limitless amount of reading material available on the internet through the use

Pictured above are: Wayne Olson, Carnivore Inc; David Hancox, Executive Director, MCIL; Ellie Emanuel, ChairMCIL Board of Directors; Jay Hammond, Highland Bank; Scott England, DJR Architects; Jamie Flannery, Flannery Construction.

Courtesy of Paulphotography.net

vices and the Southeastern Center for Independent Living in Rochester to operate the Disability Linkage Line. The line is a one-stop call center for information for persons with disabilities or chronic illnesses. ■ MCIL can be contacted at 651-646-8342 or www.mcil-mn.org/

of refreshable Braille displays and in hard copy through the use of Braille embossers. Wharton also coined the term “Braillitude” to highlight the importance of a positive attitude about Braille as a crucial component in her approach.

In a recent Star Tribune interview, Wharton said she decided to learn Braille during a coffeehouse poetry reading, while she was a student at Drake University in Des Moines. She had always worn thick glasses and worked hard to graduate high school and study English literature. She was waiting to recite her poetry but someone dimmed the lights and she could no longer see her work. Someone finally turned up the lights, but for Wharton the answer was all too clear.

“Forget this,” she said. “I have to learn Braille.”

Wharton began developing her Braille textbook in 2009. It incorporated memorization, writing and touch, as well as several routes to learning: an audio CD for aural learners, for example, and charts for visual learners. A year later, she offered her first class at Blind Inc., integrating Braille and technology, the latter which has opened up the world to Braille users.

She’s taught the system to more than 100 students, from age 18 to 60. The National Braille Press will publish her method and distribute it throughout the world. Learn more at www.blindinc.org/ ■

August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 11

PEOPLE & PLACES Arts access grants go to 12 groups Twelve Twin Cities arts organizations were awarded grants in June for projects to make their arts programs more accessible to people with disabilities.

The grants totaled $161,261.

Funding for the ADA Access Improvement Grants for Metro Arts Organizations is from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. The funds help nonprofit arts organizations in the seven-county Twin Cities area to improve programs, projects, equipment, or facilities in ways that have the potential for significant or long-term impact in involving more people with disabilities as participants or patrons in arts programs.

VSA Minnesota administers the grant program for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC).

Here are summaries of the 12 projects: Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, $8,073. The Cedar will cultivate its current partnerships with Courage Center, WorkAbilities and Interact, and develop new partnerships by engaging these organizations’ constituents with music programming. The Cedar will also implement SightCompass, a digital descriptive service used with a mobile device App that

provides detailed access to spaces for those with vision loss, hearing loss, deafblind, dyslexia, or anxiety disorders, and by improving accessibility of its website.

Coffee House Press, Minneapolis, $15,000. Coffee House is committed to making its books accessible to all readers. Making sure its catalog is accessible to the blind and print-disabled will be done by direct distribution of text files that can be read by a variety of devices. Converting books into text files and distributing them via website offers an easy, consistent route for readers.

History Theatre, St. Paul, $15,000. History Theatre will expand its accessibility services by purchasing audio description equipment. This offers more flexibility to offer additional audio described performances as needed. It also will provide advanced training of the Accessibility Coordinator and hiring consultants to facilitate training with History Theatre staff and volunteers on accessibility services.

Lee Carlson Center’s Bridgeview Art Program, Fridley, $15,000, Bridgeview is a psycho-social dropin center for adults living with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Many of its 400 participants have innate artistic talents that with the right supportive environment can be more fully developed. With a more fully professional art studio environment, Bridgeview participants can be the artists they truly are and be appreciated by the community.

Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, $13,923, The Loft Literary Center seeks to increase accessibility of

—————— In Memoriam ————— He made sure others were remembered Jim Fassett-Carman was a man who worked to make sure Minnesotans who died in state institutions would always be remembered.

Now friends and colleagues are remembering the skilled community organizer and advocate for people with disabilities. Fassett-Carman died July 25 at his Minneapolis home.

Fassett-Carman worked for Advocating Change Together (ACT) and its Remembering with Dignity project, which provides headstones and remembrances of people who died while living in state institutions.

He also worked for several other nonprofits and as a teacher. He was also a stay-at-home father. A Twin Cities resident for 35 years, Fassett-Carman was born in Rochester, N.Y. He attended Kodaikanal International School in India and graduated from Macalester College with a degree in anthropology.

Jim Fassett-Carman Fassett-Carman was happiest when he was helping others, according to friends and family. He is also described as someone who was a warm and positive presence in the lives of others. He was remembered Aug. 1 at a ceremony at Lyndale Peace Gardens.

He is survived by his wife, Karen, children, Jamie, Al, and Robin, parents, Robert and Lucille Carman, his brother and sister, Chuck Carman and Betsy Perkins, and beloved dog, Martin. He was preceded in death by his brother Paul Carman. ■

its offices, Resource Library and writers’ studios through capital improvements and bring the Loft’s classrooms in Open Book to ADA compliance through the installation of assistive listening technology. The goal is to create an inclusive writing community – inviting, welcoming, honoring and respecting all constituents.

Minnesota African American Museum & Cultural Center, Minneapolis, $12,744. Creating a welcoming and physically accessible space for persons with disabilities includes installation of an exterior access ramp, installing handicap restrooms, improving framing a wheelchair lift, audio and Braille, and signage.

The Minnesota African American Museum and Cultural Center is located in historic Coe Mansion on the Minneapolis arts corridor of Third Avenue. As a regPeople & Places/Arts access grants - p. 16

Pg 12 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

PEOPLE & PLACES MN-CCD recognizes advocates

Minnesota Consortium for People with Disabilities recently honored its top advocates and celebrated 2013 legislative accomplishments.

Above is MN-CCD Director Rebecca Coving-ton.

At lower right is the cake the group enjoyed.

Self-advocates who received awards from MN-

CCD leadership are Jayne Stenstad and Larry Smith of Lutheran Social Services, Jean Bender from The Arc Minnesota and Autism Society of Minnesota, Heidi Myhre of The Arc Minnesota and Kari Sheldon of the Spina Bifida Association and ADAPT. (The honorees are not listed in order.) â– Photos courtesy of MN-CCD

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August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 13

Enjoy opera outdoors

ACCESSIBLE FUN Welcome to the Access Press Accessible Fun listings. Readers looking for additional opportunities to enjoy the arts have these options: For information on galleries and theater performances around the state, join the Access to Performing Arts email list at access@vsamn.org or call VSA Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or statewide 800-801-3883 (voice/TTY).

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

On the web accessible performance listings are found at www.vsamn.org/calendar.html, www.mrid.org, www.accesspress.org, or http://c2net.org (c2: caption coalition, inc.), which does most of the captioned shows in Minnesota and across the country.

Connect with performances on Facebook. Sign up to connect with Audio Description Across Minnesota on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Audio-DescriptionAcross-Minnesota/202035772468). Sign up to connect with ASL Interpreted and Captioned Performances Across Minnesota on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ pages/ASL-Interpreted-and-Captioned-PerformancesAcross-Minnesota/257263087700814).

Save the date for Rise gala Rise, Inc. hosts its annual gala 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thu, Oct. 10 at International Market Square, Mpls. Network with area business leaders, families, and participants in Rise’s employment and housing programs. Enjoy great food and music. Proceeds support Rise programs, including the vans and buses that are taking people to work at hundreds of area companies. Emcee is WCCOTV’s Jason DeRusha. Be a table or event sponsor. FFI: Betsy Jaros, sponsorships, 763-792-2415; 763-7868334 general information; www.rise.org

Dreams of a Cobbler’s Son The Young Artists Initiative presents an original musical fantasy about the childhood of Hans Christian Andersen, as written by for the theater company’s 10th anniversary celebration. The show is at the performance space at Wellstone Center, 179 Robie St. E., St. Paul. ASL show is 7:30 p.m. Sat, Aug. 17. Tickets are $8, $5 senior/student/child; at the door or online. FFI: www.youngartistsmn.org

Singin’ in the Rain The light-hearted romantic comedy about the transition from silent to sound movies is presented by Bloomington Civic Theatre at Bloomington Center for the Arts, Schneider Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington. AD show is 7:30 p.m. Fri, Sept. 6. ASL show is 2 p.m. Sat, Sept. 7. Tickets are reduced to $25 for AD/ASL (regular $32, $29 senior, $25 age 25 & under). FFI: 952-563-8575; boxoffice@btacmn.org, www.btacmn.org

Minneapolis Monarch Festival Lake Nokomis Naturescape Gardens, 50th Street & Lake Nokomis Parkway (northeast corner of the lake), Mpls, is the site for the free festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat, Sept. 7.

Celebrate the monarch butterflies’ 2,300-mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with food, dance, music, live monarchs, migration games, art activities (including print-making with a mini-steamroller), native plant sales, and information about creating monarch habitat at home.

There is a small fee for the kids’ fun runs. Events on the main stage will be signed. The info booth will serve as the contact point to connect with the interpreter. FFI: 612-313-7784, www.monarchfestival.org

Sign Language Saturday at Minnesota Renaissance Festival Minnesota Renaissance Festival hosts Sign Language Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat, Sept. 7 at the festival grounds on Hwy 169, seven miles south of Shakopee.

Tickets are $21.95 (advance $18.95); child 5-12 $12.95 (advance $10.50); senior 65+ $19.95; under 4 free. Discount tickets available online and after Aug. 5 at partici-

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Mixed Precipitation is in area gardens, presenting Agent Fidelio: A Picnic Operetta. Emerging from the garden in this adaptation of Beethoven’s only operetta are secret agents, covert operations and undercover antics, all mashed up with many musical surprises and served with a sampling menu of locally sourced bites.

Food is used to tell the story. Performances began Aug. 10 and are held in 14 community gardens on Saturdays, Sundays, and select Fridays through Sept. 15, rain or shine. Food is used to tell the story, with talent chefs as well as talented performers. Project creator Nick Performer interaction with the audience is part of the fun.

Schneider honed his skills in the kitchens of Cafe Photo courtesy of Mixed Precipitation Brenda and Spoonriver Café.

The performance is designed for an outdoor garden venue. A sighted guide is suggested for visually impaired patrons. Patrons are encouraged to call Access Coordinator Scottie Hall (415-640-2116) to inquire about parking suggestions and access to each unique venue. Additional info about access can be found at mixedprecipitation.org Space is very limited and reservations are required. Performances are in Minneapolis, Falcon Heights, West St. Paul, Eagan, St. Paul, Hastings, North Branch and St. Louis Park. Suggested donation is $10 to $20 per person. FFI: 1-800-838-3006 or visit mixedprecipitation.org ■ pating Menards, Super America, Whole Foods Market and Walgreens. Discount coupons available at participating Subway & Papa Murphy’s locations. Free parking.

FFI: 952-445-7361, info@renaissancefest.com, www.renaissancefest.com

Gallery Tour Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls, hosts its monthly ASL interpreted tour 2 p.m. Sat, Sept. 7. The event is free. A tour guide and interpreter work in tandem to bring works of art to life in hour-long conversational strolls through the galleries and, during the summer, in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The free tour begins in the Bazinet Garden Lobby next to the admission desk, and registration is not required. Assisted listening devices and portable stools are available for tours. Large-print and Braille visitor guides are available at the lobby desk. Audio description is programmed for selected events and also available by request with at least two weeks advance notice. FFI: 612-375-7609, education.resources@walkerart.org, http://learn.walkerart.org/accessibility.wac or http://www.walkerart.org/visit/accessibility.

A Splendid Legacy: Minnesota Collectors and their Stories Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S. hosts an ASL interpreted tour 1 p.m. Sun, Sept. 8. This is a change in date; no tour Sept. 1. A free ASL-interpreted public tour is typically on the first Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. begins by the Information Desk in the museum lobby. Interpreted tours are also scheduled on other days. On the second weekend of each month, free tours are offered for visitors with memory loss, Alzheimer’s and their friends or care partners. FFI: 612-870-3131, TTY 612-870-3132; dhegstro@artsmia.org, www.artsmia.org

Fool for Love Sam Shepard’s tale of love and loss is directed by Bain Boehlke and performed by Jungle Theater at Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls. Assistive listening devices available. AD show is 7:30 p.m. Thu, Sept. 19.

Tickets are reduced to $10 (regular $20-38); FFI: 612822-7063; boxoffice@jungletheater.com, www.jungletheater.com ■

Pg 14 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

Silent auction a banquet highlight

UPCOMING EVENTS Advocacy Olmstead Plan meetings Public meetings and listening sessions throughout Minnesota are set to hear input on the state’s Olmstead Plan. The Olmstead Sub-Cabinet is committed to providing accommodations to people with disabilities so that everyone can participate in the listening sessions. Hear about the plan’s status and make comments. It is important that people come to these meetings to make their voices heard regarding this plan. The events are; 1-4 p.m. Tue, Aug. 13 at Duluth City Hall Council Chambers, 411 W. 1st St.; and 1-3 p.m. Mon, Aug. 19 at Heintz Center Commons, Rochester Community and Technical College, 1926 College View Road. Anyone needing accommodations or modifications because of a disability should contact organizers at least two weeks in advance and provide specific information on what is needed, as well as contact information. FFI: opc.public@state.mn.us Mark recovery month The Minnesota Department of Human Services will mark the beginning of Recovery Month this September with an event celebrating Minnesotans in recovery from addiction and mental health disorders, particularly veterans and service members. The kick-off event, which will focus on the needs of veterans, service members and their families, is set for Wed, Sept., 4, in Rooms 2370/80 at the Elmer L. Andersen Human Services Building, 540 Cedar St, St. Paul. Resource tables will be open and a social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a program from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Free parking is available in the Andersen building ramp, which can be entered from Minnesota Street between 10th and 11th streets. Kevin McCauley, a former naval flight surgeon who treated pilots with alcohol and drug problems, will be the keynote speaker for the event. As a physician and co-founder of the Institute for Addiction Study in Salt Lake City, McCauley advocates for the rights of addicts as patients.

State and federal officials also have been invited to speak. The event is free and all are welcome, but those attending should RSVP. FFI: 651-431-3250, dhs.adad@state.mn.us Attend district meeting The Arc Greater Twin Cities invites residents of Senate District 48 to discuss issues affecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families with elected officials, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mon, Aug. 12.

The event is at the home of Barb and Dave Kleist,4309 Blenheim Circle, Minnetonka, Elected officials invited to participate are Sen. David Hann, Rep. Jenifer Loon, Rep. Yvonne Selcer, Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison, Minnetonka City Council Member Brad Wiersum, Minnetonka School Board Members Lisa Wagner and Peg Keenan and Metropolitan Council Member Jennifer Munt. Home visit participants can help educate state and local policymakers by sharing their stories and perspectives on issues such as transportation, special education, recreation, Consumer Directed Community Supports, county case management services, Medical Assistance and state budget issues impacting Hennepin County. The event is free bit space is limited, so preregister. FFI: 952-915-3665, denafelper@thearcgtc.org

One highlight of the annual Access Press Charlie Smith Awards banquet is the silent auction. Another highlight is the “pick your prize” raffle. A number of wonderful donations have come in, including original art and craft items, a cabin stay, sports and theater tickets, gift baskets and restaurant gift certificates.

More items are needed to make the event a success. Donating an item is a great way to help Access Press, Minnesota’s disability community newspaper.

Proceeds from the silent auction and raffle go toward newspaper operations.

Donating is also a great way to spotlight a business’s products and services, show off a talent or skill, or share something others will enjoy.

To donate, contact Dawn Frederick at 651-6442133 or dawn@accesspress.org This year’s banquet is Friday, Nov. 1 at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott. Tickets are available through the newspaper website, at www.accesspress.org Learn about PCA union Join people with disabilities, seniors, family members, advocates, PCAs, support workers and other professionals to hear about new laws that will change the way services are delivered. Ask questions about the law effects and share ideas and feedback about how best to implement the new laws. Meet others in your area and learn about how services for elders and people with disabilities are delivered. The meeting is 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tue, Aug. 27 at in the community room, Roseville Branch/ Ramsey County Library, 2180 Hamline Ave. N, Roseville. Presenter is Galen Smith, co-founder of disability rights group ADAPT Minnesota”Metro Chapter, a member of the Community First Services and Supports Implementation Council at the Department of Human Services, and an Organizer and Policy Specialist at SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, the healthcare workers union. Call ahead for accommodations. FFI: Galen Smith, 651-285-5364, galen.smith@seiuhealthcaremn.org The Arc Minnesota hosts conference Mark your calendars for The Arc Minnesota’s 2013 state conference Nov. 1-2 at the Doubletree Park Place in St. Louis Park. This year’s theme is “Raising Expectations: Achieving Your Goals and Dreams.” International motivational speaker and author Jonathan Friesen will kick off the conference.. The Conference Planning Committee is finalizing workshop topics, and workshop presenters, and the Awards Committee is collecting nominations for outstanding Minnesotans and Minnesota organizations to honor at the awards banquet during the conference. Join us for another great event that will benefit self-advocates, parents, direct care staff, and members of The Arc. More information coming in the weeks ahead. Questions? Contact Mike Gude at mikeg@arcmn.org or 1-800-582-5256,ext.113

Activities for adults Attend Bible study AGAPE Bible Study for individuals with special needs meets Monday evenings starting 7-8:45 p.m. Mon, Sept.

9th at Roseville Covenant Church (Hamline and County Road C2, wheelchair accessible). Participants need to be able to read and write. The purpose is to learn about the Bible and God’s love. The AGAPE program is an out-

reach ministry of the international organization Community Bible Study. Preregister. FFI: Linda, 651-490-9041 Mental Health first aid course The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota (NAMI-MN) will hold a free Mental Health First Aid training course to teach the basic first aid skills needed to help a person who is experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. This two-day, 12-hour course is aimed at improving mental health literacy. It is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 13-14, at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St. Participants should bring a lunch. Participants will receive a course manual and certificate for completing the course.

Preregistration required. FFI: 651-645-2948 Independent living classes offered The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living offers free and accessible classes on living independently for people with disabilities. Most classes are held at 1600 University Ave., #16, the green tile building at University and Snelling, St. Paul, unless specified.

A full calendar of all events is offered online. Enjoy field trips, knitting and crafts, wii fun, cooking, and classes to help with everyday living. Field trips to destinations including the farmers’ market and area parks are also offered.

Weekenders outings are for those who are tired of sitting home all weekend. Meet other people who share similar interests and want to meet new people. Guests are welcomed. Please bring spending money for weekenders events. All other events are free of charge, accessible and mostly scent-free. Please RSVP and give two weeks’ notice of needed accommodations. FFI: Corbett Laubignat, 651-603-2028, corbettl@mcil-mn.org, Cindy, 651-603-2037, cindyl@mcil-mn.org,or www.mcilmn.org

Youth and families College success workshop Mental illness doesn’t mean college is out of reach.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota hosts a free College Success workshop for teens, young adults and parents of teens to learn about achieving college success when living with a mental illness.

The workshop is 6-8 p.m. Wed, Aug. 21, at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave, Whitby Hall - Room 121, St. Paul. A successful graduate living with depression and anxiety will share what worked, and what they wish they had done differently as an undergraduate. College professionals will share information on accommodations provided by Disability Services, how to succeed living on campus, financial aid, scholarships, career planning and more. Preregister. FFI: 651-645-2948

Information and assistance Chronic pain support group MCIL offers a peer support group for people who live with chronic pain. The group will start meeting 6:30 the first and third Thursday at MCIL, 1600 University Ave. #16, St. Paul. Group members will discuss what chronic pain is and how it affects people. FFI: Cindy Langr, 651-603-2037, cindyl@mcil-mn.org UCare meetings UCare hosts informational meetings about its UCare for Seniors Medicare Advantage plan. Meetings are held all over the region. UCare for Seniors has more than 75,000 members across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. UCare serves Medicare-eligible individuals and families enrolled in income-based Minnesota Health

Upcoming Events - p. 17

August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 15

THEATER GUIDE Enjoying popcorn and candy, watching the coming attractions and getting involved in a great story are part of the fun of going to the movies. Many Minnesota theaters have technology available for those who have visual or hearing disabilities. VSA Minnesota has compiled a list of resources available to explain the latest technology and help Minnesotans find accessible theaters.

Rear Window® Captioning displays reversed captions on a LED text display which is mounted in the rear of a theater. Patrons who are deaf or hard-ofhearing use transparent acrylic panels attached to their seats to reflect the captions so they appear superimposed on the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theater without bothering patrons in surrounding seats.

DVS Theatrical® presents concise descriptive narration of visual cues, including actions, settings, scene changes, facial expressions and silent movement, through an FM or infrared system, making movies more meaningful to people with vision loss. The moviegoer hears the narration on a headset without disturbing other audience members and at no extra cost.

The Media Access Group at WGBH in Boston developed Rear Window Captioning and DVS Theatrical.

Films equipped with MoPix technology are listed at http://ncam.wgbh.org/mopix/nowshowing.html#mn.

Moviegoers can call 617-300-3400 or TTY: 617-3002489, or email access@wgbh.org for more details.

Some cinemas use other variations of open captioning, which is a text display of words and sounds heard during a performance, film, video, speech or dialogue. The display is “open” for anyone to see in a particular seating area.

Enjoy popcorn, treats and a movie The website www.captionfish.com lists cinemas with access features. To find a theater in a specific area, type in a zip code and the website provides current listings of nearby movies with open or closed captioning, an audio description track, or English subtitles in foreign films.

The following movie complexes in Minnesota offer captioning or description services: At the Science Museum of Minnesota Omnitheater, Mystery of the Maya is showing through the end of 2013 with Closed Rear View Captioning (CC), Audio Description (AD) and Spanish translation available. The theater and museum are at 120 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul.

Take a journey back in time with the explorers who unearthed this majestic ancient civilization in the jungles of Central America in the early 19th century.

Filmed on location at sacred sites throughout the Maya regions, it features re-enactments of the archaeological expeditions that uncovered what we know about the Maya and showcases some of their most remarkable achievements in mathematics. 45 minutes.

Tickets are $8 adults, $7 senior/child, with a $3 online order service fee. Films are free for members.

There is an additional charge to tour the museum. To request accommodations for exhibits, call at least 72 hours in advance:651-221-9406. Open Monday-Wed. 9:30-5:00, Thurs.-Sat. 9:30 a.m. -9 p.m., and Sun. noon- p.m. For films call 651-221-9444 or 651-2219411, option 2 for film times, reservations or questions; TTY 651-221-4585. For films and general questions, email info@smm.org or check the website at www.smm.org/accessibility; www.smm.org/hours; or www.smm.org/tickets AMC Showplace Inver Grove 16, 5567 Bishop Avenue, Inver Grove Heights. The former Kerasotes theater generally offers open captioned films generally Wed.-Thurs. FFI: 651-453-1916; 888-AMC 4FUN. www.amctheatres.com/InverGrove/

Continued from p. 6

REGIONAL NEWS Neglect found at nursing home The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has reported findings of neglect at a Cold Spring nursing home. The investigation at Assumption Home followed the death of a resident. The resident died of asphyxiation after the person’s neck became lodged between a bed mattress and a bed rail. In July MDH determined that the nursing home should be cited for neglect. There was no evidence that the home assessed the risks versus benefits of using a bed rail, sometimes called a grab bar. “Nursing homes are entrusted with the care of vulnerable adults and a death like this is totally unacceptable,” said Commissioner of Health Ed Ehlinger in a statement. “As a result of this death, we want all health settings where bed rails are used to take immediate steps to make sure they are following the correct guidelines around bed rails, grab bars and other devices.”

There is a strangulation risks associated with some bed rails and the individual requiring them. Health care providers are required to assess whether the potential benefits of their use outweigh the dangers.

State and federal guidelines require all places where bed rails are used to be individually assessed and evaluated for certain patients, such as those with dementia. MDH could find no evidence that Assumption Home completed the required assessment for bed rails.

Assumption reported the incident to the MDH Office of Health Facility Complaints, which investigates suspected violations of the Minnesota Vulnerable Adult Protection Act. To return to compliance, the facility put together a corrective plan that was implemented and confirmed by an MDH site visit.

The resident who died had dementia, impaired mobility, chronic pain, and a history of falls out of wheelchairs and beds. The name wasn’t released. ■ (Source: St. Cloud Times)

Human services probe examined The Minnesota Department of Human Services is now scrutinizing what is being described as a “rogue investigation” involving three high-ranking state psychiatrists. Some see the incidents as part of a breakdown in management in the state’s mental health system. The incident was investigated by the Star Tribune newspaper, which has been closely following ongoing controversies among state psychiatrists and raising concerns about what that means for patient care.

The latest incident began with a psychiatrist secretly monitoring one of her superiors at a top state officer’s request. It then grew into an unauthorized outside investigation.

Dr. Suzanne Witterholt, a psychiatrist at the state’s regional treatment center in Anoka, alleged that she was instructed last summer to covertly monitor the activities of Dr. Steven Pratt, medical director at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter. Witterholt said the order to do so was from the state’s top medical officer, Dr. Alan Radke.

After Witterholt’s inquiries triggered staff complaints in St. Peter and came to Pratt’s attention, he filed a formal complaint with his superiors, who then hired an outside investigator without telling the agency’s commissioner or her deputy.

Top DHS officials were unaware of the chain of events until the Star Tribune newspaper raised questions. Deputy Human Services Commissioner Anne Barry said that the incident is an example of senior managers failing to put patient care first. She told the newspaper that she will redouble her efforts to change the workplace culture in the agency’s mental health division.

Radke submitted his resignation last week, effective in October, as he is leaving for a position in Hawaii. He is the fourth top mental-health administrator to leave the department since 2010. ■ (Source: Star Tribune)

AMC Eden Prairie Mall 18 Theatres, 8251 Flying Cloud Drive Suite 4000, Eden Prairie. The theater is in the Eden Prairie Shopping Center, Hwy 212 & I-494. Park in upper level lot between Sears and Kohl’s. Accessible films are shown in Auditorium 7; patrons may need to sit in certain area for description headsets to work. FFI: 952-656-0010; 888-AMC4FUN, e-mail: 0650@amctheatres.com, www.amcentertainment.com AMC Rosedale 14 Theatres, 850 Rosedale Center, Roseville. Accessible films in Auditorium 14. FFI: 651-604-9347, e-mail: 0651@amctheatres.com, www.amcentertainment.com Oakdale Ultrascreen Cinemas (Marcus Theatres), 5677 Hadley Ave. N., I-694 & Hwy 36, Oakdale.

FFI: 651-770-4992; 651-770-4994 recorded information. This theater uses Digital Theatre Systems, Inc. to superimpose open-captions over the bottom of select movies on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Subscribe to Open Caption weekly e-mail at Web: www.marcustheatres.com/opencaption.cfm or www. marcustheatres.com/theater.cfm?theater_id=2506.

Regal Brooklyn Center 20, 6420 Camden Ave N., Brooklyn Center. The theater can present films with open captioning or descriptive video. FFI: 763-560-6300, www.fandango.com/55122_movietheatershowtimes Regal Eagan 16, 2055 Cliff Road, Eagan. Accessible films in Auditorium 15. FFI: 651-452-8329, www.fandango.com/55122_movietheatershowtimes Marcus Lakes Cinema, 4351 Stebner Rd., Hermantown, and Marcus Duluth Theatre, 300 Harbor Drive, Canal Park, Duluth. Both theaters have Rear Window Captioning and DVS when available.

FFI: 218-729-0335; www.marcustheatres.com ■

Pg 16 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8

Radio Talking Book

August Sampling

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. Phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The catalog is online and can be accessed by going to the main website, www.mnbtbl.org, and then clicking on the link Search the Library Catalog.

Persons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies of books via 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 programs from the last week, on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/rtb. Call the staff at 651-6420500 for a password to the site. See more information about events on the Facebook site for the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network. Facebook is a free social networking web site. Register at www.facebook.com Access Press is one of the publications featured at 9 p.m. Sundays on the program It Makes a Difference.

Weekend program books Your Personal World (Saturday at 1 p.m.) is airing Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much, by Colette Baron-Reid; For the Younger Set (Sunday at 11 a.m.) is airing The Mostly True Story of Jack, by Kelly Barnhill, and Strike Three You’re Dead, by Josh Berk; Poetic Reflections (Sunday at noon) is airing Mother Desert, by Jo Sarzotti, Pitch, by Todd Boss, and Incarnadine, by Mary Szybist; The U.S. and Us (Sunday at 4 p.m.) is airing Thirty Rooms to Hide In, by Luke Longstreet Sullivan.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Chautauqua • Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.

An Epidemic of Absence, Nonfiction by Moises Velasques-Manoff, 2012. 18 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 22.

In the past 150 years, sanitation, water treatment, new vaccines and antibiotics have saved lives. But evidence suggests that what we’ve done has also eliminated organisms that kept our bodies in balance. Read by Lannois Neely.

Night Journey • Monday – Friday 9 p.m.

Vanishing Point, Fiction by Val McDermid, 2012.

14 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 21. In an expected screening at an airport, Stephanie is separated from the young boy she is adopting and a man in a TSA uniform abducts him. The more she protests, the more the agents think she is the dangerous one. L - Read by Nancy Felknor.

Past is Prologue • Monday – Friday 9 a.m.

38 Nooses, Nonfiction by Scott W. Berg, 2012. 14 broad-casts. Begins Aug. 14. In 1862, at the end of the Dakota Wars, more than 300 Indians were found guilty of murder and 38 Dakota warriors were hanged, the largest government execution in U.S. history. L - Read

by John Potts.

Off the Shelf • Monday – Friday 10 p.m.

Trapeze, Fiction by Simon Mawer, 2012. 14 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 27. World War II has turned Marian Sutro’s life upside down. Because she is bilingual, she is recruited by the Inter-Services Research Bureau and enrolled in espionage training to aid the resistance.

What she learns is that her superiors have a riskier role for her in occupied Paris. L, S – Read by Charles Torrey.

Bookworm • Monday – Friday 11 a.m.

The Unfinished Garden, Fiction by Barbara Claypole White, 2012. 13 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 14. After her husband’s death, gardening became Tilly’s livelihood and salvation—she is not ready for a relationship with James. But James’ plan is to build a beautiful garden and he believes Tilly can help him do that. Read by Lynda Kayser.

The Writer’s Voice • Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

Into the Abyss, Nonfiction by Carol Shaben, 2013.

10 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 19. On an icy night in October 1984, a commuter plane crashed in northern Albert—six died, four survived. As the men fight to stay alive, the dividing lines of power, wealth, and status are erased. L - Read by Art Nyhus.

Choice Reading • Monday – Friday 4 p.m.

The House of Velvet and Glass, Fiction by Katherine Howe, 2012. 15 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 16. Living a life of desperation with a taciturn father and a scandalplagued brother, Bostonian Sibyl Allston turns to a medium for solace. When her brother is turned out of Harvard, Sibyl turns to professor Benton Derby, and a spark flares to life. Read by Anne Obst.

PM Report • Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

Clean, Nonfiction by David Sheff, 2013. 15 broadcasts.

Begins Aug. 19. Though Twelve-Step programs have helped many, they have failed to help many more.

Addiction is a preventable, treatable disease, and the approaches most likely to work are based on science, not faith, tradition, contrition, or wishful thinking. Read

by Dan Sadoff.

Potpourri • Monday – Friday 11 p.m.

Passwords Primeval, Nonfiction interviews by Tony Leuzzi, 2012. 15 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 20. Associate Professor of Literature and Composition at a community college in New York State, Tony Leuzzi interviewed 25 American poets over a five-year span. He was interested in providing insight into the poets without compromising their art. L - Read by Marylyn Burridge.

Good Night Owl • Monday – Friday midnight Evel Knievel Days, Fiction by Pauls Toutonghi, 2012.

Nine broadcasts Begins Aug. 13. Khosi has always felt out of place in Butte, Montana. Half-Egyptian and raised by a single mother, he has never managed to fit in. When a stranger arrives in town, it is a catalyst for Khosi to take his first daredevil-like risk. L - Read by Don Lee. After Midnight • Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.

Break My Heart 1,000 Times, Fiction by Daniel Waters, 2012. Eight broadcasts. Begins Aug. 23. After the Event, Veronica sees ghosts regularly. She and her friend Kirk find that it all stems from a plot. One of the teachers is grief-stricken about his dead daughter and trying to find the right body for her to return in. He thinks it should be Veronica’s. V, L - Read by Steve Hebert.

Abbreviations: V - violence, L - offensive language, S - sexual situations.

People & Places/Arts access grants - from p. 11

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

istered historic preservation property, the ADA improvements are subject to historic preservation requirements.

Nimbus, Minneapolis, $15,000. Nimbus requests funds to improve the accessibility of the outside of its theatre space. A dedicated handicap entrance with ramp will be installed, along with disability parking and a lighted sign on the building.

The O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University, St. Paul, $15,000. Additional wheelchair accessible seating will be created on both sides of the auditorium. In addition, the concrete lobby floor will be repoured to create an ADA-compliant ramp to reach the new accessible seating areas. The work will double the number of wheelchair-accessible seats available.

Park Square Theatre, St. Paul, $15,000. Park Square will build a new additional 200-seat thrust stage within its facility, greatly expanding theatre opportunities for students, people with disabilities and the general community. The grant covers wheelchair access seating, FM Assisted Listening and Audio Description equipment, and ADA-compliant signage for welcome and wayfinding for the new stage.

Simply ArtAble, Minneapolis, $13,073. Simply ArtAble will increase visibility and programming in order to better serve underserved populations including those with special needs, cognitive and physical disabilities.

SteppingStone Theatre, St. Paul, $8,458. SteppingStone will increase dignity and self-sufficiency of patrons by adding power openers and signage to its accessible restrooms and auditorium entrance. These areas are accessible but currently require staff assistance with doors.

Upstream Arts, Inc., Minneapolis, $15,000. Upstream Arts will have specialized trainings and curriculum development sessions led by local experts to increase organizational capacity and the capacity of its teaching artists to teach older youth and adults with disabilities at different life stages.

Grant review panelists are all active in the metro area arts and disabilities communities. The panel included Kenneth Brown, Brad Donaldson, Chloette Haley, Alex Lubet, MaryEllen Murphy, Julee QuarvePeterson, Anne Ulseth and Susan Warner. ■

August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 17

Continued from p.14

UPCOMING EVENTS Care Programs, such as Minnesota Care and Prepaid Medical Assistance Program; adults with disabilities and Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health conditions and Minnesotans dually eligible for Medical Assistance and Medicare FFI: 1-877-523-1518 (toll free), www.ucare.org Mental Illness support groups NAMI-MN free support groups for families who have a relative with a mental illness. 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, the various groups provide help and support. FFI: 651-645-2948 A free 12-week educational course is offered for those who have a family member living with a mental illness?

Families can gain a greater understanding of mental illness, discuss resources, build communication skills, reduce stress and find support. Over 3,000 Minnesota families have benefited from this course. The Family-toFamily course meets weekly on Tuesdays for 12 weeks.

It starts 6:30 p.m. Tue, Sept. 10, at North Heights Lutheran Church, Roseville. Registration is required.

FFI: Stacia, 651-330-1730 or Anne, 651-653-5116.

Partners and Spouses support group meets 6:45 p.m. the first Tue of each month at Falcon Heights United

Competitive bidding - from p. 1 between suppliers and clients are being lost as clients are switched to approved suppliers.

A lawsuit over competitive bidding continues to make its way through the court system. Key Medical Supply of Shoreview took its dispute over competitive bidding to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Key Medical sued Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Marilyn Tavenner, Acting Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“We’re still hearing a lot of concerns and questions and we have lost some long-time customers,” said Jeffrey Hall, chief executive officer of Reliance Medical Supply. The company has locations in Brooklyn Park, Waite Park and Buffalo. “Not a day goes by that we don’t hear from a customer who is upset about the changes.”

Suppliers are getting questions about how equipment such as wheelchairs and beds will be maintained in the event of a problem. People are already calling because they cannot find proper repair help. Some suppliers also said they are already hearing about people paying out-of-pocket rather than dealing with unfamiliar suppliers. But for some clients, that isn’t an option. Another issue consumers are raising nationally is that some of the CMS chosen suppliers may be picking and choosing who gets served.

July 1 was when new federal regulations on competitive bidding for Medicare program suppliers took effect for the Twin Cities region. CMS’ nationwide competitive bidding program is the result of 2003 federal legislation that scrapped price controls in favor of a bidding process. Supporters of the change argued that applying free market principles and requiring durable medical equipment companies to compete with each other reduce federal Medicare expenditures and guarantee that clients would have access to quality goods and service.

But opponents said forcing people to change supply providers, receive supplies far from their homes and possibly get inferior quality goods and services could be the unintended consequences. Suppliers who weren’t chosen or didn’t chose to participate in the program are worried about being priced out of the market.

“As this goes on I think

Volunteer, Donate Church of Christ, 1795 Holton St. FFI: Lois, 651-7881920, or Donna, 651-645-2948 ext. 101. Open Door Anxiety and Panic support group meets at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Thu at Woodland Hills Church, 1740 Van Dyke St., St. Paul and 6:30-6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thu at Goodwill-Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul. FFI: 651-645-2948.

NAMI Connection peer support group for adults are led by trained facilitators who are also in recovery lead NAMI Connection groups. One group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tue. A group meets at 6:30 p.m., on the 4th Tuesday of the month, at Goodwill-Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Av., St. Paul (The group previously met at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.) FFI: Shelly, 651228-1645. Bi-weekly adult recovery groups meet at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wed at Centennial United Methodist Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West, Roseville.

FFI: Will, 651-578-3364.

A family support group meets in St. Paul on the second Wednesday of each month from at 6-7:30 p.m., at Goodwill-Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul, in room 123. FFI: Sonja, 651-357-2077. A family support group meets in Oakdale on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at Canvas Health, 7066 Stillwater Blvd., in the community room.

FFI: Dan, 651-341-8918. A group also meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Centennial United Methodist Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West, on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. FFI: Anne Mae, 651-730-8434

we’re going to see a lot of unintended consequences,” said Mike Bailey, chief executive officer of St. Paulbased Handi Medical Supply. Another worry he and others have raised is that the number of complaints about the program won’t be accurately report.

The Iowa-based advocacy group People for Quality Care has waged an online campaign to educate the public about the possible consequences of competitive bidding. People for Quality Care’s mission is to educate people with disabilities, seniors, and their caregivers, families and friends about health policy changes that affect freedom of choice. The group has a Facebook page and a website, www.peopleforqualitycare.org The group has been promoting a hotline that people can call to make complaints. As of the end of July

Share a smile Brighten the day of a senior citizen in north or southwest Minneapolis and have fun. Visit an elder and do things together: movies, games, crafts or just friendly conversation. Hang out with an elder on a regular basis and do things that you both enjoy, like watching a movie, building stuff, playing games or friendly conversation.

One-time or ongoing opportunities through the NIP Senior Program. FFI: Jeanne, 612-746-8549, srvolunteer@neighborhoodinvolve.org, or www.neighborhoodinvolve.org Help with arts calendar VSA Minnesota is seeking a volunteer or volunteers to assist with the compilation of the monthly VSA Minnesota arts calendar. The calendar lists accessible performances, films, galleries and events throughout the region. FFI: Jon, 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883, Voice/ TTY, access@vsamn.org 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 just 2-3 hours a week and help people expand their opportunities and change their lives through education. The literacy council provides training and support. Accommodations for volunteers with disabilities. FFI: Allison, 651-251-9110, volunteer@mnliteracy.org, www.mnliteracy.org/volunteers/opportunities/adults ■

more than 1,000 calls had been made. One of the most common complaints is that people are having to pay out-of-pocket for the goods they need instead of having them covered.

Congress has legislation pending that would delay implementing round two of competitive bidding until a number of issues can be resolved, in the form of the Transparency and Accountability in Medicare Bidding Act. Action on that is pending, as Congress is in recess until early September.

To contact a member of Congress to raise questions or concerns about competitive bidding, go to http:// mn.gov/portal/government/federal/congress/ minnesota-delegation.jsp Use the link to find the House member for a specific district or to contact the state’s two senators. ■

Pg 18 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 History note - from p. 2 vised that mothers should be separated from a child with Down syndrome (Mongolism was the term used then) immediately after birth. From 1942 to 1944, 67 babies in Minnesota were placed under state guardianship allowing for placement in a boarding home and, ultimately, a state hospital. In 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock made a similar recommendation in the first edition of Baby and Child Care. Both doctors contended that the family would be far better off without a child with a disability and that the child with Down syndrome would fare better in an institution. Dybwad, for his part, opposed such separations and chastised doctors who did so. ■ 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

CLASSIFIEDS Access Press Classifieds are $14 for the first 12 and 65¢ per word thereafter. They must be prepaid.

Mail to: Access Press care of The Kelly Inn Offices; 161 St. Anthony Ave; #910; St. Paul, MN 55103; 651-644-2133 • FAX 651-644-2136 • Email: access@accesspress.org

FOR RENT Lewis Park Apartments: Barrier-free housing with wheelchair users in mind. Section 8 subsidized. One- and two-bedroom units. For more information on availability call 651-488-9923.

St. Paul, MN. Equal Opportunity Housing.

Oak Park Village: We are accepting applications for the waiting list for one-bedroom wheelchair accessible apartments. Section 8 subsidized. Convenient St. Louis Park location. Call 952-935-9125 for information.

Equal Opportunity Housing.

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.

Holmes-Greenway Housing: One- and two-bedroom wheelchair-accessible apartments. Section 8 subsidized. Convenient SE Minneapolis location. Call 612-378-0331 for availability information. Equal Opportunity Housing.

2013 Charlie Smith award

The hard work of choosing the 2013 Charlie Smith Award winner is underway. The Access Press Board of Directors is now reviewing the nomination forms and preparing to make the decision. Read about the winner and the nominees in an upcoming issue.

It’s not too early to make plans for the annual Charlie Smith Award banquet, 5-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1 at the Airport Marriott in Bloomington. The banquet, hosted by Access Press, is how members of Minnesota’s disability community gather and celebrate our accomplishments. The Marriott offers a very comfortable and accessible space, with easy access, front-door drop-off and ample parking.

A delicious meal, musical entertainment, a pick your prize raffle and silent auction are part of the event. Lots of great silent auction and raffle prizes will be up for grabs. Take a trip, enjoy theater or sports, or take home a restaurant gift certificate or unique items such as original art or a jar of fun costume jewelry. More donations are sought.

Also, watch for banquet tickets to be available soon. Tickets are $45 per person or $325 for an 8-person table (save $35). Ask about sponsorships or consider sponsoring a person who is in need. Sponsors are still sought for the banquet.

Making the banquet a success means relying on many community members for support. One way to help the banquet is to serve as a sponsor. Three levels of sponsorship are offered, using titles that reflect terms used historically in the newspaper industry.

Keyliners Level: $200 The keyliners are the people who pasted up newspaper pages. If you are a keyliner sponsor: • Your logo will be displayed at a table • Your organization/company name will be listed in the 2012 Charlie Award Banquet program • Your organization/company will be recognized in our November & December 2012 newspapers • You will have one (1) free website ad (your month of choice), a value of $100 Proofreaders Level: $300 The proofreaders would check newspaper pages for errors. If you are a proofreader sponsor: • Your logo will be displayed at a table · Your organization/company name will be listed in the 2012 Charlie Award Banquet program • Your organization/company will be recognized in our November & December 2012 newspapers • You will have two (2) free rotating website ads (your months of choice), a value of $200 • Your organization/company will be listed on a special banner (on display) during the 2012 Charlie Award Banquet Editor-in-Chief Level: $400 This denotes the leader of the newspaper. If you are an editor-in-chief sponsor: • Your logo will be displayed at a table • Your organization/company name will be listed in the 2012 Charlie Award Banquet program • Your organization/company will be recognized in our November & December 2012 newspapers • You will have two (2) free rotating website ads (your months of choice), a value of $200 • Your organization/company will be listed on a special banner, on display during the 2012 Charlie Award Banquet • Your organization/company will be recognized by our emcee during the 2012 Charlie Award Banquet • A table will be named in your organization/ company’s honor the evening of the event • A free Access Press subscription, a value of $30 • One (1) Directory of Organizations listing, good for one year, a value of $60 Access Press Office Manager Dawn Frederick handles the sponsor, silent auction and raffle. Contact Dawn at 651-644-2133 or at dawn@accesspress.org to be a sponsor or to make a donation. ■

Thanks to all of you for supporting Access Press FRIEND SPONSOR ($50 and above) Anonymous Monte Blair Ellen Boucher Martha Brown Jerry Caruso Teresa Dock Mel & Georgia Duncan Robert Engstrom Steve & JoAnn Erbes Thomas & Mimi Fogarty Claudia Fuglie Lael Gatewood Marjorie Goldberg Pamela Hochrein Laurie Jarvis Barb Kane Sandi Lane Noreen Linney Gene Martinez Christopher Meyer Lee Ohnesorge Henn. Cty Commissioner Mike Opat William & Joen Overby Annette Pantel Linda Paulson Kelly Rathcke Virginia Schwartzbauer John Sherman Amanda & Mark Tempel Equity Services of St. Paul

BRONZE SPONSOR ($75 and above) Brigid Alseth Rick Cardenas Mike Chevrette Stephanie Cunningham Christopher Duff Craig Dunn Anne Henry Mary Kay Kennedy Dianna Krogstad Dave & Carol Larson Richard & Vicki Dalle Molle Scott Neamy Donn Poll & Eric Nelson Linda Paulson Mark & Mary Payette Ann Roscoe John Schatzlein Patty Woodey Hennepin County Library GOLD SPONSOR ($500 and above) Phyllis A. Benjamin (In Memoriam) Michael Bjerkesett Ronna Linroth Natl. Handicapped Housing Institute Tamarack Habilitation Tech., Inc.

SILVER SPONSOR ($150 and above) Jeff Bangsberg & Anita Boucher Bill & Alex Bartolic Robert Paul Gregory Kathleen Hagen Ellen & Skip Houghton Kim Kang Richard & Vicki Dalle Molle Elin Ohlsson Manley and Ann Olson John G. Smith Peter Vaill Associated Bank Courage Center Handi Medical Institute on Comm.

Integration LOTTSA Tax & Accting Services Minnesota Diversified Industries People Enhancing People Rise, Inc. Ten Thousand Villages Vinland National Center BENEFACTOR SPONSOR ($1000 and above) Lynda Milne The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation The Medtronic Foundation The Minneapolis Foundation UCare

IN KIND (Time/services for this issue) Scott Adams Lisa Hagens Donate at your work place through Community Shares at: www.communitysharesmn.org

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August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 19

Minnesota State Fair - from p. 1 uled depending on availability. Call 651-288-4448.

Anyone needing an assistive listening device can use one during Grandstand events. Receivers and headsets are available from the guest services office in Visitors Plaza. A valid driver’s license or state ID and a credit card are required for deposit. For any other accommodation questions about Grandstand events, call 651-288-4427.

Visiting the Midway? A free Attraction Access Guide to assist guests in making choices about which rides are appropriate and accessible can be found at all ticket outlets on the Mighty Midway and Kidway.

One must-stop is the Education Building and the Minnesota State Council on Disabilities (MnSCOD) booth. Access Press will be one of the organizations represented there. Stop and visit the state council, ask questions and pick up lots of free information from a variety of groups.

Be aware of accommodations for people who drive or park in remote lots. Parking spaces for vehicles with a valid disability parking identification are located in many State Fair lots. Access to fairgrounds parking is available through Gate One off Larpenteur Avenue at Underwood Street, Gate Three off Snelling Avenue at Hoyt Avenue and Gate #15 off Cleveland Avenue at Commonwealth Avenue (University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus). Also, accessible parking is available south of Como Avenue. Check www.mnstatefair.org for more information. The passenger drop-off area is the Como Loop Gate Nine, which is closest to the wheelchair and scooter rentals.

There is a free park and ride lot with free wheelchair-accessible bus service for people with disabilities and their companions. The lot is located on the north side of the Oscar Johnson Arena, 1039 De Courcy Circle, south of the fairgrounds. Exit from Snelling Avenue at Energy Park Drive; travel east to the first left past Snelling, to the north side of the arena. Visitors are dropped at the Como Loop Gate Nine. Buses run continuously, approximately every 20 minutes, from 8 a.m. to midnight daily.

Taking the bus? Metro Transit buses typically have lifts but only a few of the fair’s remote park and ride lots offer accessible buses so plan ahead. There are limited wheelchair accessible buses operating from Roseville Area High School, the former Nova Classical Academy on Montreal Avenue in St. Paul and the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus daily.

St. Rose of Lima (Monday–Friday), Gloria Dei Lutheran and Grace Church (daily and Sundays after 1 p.m.) also offer limited accessible bus services. The daily schedule is posted on the state fair website.

Metro Transit does have a number of wheelchair-accessible regular route buses that pass the state fairgrounds. Call 612-373-3333, or 612-341-0140 (TTY) or go to www.metrotransit.org for more information.

General fair information is available by calling 651-288-4400 or going to www.mnstatefair.org or check out http://tinyurl.com/disfairaccess for more useful information. The web page includes a downloadable accessibility guide on the right hand side of the page. Anyone with questions can also call 651288-4448 or e-mail accessibility@mnstatefair.org ■

New fair features/attractions

by Access Press staff

The 2013 Minnesota State Fair has many new features and attractions, including a demonstration home that will be of interest for many people with disabilities and senior citizens. The Smart Solutions for Aging at Home exhibit will be housed in the 4-H Building’s street level. It will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

“We’re excited to be part of this year’s fair,” said Michelle Witte, Older But Wiser Living founder. She said the information and displays planned will be useful for people with disabilities and seniors. The interactive exhibit is designed to help visitors and caregivers facing the challenges of aging or chronic health issues envision how they can transform their current homes into more user-friendly spaces.

The exhibit is an idea house, which will showcase innovative product solutions and services that help support independence—ranging from simple household goods to new wireless technology to meal services and more.

The exhibit is presented through a partnership of the Minnesota State Fair, Aging Services of Minnesota and Older but Wiser Living. Older but Wiser Living is a company dedicated to helping consumers get wiser about the products and services available to them to live life with greater ease, comfort and independence as they grow older.

Other fun attractions include an expanded fair history tour that can be taken via Smartphone, a larger LEGO display, new rides, added open class competitions, more art around the fairgrounds and more animal exhibits. A complete list of all of the new attractions can be found at www.mnstatefair.org/fun/ 13_new_attractions.html One change smokers should watch for is restrictions on where people can and cannot smoke. In January the fair’s board of managers voted to ban smoking

This young lady came home from the Minnesota State Fair with a temporary tattoo.

Photo courtesy of the Minnesota State Fair

in almost all open-air areas of the fairgrounds. Previously smoking had been prohibited in fair buildings or in entertainment seating areas such as the band shell and grandstand.

Smokers should watch for designated smoking areas, the only places smoking will be allowed. The areas will be marked on fair maps. Anyone with questions should visit a fair information booth or check www. mnstatefair.org/general_info/ guest_services.html ■

Your home, your independence . . . 763-546-1000 At In Home Personal Care, we pride ourselves not only on the help we provide, but also on our ability to listen. We understand that each of our clients has different needs at different times. Our quality home care services are formed around a plan that works for you and your individual situation.

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“ I have been an In Home client for at least 20 years. During that time I have received excellent, reliable, consistent care from PCAs and HHA’s trained and supervised by In Home.” - Jean T (Client)

Pg 20 August 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8