Arc awards, Pg 11
Volume 27, Number 10
www.accesspress.org
See you November 4
Access Press gala celebrates community
The pick-a-prize raffle is always popular. File photo
by Access Press staff
Want to attend the Access Press Charlie Smith Award banquet? Thinking about donating a great prize to the silent auction or pick-a-prize raffle? The time to act is now. This year’s event is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday, November 4 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 7800 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington. It’s a great new location with ample parking, great menu offerings and accommodations for guests. Join Minnesotans with disabilities and their allies as the 2016 award winner, Cliff Poetz, is honored for his decades of groundbreaking activism and leadership for Minnesotans with developmental disabilities. Poetz is eager to see friends and celebrate his decades of accomplishments with them. “It’s always a fun evening, so we invite everyone to come and join us as we celebrate the remarkable career of Cliff Poetz and honor the legacy of Charlie Smith,” said Access Press Executive Director Tim Benjamin. Tickets for the event are $50 or $350 for an eight-person table. Three menu choices are available. Guests will dine on beef pot roast, slow-cooked, with pan gravy and whipped potatoes. Or they can choose Minnesota Chicken Roulade, a wild rice-stuffed breast of chicken with sage cream and roasted potato. The third
choice is lemon and tomato-tossed tagliatelle, a vegan, dairy and gluten-free pasta tossed with garlic-infused oil, roma tomatoes, olives, lemon zest and basil, served with a gluten-free breadstick. Dinners also include dessert and beverages. Guests can register in several ways. Go online to www.access press.org/the-charlie-smith-award/ and register via the newspaper website. Or mail a check or checks to: Access Press, Attn: Dawn, 161 St. Anthony Ave Suite 910, St. Paul, MN 55103. A third option is to call the newspaper office at 651-644-2133 and register by phone. But don’t hesitate as time is needed to order dinners and do other planning for the event. The evening starts at 5:30 p.m. with the silent auction/raffle and social hour. Enjoy punch or a cash bar and get a chance to catch up with friends old and new. The dinner and award winner speeches start at 7 p.m. The banquet sponsorship deadline has passed. ADA Minnesota, AXIS, In Home Personal Care, Minnesota Center for Independent Living (MCIL) and National Handicap Housing Institute and UCare are the 2016 Editor-in-Chief level. Keyliner sponsors are Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Medica, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare and United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota, AccraCare and True Friends are Proofreader sponsors. Saturday, October 15 is the deadline to request ASL interpretation. It is also the deadline for silent auction and pick-a-prize raffle donations. Bidding starts during the dinner’s social hour and continues as the meal is served. It can be fun as friends make spirited bids and vie for some wonderful prizes. In the pick-a-prize raffle, items are lined up, with jars for raffle tickets. Buy a ticket for 50 cents and put it in the corresponding jar. For just a little money, the winner can take home a nice prize. Donations are still coming in but items include handmade sweaters, original art and photography, theater tickets, a movie night basket, jewelry, sports memorabilia, a salsa set, mosaic class and much more. Donations of all kinds are sought for the silent auction and raffle. Donations are a great way to spotlight a business or organization. Contact Dawn at 651-644-2133 or dawn@accesspress.org to donate items. ■
Minnesota Security Hospital must pay penalty For failing to protect workers from violence, the Minnesota Security Hospital at St. Peter must pay a $20,000 fine to the state’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). The fine is one of the largest ever levied against a state agency. The facility is the state’s largest for psychiatric patients. It currently houses about 360 people. Workers have alleged that they were repeatedly put at risk of serious injury or even death, due to violent assaults by patients. The fine covered 10 separate violations that occurred in 2014 and 2015. The settlement agreement leading to the fine was signed in mid-September. It also requires state officials to spend $35,980 over the next year to improve safety training or to purchase safety equipment at the hospital. This is required to be spent above and beyond what the hospital would have already spent on safety measures. Patient-on-staff and patient-on-patient assaults have been an issue at the facility in recent years. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has taken a number of steps to quell the problems including more staff training on claiming and de-escalation techniques, more physical changes to segregate violent and non-violent patients, more staff rounds, increased security cameras and other measures. As of August 2016 there had been 32 injuries linked to aggressive patient behavior, down from 100 in 2016 and 71 in 2014. Overall workplace injuries had reached 52 by summer’s end
and could be on pace to be lower than the number of 142 reached for all of 2015. State officials have made many changes at the hospital in recent years in operations and administration, as well as physical changes. But Gov. Mark Dayton’s $90 million plan to further improve hospital safety failed to pass during the Gov. Mark Dayton 2016 legislative session. In May 2014 the hospital was founded responsible after a patient was fatally injured by another patient. That tragedy prompted state officials to extend the conditional status of the hospital’s license, to year’s end. There have also been incident of serious staff injuries. One staff member who was slammed against a brick wall last year has been unable to return to work due to a traumatic brain injury. ■
September 10, 2016 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Twin Cities. MN Permit No. 4766 Address Service Requested
“If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit. ” — William J. Clinton
NEWS DIGEST
Tonya knows the value of meaningful work. Page 3
Interact Center for the Arts marks two decades of service to community. Page 2
What about the commensurate wage? Page 5
Use our Directory of Organizations to find the services and agencies you need. Pages 7-10
Motivational speaker, author Mike Patrick was ‘not done yet’. Page 15
INSIDE Enjoy!, pg 12 Events, pg 13 People & Places, pg 11 Radio Talking Book, pg 14 Regional News, pg 6
Pg 2 October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
EDITOR’S DESK
Tim Benjamin Dear Governor Dayton, I hope your hip surgeries were successful. I haven’t heard much more about it or your rehabilitation in the news, so I am assuming it all went well without any resulting restrictions on your movement. I also hope you aren’t living with a lot of residual pain. On top of all that, you live daily with the stress of leading government in Minnesota, and I thank you for that. As someone who’s had surgeries and long-term injuries more often than I want to think about, I always look forward when I’m recovering to the simple pleasure of walks and playtime with my dog, a sweet Doberman Pinscher. Having your surgeries must’ve slowed down your time with your own dogs. The companionship of having dogs is a wonderful way to help with anxiety and stress, and coming home to pets who are nothing but loving, loyal, and always happy to see you is a great relief at the end of the day. Hope you and your two German Shepherd Dogs are running together again soon. I recently met with Lauren Gilchrist, your senior policy advisor, but want also to share with you directly the urgent concerns of the disability community about home care—especially as you yourself have just experienced some level of need for physical care. I explained to Lauren the crisis we are in, and she understands the danger that is looming right over our heads, as far as personal home care services go. For several years, policy experts and the media have been warning about an impending care gap. It’s here. In addition to your hip surgeries, I think you’ve had other stays in the hospital over your lifetime, so you can relate to the need for personal care attendants in our homes in order not to be confined to a nursing home or rehab facility for recovery or long-term care. Whether we lead a state or a small business or a household, we all want to maintain our independence and our health.
As you well know, the demographics of Minnesota are changing as people grow older, live longer and healthcare expertise improves. Still, the aging process brings many disabilities, as much as we don’t want to accept it: trouble with our hearts, trouble breathing, walking, bathing, hearing, seeing, general mobility. Some think that family members should be the home care solution, that children should look after their disabled parents, parents their disabled children, or any adult their disabled siblings. But those kinds of arrangements cause disruptions in families, and frequently impoverish and exhaust them. Can you imagine one of your sons giving up his career to take an $11 per hour job to stay home and take care of you or their mother? Or you having to step down from your governorship because one of your sons needs your help at home because of a disabling accident? The whole state would lose. Disability and severe injury can be devastating to a family and can also restricts the growth of the state. But there’s another important reason why family care cannot provide the full solution. Many children or adults with disabling conditions require complex care. The necessary tasks sometimes involve complicated medical duties. The caregivers of higher-need Minnesotans should be trained and compensated adequately to fulfill these complex professional tasks. By 2024, the home care industry is projected to grow by 30 percent in Minnesota, with an additional 16,000 new jobs. DEED ranks the current demand for home health workers at 21st in the state, but over 10 years the industry’s projected growth rate is thirdhighest in Minnesota. If we don’t do something soon, what will become of Minnesota’s elderly and disabled? Many of us with disabilities can’t find reliable, welltrained employees now. How will these projections affect millions of your Minnesota constituents? The elderly and people with disabilities choose to live outside of institutions and nursing homes. These choices are not just preferences; they are rights. Government must fulfill promises made by the Americans with Disabilities Act over 25 years ago and, in Minnesota, by the Olmstead Plan in 2015. I’m sure you’re aware that the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead Act have explicitly stated that people
with any disability should be living in the least restrictive environment of their choice. So providing home health assistance is a matter of human and civil rights. But it’s also a matter of good economic sense for the State of Minnesota. Many studies across the U.S. have found that home health support is cheaper and generally provides a higher quality of life than institutions. So instead of focusing on whether we can afford to fund these needed services, we need to ask whether we can afford not to fund them, and whether we can afford not to abide by the federal statutes. And what is our moral and ethical responsibility? I think we both know the answer to that last question. There are people in the disability community now experiencing disruptions in care on a weekly basis. PCAs are leaving the job because they’re afraid to come into work because there’ll be no one to relieve them after an eight-hour shift. Home care providers are struggling to cover the hours and are often struggling just to keep their PCAs from working beyond 16 hour days. This is the home care service crisis that is upon us. Far too frequently, PCAs are working more than 40 hours a week, but there is no overtime reimbursement for those hours from the government. The turnover rate for PCAs is 40 percent to 60 percent across the country and the median wage is a little over $10 an hour. Can you imagine running a business where the turnover rate is 50 percent, and you get no reimbursement for training employees to do medical tasks (many of them required by state law), or for a qualified professional to certify the PCA? Did you realize that 28 percent of PCAs/CNAs/Direct Support Professionals rely on Medicaid for their personal health insurance? About half of this workforce receives public assistance with annual incomes below the federal poverty line. But I’ve gone on too long in what was meant to be a friendly letter. This is where we need our pets, to calm ourselves after days of high-pressure work. I know you are besieged by so many asking for government funds from the state budget. I wish you some good fall evenings with your dogs, and hope that as election day draws near you will find some time just to think about this issue. I believe in your compassionate views, and look forward to seeing what you will do with a new House and Senate in the coming year. Yours truly, Tim. ■
HISTORY NOTE
Interact Center marks two decades of service to arts Interact Center for the Arts has served artists with disabilities since 1996 and will mark 20 years of community service with a gala event in November. The nonprofit’s mission is to create art that challenges perceptions of disability has opened doors for artists with disabilities and audiences eager to experience their work, who might never have seen the arts as a life choice, but who now see the arts as essential to their humanity. The nonprofit’s mission is to create art that challenges perceptions of disability has opened doors for artists with disabilities and audiences eager to experience their work, who might never have seen the arts as a life choice,
Volume 27, Number 10 Co-Founder/Publisher Wm. A. Smith, Jr. (1990-1996) Co-Founder/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Charles F. Smith (1990-2001) Board of Directors Brigid Alseth, Steve Anderson, John Clark, Kristin Jorenby, Carrie Salberg, Cheryl Vander Linden, Dick VanWagner and Mark Zangara
Advertising Sales Michelle Hegarty 612-807-1078 Executive Director Tim Benjamin Managing Editor Jane McClure
but who now see the arts as essential to their humanity. With more than 125 artists working in theater and/ or studio arts, Interact today is multi-cultural, intergenerational, and embraces the entire spectrum of disability labels. But it began with just one person. An energetic and visionary woman, Jeanne Calvert, founded Interact. What began as a side project quickly became her central focus. “When I started Interact back in 1996 I knew that art making here would transform our artists’ lives. What I didn’t realize then that there would be a huge ripple effect - the families, the staff and all of the community that experienced
Periodicals Imprint: Pending ISSN Business Manager/Webmaster Dawn Frederick Cartoonist Scott Adams Production Ellen Houghton with Presentation Images Distribution S. C. Distribution
Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material and advertising do not necessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press. Paid advertising is available at rates ranging from $12 to $28 per column inch, depending on size and frequency of run. Classified ads are $14, plus 65 cents per word over 12 words. News, display advertising and classified advertising deadline is routinely the 25th of the month. When the 25th falls on a weekend, deadline is the next Monday. Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons with disabilities by Access Press, Ltd. Circulation is 11,000, distributed the 10th of each month through more than 200 locations statewide. Approximately 450 copies are mailed directly to individuals, including political, business, institutional and civic leaders. Subscriptions are available for $30/yr. Low-income, student and bulk subscriptions are available at discounted rates. Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at the St. Paul, MN 55121 facility. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Access Press at 161 St. Anthony Ave, Suite 901, St. Paul, MN 55103. Inquiries and address changes should be directed to: Access Press; % The Capitol Ridge Inn Offices; 161 St. Anthony Ave; #910; St. Paul, MN 55103; 651-644-2133; Fax: 651-644-2136; email: access@accesspress.org www.accesspress.org
the work of our artists would shift their perceptions of disability,” she said. “They would see human potential and creativity. That ripple effect would extend way beyond our own community and beyond as our artists became leaders and traveled the world. The initial vision has grown so much - the power that creativity can bring to an individual and the human experience cannot be measured.” Calvit, who was honored as an “art hero” in 2012 by Minnesota Public Radio, began working with people with physical and developmental disabilities History note - p. 3
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
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FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Many workers saluted during Disability Employment Awareness Month October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the many contributions of America’s employees with disabilities. This year’s theme is #InclusionWorks. Twin Cities nonprofit organization Opportunity Partners helped individuals with disabilities land 145 independent, community jobs in 2015, a number that will continue to climb as efforts step up nationwide for full inclusion and increased choices for competitive employment. However, employment rates for people with disabilities remain very low. In 2015, 17.5 percent of persons with disabilities were employed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The employment-population ratio of those without a disability was 65 percent. The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 10.7 percent in 2015, about twice that of those with no disability (5.1 percent). “We want to spread the important message that inclusion works in our community, and together we can advance the quality of life for people with disabilities,” said Opportunity Partners President and CEO Armando Camacho. Seeking an independent job Matt, 27, was motivated and passionate about getting an independent, community job. He advocated for himself and joined Opportunity Partners’ Job Development Team in September 2015. Matt worked hard in developing his resume and practicing interviewing. He showed great persistence and patience, eventually landing a position as a ticket taker at AMC Theatres in Maple Grove. In addition to being surrounded by the wonderful popcorn smells and getting to see the latest movies, he enjoys meeting customers and working alongside his coworkers. “Everyone is very nice,” he said. Landing a new job at age 56 For Scott, getting one of his first independent jobs at age 56 proves he is a lifelong learner. In June 2016 he celebrated one year of employment at Dairy Queen. Scott had worked independent, community jobs earlier in his career but usually they didn’t work out. He didn’t lose sight of his goal to work in a restaurant. Opportunity Partners Job Developer Rick Grimes helped Scott with application and interviewing skills, and accompanied him on several interviews. Scott took public transit to restaurants, picked up applications and talked to managers. He brought the applications back to Opportunity Partners for staff assistance in completion and then returned them. Persistence paid off as he was called in for an interview and offered a position at Dairy Queen – the 33rd restaurant to which he applied. The rest is history and with support Scott has been successfully working in his dream job as a dining room attendant – keeping HIS dining room in great condition. History note - from p. 2 in 1980, to help pay her bills as a freelance artist. Skills she had learned at the prestigious LeCoq School in France to create summer theater workshops for people with physical and mental challenges. She told Minnesota Public Radio, “There was a certain point where I just felt like, there are plenty of fabulous theater artists in town and great directors, but what I’m doing, nobody seems to be doing this. And there was a need for it, and it really did transform people’s lives,” she said. “And not only the artists - the person with the disability - it transformed their family’s life, it transformed everyone in their circle’s life.” For Calvit, the great lesson of her career has centered on human potential. Time and again she has witnessed people who were treated as broken or worthless discover their hidden strengths through the arts. “If I had been told that I could only be a secretary, I would have been the worst secretary on the planet,” she said. “There are certain jobs that I would have just failed at miserably because it’s not my talent. And that’s the same for people with disabilities. They all have talents, they all have abilities, and if you don’t give them opportunities, it’s just a loss of human potential.” Interact’s work is driven by a vision of radical inclusion and collaborations with artists with and without disabilities, from mainstream and marginalized communities, whose stories and life experiences are the grist for original, ensemble-generated theatrical work, and inspire the spectrum of media that are created in its studio. Interact was the first - and remains the only - visual and performing arts organization for artists with disabilities, nationally or internationally, that is creating full-time at the professional level, and sharing exciting seasons of performances and exhibitions with audiences. ■ 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
Scott works at Dairy Queen
Matt likes his job at AMC Photos courtesy of Opportunity Partners
Dairy Queen General Manager Jeremy Mohs said Scott is dependable. “If he doesn’t know how to do something he will ask,” Jeremy said, adding it’s nice to be able to count on him. Brightening the deli with a great attitude Tonya is all smiles when customers approach her at Driskill’s Downtown Market in Hopkins, where she works in the deli. Her duties include dishwashing, cleaning, filling straws and napkins and helping out however else she can. She has successfully worked there one year and couldn’t be happier. Working at Opportunity Partners helped Tonya build skills that translated well to her independent job. She now works 25 hours per week, Monday through Friday. “Tonya has been a positive example of what it looks like to successfully reach a goal,” said Opportunity Partners Service Coordinator Rachel Solie. “Tonya’s hard work and dedication to her job prove that she is walking down the road of success all while building self-confidence, self-determination and independence.” Driskill’s is an outstanding community partner, hiring several individuals from Opportunity Partners and providing a supportive environment where employees can thrive. “Our partnership with Opportunity Partners has been a positive one,” Driskill’s manager Deb Beckman said. “Not only do we have long-term employees who have become independent, but we have had some employees leave and come back.” Deb added that Tonya is a day-brightener. “Her willingness to do multiple tasks and try to help customers is an example of what we are about ... customer service.” ■ Opportunity Partners is a nonprofit organization that advances the quality of life for more than 2,000 people with disabilities each year. Learn more at opportunities.org
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FROM OUR COMMUNITY
It’s up to us to change the parameters
by Sheryl Grassie
Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is the regulatory agency that provides support to people with disabilities. In other words, they control the money and enforce the parameters for how people with disabilities will live. If we the public don’t like those parameters, it is up to us to change them. The question is, “How do we do that?” We must approach change through legal avenues such as asking our legislators for mandated reform, or initiating lawsuits. I strongly disagree with DHS Commissioner Piper’s reference in her August 22, 2016 Star Tribune Op-ed Counterpoint article reprinted in last month’s Access Press, that, “It is unfortunate that we now must divert precious resources meant for people living with disabilities to defend lawsuits.” This, in my mind, is circular thinking. If the resources were allocated in the first place, there would be no need for lawsuits. Lawsuits, like the one currently going forward from the Disability Law Center regarding DHS segregating people in group homes, are not frivolous or unfortunate; they are necessary responses to a lack of proactive programming and funding on the part of Minnesota legislators, lawmakers and DHS.
Currently our state faces a number of, shall we say, untenable parameters being maintained by legal decree and DHS. These include below poverty level income for people with disabilities, poverty level income for direct support staff working with people with disabilities, policies that restrict an individual’s ability to live in the community, and a lack of living and employment options that meet the needs of the wide spectrum of disabilities served in our state. As an outsider looking in, one might view our state as an oligarchy that supports “one size fits all models” like the four-person group home. We are a state that continues to keep people with disabilities living in deep poverty, a state that offers a very limited selection of choices for individuals with disabilities and a state that continues to equivocate when it comes to real change. Piper invites us to “pull together in the same direction” to support people with disabilities. We in the greater disability community are “pulled together,” and we are weary of what feels like an old and wellworn litany on our part of “things must change.” Often DHS will tell us they support needed change, but
then hedge, throwing their hands up and saying their systems are just too complicated to accommodate a change; it would be cost-prohibitive and take years and years to implement. However, change is a necessity and governmental systems should not be a roadblock to improving services. Advocacy efforts will continue through the avenues available, including lawsuits and legislation. At the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities we have a new set of policy priorities for the 2017 Minnesota Legislature. Our hope, as always, is to create needed change for people with disabilities and the support workers who care for them. If funded, these priorities would positively affect many of the untenable parameters currently being maintained, namely the right to live and work independently in the community, in settings of individual choice, free from poverty. May the current lawsuit from the Disability Law Center be a catalyst for some of this needed change, and may the coming legislative session bring us closer to our goals. ■ Sheryl Grassie is executive director of MNCCD.
PCA union takes choice as well as voice from Minnesota families by Kim Crockett
I met Kris Greene several years ago. We were in federal court, listening to arguments in a case she and other parents brought in an attempt to stop Gov. Mark Dayton from inviting a union to speak for them, or even worse, interfering with how they care for their disabled family members. On the steps of the courthouse she quietly but firmly told me, “I don’t want a union getting between me and my daughter.” As a fellow mom, I immediately related to Kris Greene. Kris Greene’s daughter is a beautiful, disabled adult who will never live on her own. Taxpayers have generously and wisely supported a Medicaid program that offers a modest benefit so that the Greenes’ daughter can thrive at home instead of being cared for by strangers or living in an institution. This gave Kris Greene and her husband peace of mind. Despite heartfelt objections by PCAs like Kris Greene, the Minnesota Legislature in 2013 voted to
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allow a portion of these modest benefits intended for caregivers of the disabled to be redirected to a powerful political ally. Home-based Choice PCAs were declared “state employees” so that the Service Employees International Union (or “SEIU”) could “collectively bargain” against the state under the guise of improving wages and working conditions. It is hard to follow the pretzel logic of the deal— since the legislature could just pass a bill increasing PCA pay and benefits if that was really the goal. We joined Kris Greene and other PCAs asking Dayton to focus on helping the disabled and their caregivers rather than helping public unions to increase their revenues. SEIU went on to win the biggest public employee labor election in Minnesota history with a scant 13 percent of the 27,000 eligible PCAs (about 3,500 people). While the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that PCAs like Kris cannot be compelled to pay union dues or even “fair share fees” because they are not “full-fledged public employees,” thousands of Minnesotans were enrolled by the SEIU. We estimate that if every person who voted “Yes” for the union is paying dues under a new 2015 contract, SEIU is taking in more than $3 million a year. The contract set dues at 3 percent of gross pay, up to a stunning $948 a year. The contract allows SEIU to speak for Kris Greene and other PCAs like her in Minnesota, even if they do not join or pay dues. Yet Kris and others like her have been excluded from planning training for PCAs with DHS, and they are not even allowed to attend trainings until they join the SEIU. For now, there is no judicial or legislative relief in sight. But Kris Greene and other PCAs around Minnesota are not giving up. PCAs have launched a statewide decertification
campaign aimed at eliminating the new collective bargaining unit before it becomes the “new normal.” They have a steep mountain to climb: Kris and her team need to collect around 10,000 signatures (30 percent of bargaining unit) to force a follow-up election. This will reignite one of the state’s most controversial political issues of recent years. The plan calls for a grassroots campaign that reaches out to PCAs by mail, phone and online. A new website—mnpca.org—generates election authorization cards that must be received by the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services by a December 2 deadline. Kris is asking that PCAs get their cards in now, or at least long before we all get busy at Thanksgiving time! Mnpca.org also offers a place for PCAs to grow a supportive network over time. Win or lose, this will be their website where they can stay in touch so when things happen at the capitol, they are not taken by surprise. Kris Greene and her fellow PCAs are not alone in this major endeavor. In addition to their long-time lawyer Doug Seaton, the project has attracted grassroots support and several nonprofits from around the country. PCAs from all political stripes are upset about this. It just does not seem right. Sometimes God gives us the gift and challenge of a special needs child. I will never know what Kris Greene and her family have faced but I do know that Minnesota’s decision to subject PCAs to unionization is robbing PCAs of the peace of mind that came from knowing they could direct the care and resources for their special loved one. Let’s help Kris Greene and other PCAs get back that peace of mind. ■ Kim Crockett is a vice president, senior fellow and general counsel for the Center of the American Experiment in Golden Valley.
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
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FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Ending commensurate wage policy would be a mistake for many after workers by Michael Kraines, Tom Weaver and Steven Howard
Having a job or pursuing a career is important for all of us, bankers or bartenders, servers or salespeople, and this doesn’t exclude people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Work helps give meaning to our lives, helps us make a contribution and can be fulfilling. Employment is no less important for people with disabilities and they want to work. One federal policy plays a critical role in providing employment opportunities: the commensurate wage. It is premised on the basis of proportionality or comparability. It allows for people with significant disabilities to be employed in a vast array of private industries across our nation, but at a special minimum wage. Employment is not charity, but a purposeful endeavor where a business employs people to get a job accomplished. Wages paid to an employee require a minimum level of productivity for the employer’s investment in that employee. The vast majority of employment is competitive. Yet there are people with significant disabilities that may not possess the skills and ability to obtain a job on a competitive basis. Commensurate wages allow an employer to pay a person with a disability a wage based on their productivity. The measurement of that productivity is a rigorous process, regulated by the Department of Labor. Employment is more than just a paycheck, and for some would be impossible if not for the commensurate wage. Having a job increases interactions between individuals with and without disabilities. When hired by a private business it promotes inclusion, understanding, and respect for both the community at large and the person employed. There is a positive connection between working and future opportunities to advance in employment. People learn specific jobs and develop a variety of “soft” skills that can only be learned with the opportunity to be employed. Contributing, regardless of ability or disability, is important for one’s self-esteem. Today there are efforts underway to eliminate the commensurate wage, authorized by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. People and organizations, such as the National Federation of the Blind and Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) support an end to commensurate wage, yet in our view neither represent the interests of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, where competitive employment is a truly significant challenge. While competitive employment is desirable, what politicians truly fail to grasp is that there are people employed today in meaningful ways, ways that are important to that individual employed, which honor individual choice and in a safe and respectful manner, which would not have occurred without the commensurate wage. Even with the commensurate wage
available as it is today, it is a challenge to find employers willing to hire people that can’t perform the job on par with an employee without a disability. The TIME Act has been introduced in Congress in recent sessions. It would bar the Department of Labor from issuing new certificates permitting the payment of commensurate wages and phasing out existing certificates within three years. The legislation has failed to gain much traction to date. But the tide is turning. If passed, the TIME Act would be a monumental change. One should wonder what employment would look like in the future for people with significant intellectual or developmental disabilities and ask: Will the thousands of people who work today for a special
minimum wage have the opportunity to be employed at all once competitive employment is their only option? Further, have any of the politicians discussed this with their constituents who are disabled and earning a special minimum wage? Or, once again, are people with intellectual or developmental disabilities having these decisions made for them by others who think they know what is best? ■ Michael Kraines, Thomas Weaver and Steven Howard serve as leaders of organizations providing services to people with disabilities, members of the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation(MOHR), whose members serve more than 26,000 Minnesotans with disabilities.
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REGIONAL NEWS Hansmeier is suspended from law The Minnesota Supreme Court has indefinitely suspended a Minneapolis lawyer who is accused of suing businesses over accessibility issues. The main violation before the high court centered on Paul Robert Hansmeier’s practice of suing people for downloading pornography on the Internet. Since 2015 the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility asked the court last year to disbar or suspend Hansmeier. He dropped his opposition to the disciplinary proceedings. Hansmeier also filed a number of so-called nuisance lawsuits against small businesses, for not complying with disability access laws. Both types of filings were criticized as a way for Hansmeier to profit off of others as many people would pay thousands of dollars to have the cases settled. Hansmeier was also accused of “discovery abuse” or filing a lawsuit for the sole purpose of seeking the identity of others who could be sued; willfully violating court orders and sanctions and lying to the courts about his finances and associations with other law firms. He has not indicated if he will seek to be reinstated as a lawyer. Hansmeier told the Pioneer Press he would continue to work for the rights of the disabled. ■ (Source: KSTP-TV, Pioneer Press)
Goodwill-Easter Seals ends programs A lack of resources has forced Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota to phase out its clinical mental health services, medical equipment lending and call center training programs. CEO Michael Wirth-Davis said the nonprofit doesn’t have enough resources to provide the services. Wirth-Davis also said Goodwill-Easter Seals would work with clients until their programs end or they find alternative providers. No estimate of job losses was available, but some workers indicated they would be laid off before year’s end. The closings will allow the nonprofit to focus more on workforce development. Goodwill-Easter Seals has long offered a wide range of mental health outpatient services. Call center training has helped prepare clients for jobs in that field. The medical equipment loan program, which provides a wide range of free items for up to two months, has been offered at St. Paul, Rochester, and St. Cloud and Willmar locations. Goodwill-Easter Seals had almost 3,000 employees and more than 1,600 volunteers as of 2013. WirthDavis said the nonprofit is doing fine financially and that its stores will not change. Goodwill-Easter Seals has 49 stores in Minnesota and has opened several new stores in recent years. ■ (Source: Minnesota Public Radio)
Girl rides bus without aides
Mental health issues studied
A seven-year old girl with developmental disabilities and seizures rode a school bus alone for months. This is despite her Individual Education Program (IEP) stating that she would be monitored and provided emergency medication as needed. An IEP is a legally binding document used to guide the education and oversight of students with special needs. Student Emily Quandt, who attends Lake Elmo Elementary, has had an IEP in place for almost two years. It states that she “requires a trained person to ride the bus to and from school with her each day due to the risk of a life-threatening seizure and the need for immediate administration of emergency medication.” Family members said the Stillwater School District didn’t live up to its end of the agreement. A district spokesperson told KSTP-TV, “When services are added to a child’s IEP, we immediately take steps to staff that position. Until we are able to fill the position, we work collaboratively with our families to put interim plans in place to provide the services needed by the child.” Emails between the Quandts and school district showed that the services weren’t provided as the district tried to hire someone as a bus monitor. The Quandts contacted the Minnesota Disability Law Center. The Stillwater School District has dealt with concerns that IEPs have been changed after parents signed them. Tight budgets and staffing issues have caused problems with IEP compliance in other districts. ■ (Source: KSTP-TV)
More than half of all inmates in the Hennepin County jail suffer from a mental illness of some kind —far more than thought—and they are more likely to reoffend than other inmates. “What we’re seeing is crisis levels of mental illness among our inmates,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek. “This is solid evidence that our jails continue to serve as the largest mental health facilities in the state.” Hennepin County will soon launch a program designed to better identify inmates with mental health problems and divert many to court-supervised treatment programs. For the first time, doctoral-level psychologists will work at the jail to evaluate inmates and identify community treatment alternatives. The program is expected to result in the early release of at least 100 mentally ill inmates in the first year; only those accused of lower-level offenses. Jail officials are collaborating more closely with Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC). Starting next month, every inmate booked downtown will be screened for a mental illness by a registered nurse from HCMC. Screenings was done before by deputies. Inmates who require prescription medications will receive a 24 hours’ supply upon release, with HCMC nurses overseeing the service, Stanek said. A recent one-day survey found that 11 percent of the jail population receive antipsychotic medications. “It speaks to the level of acuity of these individuals and how much they’ve suffered,” said HCMC psychiatrist Dr. Ian Heath. ■ (Source: Star Tribune)
Regional councils form to improve services In July the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), with advice from the State Quality Assurance Council, issued three grants totaling $507,114. The grants are to form regional quality councils to improve the quality of services provided to people with disabilities. Regional quality councils are being formed in Hennepin, Scott and Dakota counties; St. Louis, Carlton, Lake and Cook counties; and Olmsted, Houston and Wabasha counties. The regional quality councils will develop and implement a quality monitoring system that includes person-centered quality reviews to measure and report on services for people
with disabilities in their regions, analyze information and coordinate a regional response to access barriers and service gaps, set priorities to improve home- and community-based long-term service and supports for people with disabilities based on regional strengths and needs. Regional findings will be reported to the state council, which will share the information with DHS and make recommendations for system improvements. Contact Dan Zimmer, director, State Quality Assurance Council, for more information at 507-2718606. ■ (Source: Minnesota DHS)
Nursing home blamed for death A Cannon Falls nursing home is being blamed by state regulators in the case of a resident who died after choking on a sandwich in November 2015. The resident was not to eat solid foods. The Minnesota Department of Health, in findings released in September, said the Gardens at Cannon Falls “did not have an adequate system to ensure cognitively impaired residents on [liquid] diets were adequately supervised.” Nursing home staff knew the resident was dissatisfied with her limited diet. The resident was 77-yearold Margarita M. Schuler, a longtime librarian with
St. Paul Public Library. Family members said they had been frustrated with her care. The nursing home was ordered to correct deficiencies in care and has the right to appeal the state’s findings. Officials have declined comment. Schuler was able to grab and try to eat a sandwich when staff members weren’t looking, according to the state report. Staff tried to dislodge the food after she choked, but she died of cardiac and respiratory arrest en route to the hospital. ■ (Source: Star Tribune)
BDC Management Co. may be accepting applications for our accessible waiting lists at the following affordable communities Albright Townhomes Minneapolis (612) 824-6665 Buffalo Court Apartments Buffalo (763) 684-1907 Elliot Park Apartments Minneapolis (612) 338-3106 Evergreen Apartments Hutchinson 1-800-661-2501 Franklin Lane Apartments Anoka (763) 427-7650 Hanover Townhomes St. Paul (651) 292-8497 Lincoln Place Apartments Mahtomedi (651) 653-0640 Olson Towne Homes Minneapolis (612) 377-9015 Prairie Meadows Eden Prairie (952) 941-5544 Raspberry Ridge Hopkins (952) 933-3260 Slater Square Apartments Minneapolis (612) 340-1264 Talmage Green Minneapolis (612) 623-0247 Trinity Apartments Minneapolis (612) 721-2252 Unity Place Brooklyn Center (763) 560-7563 Vadnais Highlands Vadnais Heights (651) 653-0640 Willow Apartments Little Falls (320) 632-0980 Woodland Court Apartments Park Rapids 1-888-332-9312 We may be accepting applications for our large number of mobility impaired accessible units. Please call us for more information.
1 BR 2 BR 2 BR 1 BR 1 & 2 BR 1 BR 2 BR 1 BR 2 & 3 BR 1 BR EFF & 1BR 2 BR 1 BR (sr) 2 BR 3 BR 1 & 2 BR 1 BR
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
ADVOCACY Advocating Change Together (ACT) Arc Greater Twin Cities The Arc of Minnesota Association of Residential Resources in MN MCIL MN Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Opportunity Partners PACER Center, Inc. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota
V-651-641-0297 V-952-920-0855 V-651-523-0823x115 V-651-291-1086 V-651-646-8342 V-952-818-8718 V-952-930-7696 V-952-838-9000 TF-855-282-3769 V-651-265-7361
TF-800-641-0059 F-952-920-1480 F-651-523-0829 TTY-800-551-2211 F-651-603-2066 F-952-818-8719 policy@opportunities.org TTY-952-838-0190
V-651-645-7271 V-651-699-6050 V-763-754-2505
TTY-800-466-7722 TTY-651-695-5802 TF-888-255-6400
www.accessiblespace.org www.dungarvin.com www.marytinc.com
V-651-699-6050 V-763-754-2505 V-612-378-2742 V-651-306-2868
F-651-699-7265 TF-888-255-6400 TTY-800-669-6442 V-952-500-8572
www.dungarvin.com www.marytinc.com www.braininjurymn.org www.opportunities.org
V/TTY-763-479-3555
F-763-479-2605
www.vinlandcenter.org
V-612-362-8454 V-651-699-6050 V-651-688-8808 V-763-754-2505 V-651-646-8342 V/TTY-612-729-7381 V-952-200-3030 V/TTY-507-345-7139
TTY-612-362-8422 TTY-651-695-5802 F-651-688-8892 TF-888-255-6400 F-651-603-2066 F-612-729-7382 F-952-229-4468 TF-888-676-6498
F-651-628-4484
www.selfadvocacy.org www.arcgreatertwincities.org www.thearcofminnesota.org www.arrm.org www.mcil-mn.org www.mnccd.org www.opportunities.org www.pacer.org www.UnitedCareWorkersMN.org www.ucpmn.org
ASSISTED-LIVING PROGRAMS Accessible Space, Inc. (ASI) Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Mary T. Inc. Assisted Living
BRAIN INJURY Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Mary T. Inc. Human Service Programs Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance Opportunity Partners/TBI Metro Services
CHEMICAL HEALTH Vinland National Center
COMMUNITY LIVING DeafBlind Services Minnesota (DBSM) Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Living Well Disability Services Mary T. Inc. Human Service Programs MCIL Metro Work Center, Inc Reach for Resources S. MN Independent Living Enterprises & Services
www.dbsmllc.org www.dungarvin.com www.livingwell.org www.marytinc.com www.mcil-mn.org www.metroworkcenter.org www.reachforresources.org www.smilescil.org
CONSUMER-DIRECTED COMMUNITY SUPPORTS Accra Community Involvement Programs (CIP)
V-952-935-3515 V-612-362-4437
CONTINUED
TF-866-935-3515
www.accracare.org www.cipmn.org
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Pg 8 October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
CONSUMER-DIRECTED COMMUNITY SUPPORTS (CONTINUED) Lifeworks Services, Inc. MRCI-Client Directed Services
TF-866-454-2732 V-507-386-5704
TTY-866-454-2732 TF-800-829-7110
www.lifeworks.org www.mrcicds.org
V-612-752-8100 V-612-331-4584
TTY-612-752-8019 F-612-353-6638
www.mrc-mn.org www.upstreamarts.org
V-651-641-0709 V-612-315-2456 V-952-974-0339 V-612-353-4595x101 V-612-775-2569 V-651-699-6050 V-651-351-0190 V-763-479-8239 V-612-767-5180 V-651-379-5800 V/TTY-651-224-6974 V-612-788-8855 V-651-227-8471 TF-866-454-2732 V-651-789-6231 V/TTY-612-729-7381 V-651-778-1000 V-651-999-8200 V-507-386-5000 V-612-839-4476 V-877-873-0500 V-952-925-1404 V-612-331-2075 V-952-746-6206 V-651-686-0405 V/TTY-763-786-8334 V-651-489-2595 V-651-632-5113
F-651-641-0976 F-763-592-7907 F-952-974-0307 V-612-353-4595x102
F-952-925-6055 F-612-331-2887 F-952-746-6209 F-651-686-0312 F-763-786-0008 F-651-489-0410 TF-800-976-6728
V/TTY-651-361-7800 V-651-296-4018 V-651-201-2640
TTY-800-945-8913 TF-800-627-3529 TF-888-234-1267
EDUCATION MRC - Minnesota Resource Center Upstream Arts
EMPLOYMENT/VOCATION Ally People Solutions Autism Works Chrestomathy, Inc. Community Involvement Programs (CIP) Courage Kenny Rehabilition Institute Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC ESR ( formerly East Suburban Resources, Inc.) Equip A Life (formerly Assistive Techology of MN) Fraser Transition Services Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota Kaposia Inc. Lifetrack - Minneapolis Lifetrack - St. Paul Lifeworks Services, Inc. Merrick, Inc. Metro Work Center, Inc. Midwest Special Services, Inc. Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI) MRCI Worksource Opportunity Partners Opportunity Services Partnership Resources, Inc. Partnership Resources, Inc. - Minneapolis Partnership Resources, Inc. - Older Adults Program ProAct Inc. Rise, Inc. TSE, Inc. Work Incentives Connection
TTY-651-695-5802 esr@esrworks.org TF-866-535-8239 F-651-379-5803 F-651-224-7249 F-612-788-8577 TTY-651-227-3779 TTY-651-365-3736 F-651-789-9960 F-612-729-7382 F-612-331-3444 F-651-999-8242 F-507-345-5991
www.allypeoplesolutions.org www.autism-words.com www.chrestomathyinc.org www.cipmn.org www.allinahealth.org/couragekenny www.dungarvin.com www.esrworks.org www.equipalife.org www.fraser.org www.goodwilleasterseals.org www.kaposia.com www.lifetrack-mn.org www.lifetrack-mn.org www.lifeworks.org www.merrickinc.org www.metroworkcenter.org www.mwsservices.org www.mdi.org www.mrciworksource.org vocservices@opportunities.org www.oppserv.org www.partnershipresources.org www.partnershipresources.org www.partnershipresources.org www.proactinc.org www.rise.org www.tse-inc.org www.mnworkincentives.com
GOVERNMENT Minnesota State Council on Disability MN Gov. Council on Developmental Disabilities STAR Program
www.disability.state.mn.us www.mncdd.org www.starprogram.state.mn.us
HEALTH CARE COORDINATION AXIS Healthcare
V-612-262-8800
F-612-262-8801
www.axishealth.com
TF-888-562-8000 V-800-266-2157 V-800-707-1711
TTY-800-627-3529 TTY-800-855-2880 TTY-800-688-2534
www.cornerstone-solutions.org www.medica.com www.ucare.org
V-763-502-1505 V-763-546-1000 V-763-862-5426 V-763-586-0049
F-763-502-6777 F-763-546-1018 TF-888-255-6400 F-651-234-0864
www.breakthrucare.com www.inhomepersonalcare.com www.marytinc.com www.pepeople.org
V-763-772-9963
TF-888-255-6400
www.marytinc.com/hospice_care.php
HEALTH CARE PLANS Cornerstone Solutions Medica UCare
HOME HEALTH CARE SERVICES Break-Thru Home Care, Inc. In Home Personal Care Mary T. Inc. Home Health Care People Enhancing People (PEP)
HOSPICE CARE Mary T. Inc. Hospice Care
HOUSING-CONSTRUCTION/REMODELING AccessAbility Options, Inc. Accessibility Design Accessible Homes, LLC. Beyond Barriers Minneapolis Equip A Life (formerly Assistive Techology of MN)
V-763-571-6789 V-952-925-0301 V-612-978-1054 V-651-462-3444 V-763-479-8239
F-800-632-0798 F-952-926-7712 F-651-554-3085 TF-800-561-2223 Hibbing-218-741-9134
www.accessoptionsmn.com www.accessibilitydesign.com www.accessiblehomesllc.net www.beyondbarriers.com www.equipalife.org
V-651-645-7271 V-651-699-6050 V-612-879-2233 V-612-522-2500 V-651-639-9799 V-763-754-2505
TTY-800-466-7722 TTY-651-695-5802 TTY-612-879-8889 F-612-521-1577 F-651-639-9699 TF-888-255-6400
www.accessiblespace.org www.dungarvin.com www.fairviewebenezer.org www.housinglink.org www.nhhiaccessiblehousing.com www.marytinc.com
TF-888-630-9793 TF-866-535-8239 TTY-800-945-8913 TTY-952-838-0190 TF-888-234-1267 F-651-628-4484
www.adaminnesota.org www.equipalife.org www.disability.state.mn.us www.pacer.org www.starprogram.state.mn.us www.ucpmn.org
HOUSING-RENTAL Accessible Space, Inc. (ASI) Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Ebenezer Park Apartments HousingLink National Handicap Housing Institute, Inc Villas and Townhomes by Mary T. Inc.
INFORMATION AND REFERRAL RESOURCES ADA Minnesota; a program within MCIL Equip A Life (formerly Assistive Techology of MN) Minnesota State Council on Disability PACER Center, Inc. STAR Program United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota
V-651-603-2015 V-763-479-8239 V/TTY-651-361-7800 V-952-838-9000 V-651-201-2640 V-651-265-7361
CONTINUED
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
INSURANCE Lee F. Murphy Insurance Group
V-651-294-0710
TF-800-886-7201
F-651-644-9137
V-612-334-5970
TF-800-292-4150
www.mndlc.org
LEGAL MN Disability Law Center
MEDICAL SUPPLIES/EQUIPMENT Handi Medical Supply HME Medical Shop Phoenix Medical Services Inc.
V-651-644-9770 V-800-258-6313 V-651-636-0848
F-651-644-0602 F-651-636-5746
www.handimedical.com www.hmemedicalshop.com www.PhoenixMedical.org
V-612-362-4434 V-651-699-6050 V-612-861-1688 V-651-227-8471 V-651-645-2948 V-952-200-3030 V/TTY-763-479-3555
V-612-362-4452 F-651-699-7265 F-612-861-6050 TTY-651-227-3779 TF-888-NAMI-Helps F-952-229-4468 F-763-479-2605
www.cipmn.org www.dungarvin.com www.fraser.org www.lifetrack-mn.org www.namihelps.org www.reachforresources.org www.vinlandcenter.org
V-715-268-0175
TTY-715-268-0177
MENTAL HEALTH Community Involvement Programs (CIP) Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Fraser Lifetrack - St. Paul National Alliance on Mental Illness of MN Reach for Resources Vinland National Center
PHYSICIANS Wound Healing Center
www.AmeryMedicalCenter.org
RECREATION-ADAPTIVE HOBBY/EXERCISE/SPORTS/ARTS Courage Kenny Rehabilition Institute Drama Interaction, 501(c)3 Mind Body Solutions Mixed Blood Theatre Company Reach for Resources Simply ArtAble (formerly Simply Jane) Upstream Arts
V-612-775-2277 V-952-220-1676 V-952-473-3700 V-612-338-6131 V-952-200-3030 V-612-354-3961 V-612-331-4584
218-726-4762 www.allinahealth.org/couragekenny www.cokartscenter.com/opportunitypartnersprog.html www.mindbodysolutions.org www.mixedblood.com F-952-229-4468 www.reachforresources.org www.simplyjanestudio.com F-612-353-6638 www.upstreamarts.org
RECREATION-TRAVEL/CAMPING Camp Winnebago Hammer Travel True Friends Ventures Travel Wilderness Inquiry
V-507-724-2351 V-952-277-2458 V-952-852-0101 V-952-852-0107 V-612-676-9400
F-507-724-3786 TF-877-345-8599 TF-800-450-8376 TF-866-692-7400 TF-800-728-0719
www.campwinnebago.org www.HammerTravel.org www.truefriends.org www.venturestravel.org www.wildernessinquiry.org
REHABILITATION (PHYSICAL, OCCUPATIONAL, SPEECH, AUDIOLOGY THERAPISTS) Courage Kenny Rehabilition Institute DeafBlind Services Minnesota (DBSM) Fraser Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare In Home Personal Care Lifetrack - St. Paul
V-763-588-0811 V-612-362-8454 V-612-767-5180 V-651-291-2848 V-763-546-1000 V-612-788-8855
V-612-262-7979 TTY-612-362-8422 F-612-861-6050 TF-800-719-4040 F-763-546-1018 TTY-612-788-8577
www.allinahealth.org/couragekenny www.dbsmllc.org www.fraser.org www.gillettechildrens.org www.inhomepersonalcare.com www.lifetrack-mn.org
RESIDENTIAL/GROUP HOME PROGRAMS Community Involvement Programs (CIP) Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Enrich inc. Fraser
V-612-362-4403 V-651-699-6050 V-651-470-6204 V-612-861-1688
V-612-362-4417 TTY-651-695-5802 tom@enrichinc.com F-612-861-6050
CONTINUED
www.cipmn.org www.dungarvin.com www.enrichinc.com www.fraser.org
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Thanks to all of you for supporting Access Press FRIEND ($50-$74) Monte Blair (in memoriam) Ellen Boucher Susan Bulger Yoshiko Dart Teresa Dock Mary England (in memoriam) Steve & Jo Erbes Lee Ann Erickson Lael Gatewood Marjorie Goldberg Mike Gude Pamela Hochrein Marjorie Huebner Laurie Jarvis Barb Kane Sandi Lane Anna Marchall Gene Martinez John Marty Christopher Meyer Brandon Miller Kathleen Moran Lee Ohnesorge William & Joen Overby Tavia Lynn Parker Kelly Rathcke Ann Rogers Luther Granquist & Anita Schermer Virginia Schwartzbauer Hammer Residences Life by Designs, Inc. LOTTSA Tax & Accting Services Ten Thousand Villages MBW Company
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Pg 10 October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
RESIDENTIAL/GROUP HOME PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) Living Well Disability Services Lutheran Social Service of MN - Statewide Mary T. Inc. Human Services Programs Mt. Olivet Rolling Acres Opportunity Partners Phoenix Residence REM Minnesota Restart, Inc. Wingspan Life Resources
V-651-688-8808 V-218-829-9214 V-763-754-2505 V-952-474-5974 V-952-912-7475 V-651-227-7655 V-952-945-4952 V-952-767-3350 V-651-644-2665x100
F-651-688-8892 TF-866-444-373 TF-888-255-6400 F-952-474-3652 V-952-930-4232 F-651-227-6847 F-952-922-6885 F-952-767-3351 V-651-646-3846
www.livingwell.org www.lssmn.org www.marytinc.com www.mtolivetrollingacres.org www.opportunities.org www.phoenixresidence.org www.remminnesota.org www.restartincmn.org ww.wingspanlife.org
SERVICE ANIMALS Can Do Canines V-763-331-3000 Helping Paws, Inc. V-952-988-9359 Pawsitive Perspectives Assistance Dogs (PawPADs)
F-763-331-3009 F-952-988-9296 V-612-643-5671
www.can-do-canines.org www.helpingpaws.org www.PawPADS.org
SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES Bethel Healthcare Community Ebenezer Care Center
V-651-224-2368 V-612-879-2262
F-651-224-1014 TTY-612-879-8889
V-952-767-3350
F-952-767-3351
V-763-479-8239 V-651-291-2848 V-763-754-2505 V-952-838-9000 V-651-201-2640
TF-866-535-8239 TF-800-719-4040 TF-888-255-6400 TTY-952-838-0190 TF-888-234-1267
www.welcov.com www.fairviewebenezer.org
SOCIAL SERVICES Restart, Inc.
www.restartincmn.org
TECHNOLOGY Equip A Life (formerly Assistive Techology of MN) Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare Mary T. Assistive Technology PACER Center, Inc. STAR Program
www.equipalife.org www.gillettechildrens.org www.marytinc.com www.pacer.org www.starprogram.state.mn.us
TRANSPORTATION RENTAL/SALES/MODIFICATION IMED Mobility
V-651-635-0655
TF-800-788-7479
V-612-843-3400 V-763-544-2880
F-612-872-0189 F-763-544-3612
V-612-262-8800 V-651-699-6050 V-763-479-8239 V-612-861-1688 V-952-200-3030
F-612-262-8801 TTY-651-695-5802 Hibbing-218-741-9134 F-612-861-6050 F-952-229-4468
www.imedmobility.com
VISION IMPAIRMENT Vision Loss Resources Volunteer Braille Services
www.visionlossresources.org www.vbsmn.org
WAIVER CASE MANAGEMENT AXIS Healthcare Dungarvin Minnesota, LLC Equip A Life (formerly Assistive Techology of MN) Fraser Reach for Resources
www.axishealth.com www.dungarvin.com www.equipalife.org www.fraser.org www.reachforresources.org
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10 Pg 11
Awards a highlight of The Arc annual banquet
PEOPLE & PLACES
Judge Donovan Frank, Commissioner Mary Tingerhal and Judge Becky Thorson .
.Julie Kenney
Rick Grimes
The Arc Minnesota honored several groups and individuals with awards at its annual banquet September 23, at the Shoreview Community Center. The Luther Granquist Systems Change Award honors an individual or organization that creates significant system change through individual, legal, or public policy advocacy. It is named after a Minnesota Disability Law Center attorney and advocate. The 2016 award is shared by U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Commissioner Mary Tingerthal and Magistrate Judge Becky Thorson. They are honored for their work to develop and approve Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan. The plan, which is to maximize inclusion and independence of Minnesotans with disabilities in their communities, is a strong blueprint for an inclusive future. They helped state officials to begin thinking in terms of individual freedom, rights, respect, dignity and the expectation of the most integrated setting for all. Settlement of a lawsuit with the Minnesota Department of Human Services in December 2011 included Frank’s requirement that the state develop such a plan. Frank constantly pushed for the creation of measureable goals and comprehensive plans. He rejected several initial draft plans because they lacked focus or detail. He asked Thorson to mediate with the Olmstead Subcabinet. Thorson put in many hours on the plan. By then Tingerthal was subcabinet leader. Tingerthal’s work received praise from her state agency colleagues, as encouraged them to stay focused on the Olmstead Plan’s overarching vision of inclusion, focusing on measurable goals and comprehensive work plans. Mediation resulted in 34 measurable goals. The revised plan was submitted to the U.S. District Court and approved in September 2015. Frank and Thorson were also instrumental in creating the Disability Law website, and in other efforts to educate the public and Minnesota Bar Association members about disability rights. The Community Innovator Award is given to a unique program, service or idea that increases community inclusion or self-determination of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Winner Minnesota Project SEARCH began in 2007. Today there are seven Project SEARCH sites including Medtronic, Fairview Lakes Medical Center, Children’s Minnesota, Hennepin County Medical Center, Avera Health and Mayo
James Backstrom, Peter Beierwaites of the awards committee, emcee SusanElizabeth Littlefield
Robbie Reedy Alex Steffi and Michale Engebretson of Minnesota Project SEARCH
Clinic. New this fall is the State of Minnesota/ Project SEARCH site. Through innovative thinking and collaboration, Project SEARCH sites create strong partnerships among state agencies and local groups to prepare students with disabilities for work. Several state agencies and private partners work with Project SEARCH. Business-community partnerships are the bedrock of Project SEARCH’s ability to prepare students to be a part of the Minnesota workforce talent pool. As of May 2016, 74.3 percent of student interns who complete the program find competitive employment within six months after graduation. The Inclusive Housing Award honors individuals, agencies, and organizations that provide outstanding support for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they can live in the community in the least restrictive environment possible. The honoree is Pam Janczewski of Hammer Residences in Wayzata. Janczewski is passionate about making sure her clients are active in the community and leading integrated lives. She helps clients find apartments, increase independence and be as self-sufficient as possible. She is a quiet leader and unsung hero. Janczewski brings a “can do” attitude to whatever the task is at hand. She helped a young man who has a significant hearing impairment and high needs, working with his family, medical providers and assistive technology companies to develop unique supports. He lives in an apartment, communicates with others, and maintains safety with use of emergency support systems. Her strong advocacy and support gave this young man an opportunity that he wouldn’t have had otherwise. The Teacher of the Year Award honors a teacher who has demonstrated excellence in educating and including students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Winner Paulette Krawczyk teaches allday kindergarten at St. Jerome School, Maplewood and is honored for her work with two students with autism. Krawczyk met with parents to understand the students’ needs and strengths. Krawczyk assessed what students needed to learn best and found the best approaches for teaching everyone. All her activities, whether academic, play or extracurricular, involved everyone. Students learned how to be inclusive.
Diamond Hill Townhomes Diamond Hill Townhomes is a great property located near the Minneapolis International Airport. We have spacious two and three bedroom townhomes that are HUD subsidized and rent is 30% of the total household’s adjusted gross income. Diamond Hill Townhomes may be accepting applications for our large number of mobility impaired accessible units. Please contact us for more information.
We look forward to hearing from you! Please call (612) 726-9341.
Burnet Title of Edina Photos courtesy of The Arc Minnesota
Parent Kelly Kausel said her child showed much growth in social skills and intellectual performance by year’s end. The Kausels felt their concerns were heard and thoughts and expertise were valued. Children in Krawczyk’s class followed her lead and readily included both of the students in school activities. Krawczyk’s efforts to create a welcoming, inclusive, and stimulating classroom made a difference for everyone involved. Two people were given the Irving Martin Professional of the Year Award, which honors an individual employed in community services for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Recipients have demonstrated sensitivity and ability to provide outstanding service, resulting in increased independence for clients. The award is named after self-advocate Irving Martin. Rick Grimes is a job developer for Opportunity Partners, working with individuals with disabilities. He uses a one-on-one approach that meets each individual’s needs. He identifies skills and abilities and how those match employers’ needs. He helps clients prepare resumes and cover letters, fill out applications, and prepare for interviews. He helps job seekers discuss fears, strengths and employment supports. Once a job is found, Grimes acts as a job coach. He is effective at developing trusted, longlasting employer relationships. Grimes has helped more than 90 people find jobs in the community. His department’s retention rate was 84 percent retention rate in 2014 and 2015. The successes are reinforced by glowing comments Grimes receives from employers, referral sources, colleagues and most importantly, his clients. Julie Kenney is executive director of Independence, Productivity, Self-Determination, Integration, and Inclusion (IPSII). Through IPSII’s On Eagles Wings programs, Kenney taught a five-month leadership training for African-American parents who have children with developmental disabilities. The programs have trained more than 90 parents and self-advocates on individual rights, public policy advocacy and selfadvocacy skills. They have learned about the Olmstead Plan, visited the capitol and told their stories to legislators. Graduates showed dramatic improvement in independence, self-determination and inclusion. IPSII has also focused on increasing emergency preThe Arc Minnesota awards - p. 14
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Pg 12 October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
ENJOY! RiteCare Gala planned RiteCare of Minneapolis-St. Paul holds its annual fundraising gala 6-10 p.m. Sat, Oct. 15 at Lost Spur Golf Course, 2750 Sibley Memorial Highway, St. Paul. Tickets are $50. Enjoy a meal, a Monte Carlo night, entertainment and fun in support of a great cause. RiteCare works to give children with speech and language disorders the opportunity to reach their full potential by providing financial grants for treatment. FFI: 612-584-9803, http://ritecaremsp.org/
Fetching Ball is Nov. 12 Can Do Canines hosts its annual Fetching Ball fundraiser Sat, Nov. 12 at the Mpls Marriott Northwest. Enjoy an evening with dinner, entertainment featuring Kevin Kling, live and silent auctions, and much more. FFI: Emilie Branca, 763-331-300, etc. 115, ebranca@can-do-canines.org
24th Annual Sally Awards Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, hosts the annual arts awards program at 6:30 p.m. Mon, Oct. 17 with social time, followed by the award presentation at 7 p.m. Two ASL interpreters will be provided throughout the evening. Tickets are free but attendees must RSVP. The Sally Awards recognize and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of artists, educators, volunteers, philanthropists, and leaders who strengthen and enrich the stage of Minnesota with their commitment to the arts and arts education. FFI: 651-2244222, www.ordway.org/support/special-events/sally-awards
Interact Center marks 20 years Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts hosts its 20th anniversary party at 5:30 p.m. Wed, Nov. 30 at the LAB Theater, 700 N. 1st Street, Mpls. Tickets are $100 at interactparty.org With Shanan Custer as master of ceremonies, performer Kevin Kling, music, theater, art for sale, delicious food, a champagne toast and more, it will be an exciting evening and a great celebration of two decades of accomplishments. Many generous sponsors and a large host committee make the event possible. Get ticket soon as they will be in demand. Go to www.interact.org for more details. ■ able. ASL patrons, who can purchase tickets online with a direct link that is active until two weeks before the performance. FFI: 651-429-5674, www.lakeshoreplayers.org
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory GREAT Children’s Theatre presents the story of a remarkable factory and its eccentric owner, at Paramount Theatre, 913 St. Germain St. W., St. Cloud. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sat, Oct. 29. Tickets adult $14-25; senior 60 and older $14-23; student/child $14. FFI: 320-259-5463, www.GreatTheatre.org
Sense and Sensibility Guthrie Theater presents Jane Austen’s story of two sisters and their reversal of fortune, at Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage, 818 2nd St. S., Mpls. ASL offered 7:30 p.m. Fri, Oct. 14. Open captioning offered 1 p.m. Wed, Oct. 26. Tickets reduced to $20 for ASL, $25 for captioning (regular $15-77); FFI: 612-377-2224, www.guthrietheater.org/visit/accessservices
Spookley the Square Pumpkin Stages Theatre Company presents the tale of a pumpkin teased because of his odd shape, at Hopkins Center for the Arts Jaycees Studio, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins. Sensory friendly show offered 10 a.m. Sat, Oct. 22. All tickets to sensory friendly performances are $10 (not available online). FFI: 952-979-1111, opt. 4, www.stagestheatre.org
Finding Fish Carlyle Brown & Company, co-producing with Illusion Theater, presents a story about sustainability, at Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Ave., 8th floor (part of Cowles Center for Dance), Mpls. AD offered 8 p.m. Sat, Oct. 22. ASL offered 7 p.m. Sun, Oct. 23. Tickets Wed $15, Thu $25, Fri-Sat $30, Sun $27; senior/student/group discounts; ASL/AD patrons: use the code AUDIOASL for $10 off tickets. Assisted listening devices available. FFI: 612-339-4944, info@illusiontheater.org
Miss Nelson Is Missing Lakeshore Players Theatre presents the story of a missing teacher and the students who try to find her, at Lakeshore Players Theatre, 4820 Stewart Ave., White Bear Lake. ASL offered 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 23. (If no ASL seats are reserved within two weeks of the performance, the ASL-interpretation will be cancelled). Assisted listening devices available. Tickets $18, senior $16, student $15; reduced to $10 for Assisted listening devices avail-
Romeo and Juliet Theatre in the Round Players presents the Shakespearean classic at Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Ave., Mpls. AD offered 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 30. Tickets $22. Discounts available Fri/Sun for senior 62 and older ($18) and student with ID ($15). Tactile tour at 1 p.m. upon request based on reservations. Large-print programs and assisted-listening devices available at every performance. FFI: 612-333-3010, www.theatreintheround.org
Open Flow Forum The Artists with Disabilities Alliance event has returned to a familiar location, at Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Ave. S., Mpls. On the first Thu of each month artists with disabilities and supporters enjoy a free opportunity to share visual art, writing, music, theatre and other artistic efforts with each other in an informal, fragrance-free setting. Refreshments are served. Facilitators are Tara Innmon and Dan Reiva. Next dates are Nov. 3 and Dec. 1. Anyone needing special accommodations should contact Jon at VSA Minnesota, 612-332-3888, jon@vsamn.org FFI: http://tinyurl.com/gwt32pw
People Incorporated’s Artability Art Show & Sale People Incorporated hosts the annual show 5-9 p.m. Fri, Oct. 28 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat, Oct. 29 at the Great Hall, 180 E. 5th St., St. Paul. Free. Pre-register at http://tinyurl.com/
hbroj45 and receive a free calendar magnet featuring this year’s poster winning art by Molly Corrick. Artability is a program of People Incorporated, whose mission is to help individuals living with mental illnesses to work toward achieving their goals related to living independent and enriched lives. Annually celebrating the creativity and contributions of people with mental illnesses to the community, the show will feature 300 artworks, from landscapes and nature photography to anime and abstracts. More than 100 artists not only explore their interests, share their love of art and gain confidence in their skills, but if they sell their work they keep 80 percent of the sales price, with the remaining 20 percent going back into the Artability program. Writers also contribute their creative work to an anthology available for sale at the show. FFI: 651-774-0011, http://tinyurl.com/zf2gdzp
More events information VSA Minnesota VSA Minnesota is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to create a community where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in and access the arts, at http://vsamn.org The website has a comprehensive calendar at the upper right-hand corner of its home page. 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. Access Press only publishes performance dates when accommodations are offered. Contact the venue to find out the entire run of a particular production.
Additional resources Another web events listing is http://c2net.org (c2: caption coalition, inc., which does most of the captioned shows across the country. Facebook is another way to connect with performances. Sign up to connect with Audio Description across Minnesota HTTP:// tinyurl.com/d34dzo2. Connect with ASL interpreted and captioned performances across Minnesota on Facebook http://tinyurl.com/FBcaption Another resource is Minnesota Playlist, with a recently updated website calendar with all the ASL-interpreted, audiodescribed, captioned, pay-what-you-can shows and other features. Go to http://minnesotaplaylist.com/calendar Arts festivals are held throughout the state. Check www. exploreminnesota.com/index.aspx, http://festivalnet.com/ state/minnesota/mn.html, www.fairsandfestivals.net/states/ MN/ ■
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10 Pg 13
UPCOMING EVENTS Advocacy Working 2 Walk Symposium The Working 2 Walk Symposium, combining science and advocacy, is Oct. 28-29 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Bloomington. Costs vary depending on days attended and whether participants need continuing education units. Come and hear speakers about paralysis and what is being done in medical and advocacy fields. Hosted by United 2 Fight Paralysis. Individuals with paralysis may obtain a 50 percent registration fee discount. A discount is also offered for college students. FFI: 888-564-2228, marilynsmith@u2fp.org
Assistance Independent living technology Senior Community Services, a statewide nonprofit that helps older adults and caregivers live independently for as long as possible, hosts an independent living technology conference on new advancements in assistivetechnology to enhance life for the state’s growing population of older adults. The conference is 1-5 p.m. Fri, Oct. 14 at Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. Caregivers, seniors, city officials, health professionals and others will gather to discover the latest advancements in assistive-technology to help older adults remain independent at home. The keynote address, about innovations in senior housing, will be presented by John Louiselle, CEO of NextDoor Housing. NextDoor has developed a new, portable senior housing option. See innovative products and websites. FFI: 952-541-1019, www.seniorcommunity.org
Children and families Understanding early episode psychosis NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers a free class to help young people who have experienced psychosis and/or their family members and loved ones understand symptoms, causes and treatments of psychosis. Participants who have experienced psychosis will learn how to self-advocate and get back to work or school and achieve recovery. Loved ones and family members will learn how to help and support a young person through recovery. The class will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wed, Oct. 12 at Shoreview Library, 4570 N. Victoria St. Preregistration required. FFI: 651-645-2948, namihelps.org PACER offers workshops PACER Center offers many useful free or low-cost workshops and other resources for families of children with any disabilities. Workshops are at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, unless specified. Workshops are offered throughout the state. Advance registration is required for all workshops. Six Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy is offered 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mon, Oct. 24 in Blaine and Tue, Oct. 25 in Hibbing. Parents will explore six skills they can use to become more effective advocates for their child with a disability. These include understanding the child’s disability, using effective communication, becoming organized, and knowing how to resolve disagreements. Check out PACER’s website and link to the newsletter of statewide workshops that allows participants to pick and choose sessions catered to their needs. FFI: PACER, 952-838-9000, 800-537-2237, www.pacer.org Families affected by autism The Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) offers Special Needs & Special Sibs: A Family AuSM Skillshop, for families affected by autism. It will focus on the effects of autism on the family unit. Speaker Jennifer Reinke is an assistant professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin–Stout. She has
spent much of her career working with individuals and families affected by autism. The workshop is Sun, Oct. 16 at 2380 Wycliff St. #102, St. Paul. Preregistration required; ask about fees. FFI: www.ausm.org Mental health crisis planning NAMI Minnesota hosts a free crisis planning workshop for parents of children with challenging behaviors or mental illness 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tue, Oct. 25 at Northwest Como Recreation Center, 1550 Hamline Ave. N., St. Paul. Learn the role of county crisis teams, de-escalation techniques and how to create effective crisis plans. The workshop also provides information about resources in the community. FFI: 651-645-2948, namihelps.org
Information and assistance Mental health support offered NAMI of Minnesota offers more than 300 free educational classes statewide each year, along with help in navigating the mental health system. NAMI also has more than 60 free support groups living with a mental illness and their families. In the Twin Cities NAMI has about two dozen family support groups, more than 20 support groups for people living with a mental illness, anxiety support groups, groups for veterans and other groups. Led by trained facilitators, groups provide help and support. Parent resource groups are facilitated by a parent who has a child with a mental illness and who has been trained to lead support groups. A group meets 6:30-8 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday at Eagle Brook Church, 2401 East Buffalo St., White Bear Lake. FFI: Jody Lyons 651-645-2948 x109. Family support groups help families who have a relative with a mental illness. A group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wed at Centennial United Methodist Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West, Roseville. FFI: Anne Mae. 651-484-0599. Open Door Anxiety and Panic support groups help people cope with anxiety disorders. One group meets 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. the second and fourth Thu in Room 104, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 Snelling Ave. S., St. Paul. The group used to meet at Goodwill/Easter Seals. Another group meets 6:30-8 p.m. the first and third Thu at Woodland Hills Church, 1740 Van Dyke St., St. Paul. Young Adult NAMI Connection is a free support group for persons ages 16-20. A group meets 7-8:30 the first and third Thu at Friends Meeting House, 1725 Grand Ave., St. Paul. The group is facilitated by young adults who live with mental illnesses and are doing well in recovery. A full calendar of all events is offered online. FFI: 651-645-2948, www.namihelps.org Vision loss group offers activities Vision Loss Resources provides free and low-cost activities in the Twin Cities for people who are blind or visually impaired. Life skills classes for those with low vision; card games, craft classes, book clubs, walking groups, dinners out, special outings and technology classes are among the offerings. Participants need to RVSP to participate. FFI: RSVP hotline 612-843-3439; activity phone 612-253-5155, www.visionlossresources.org MCIL offers classes and activities The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living provides many life skills classes as well as fun outings and events for people with disabilities. MCIL is at 530 N. Robert Street, St Paul and most activities are there or start there. Classes and events are listed on the website, www.mcil-mn.org Click on “Classes Groups and Sessions” for updated information or to print their calendar. Please give two weeks’ notice if the alternative format or other accommodations are needed. Events are free, accessible and mostly scent-free. FFI: 651-603-2030 Vision rehabilitation offered Vision Loss Resources is offering a full menu of vision
rehabilitation services, available in clients’ home or onsite at VLR. An affordable individualized service plan will be offered to each participant. The rehabilitation services are geared to provide participants the practical skills they need to remain independent and at safe at home. Services are offered as part of an affordable service plan. Sliding fee scale options are available and a grant from United Way will help continue to serve those who cannot afford to pay for services. The support groups, peer counseling, and volunteer services will continue to be offered without charge. FFI: 612-843-3411 Adult support groups offered AuSM offers free support groups for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Groups include those for adult family members, women with autism spectrum disorders and independent adults with autism. Check the website for upcoming groups. Groups meet at the AuSM offices at 2380 Wycliff St. FFI: 651-647-1083 ext. 10, www.ausm.org
Volunteer 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 and accommodations for volunteers with disabilities. FFI: Allison, 651-251-9110, volunteer@mnliteracy.org, http://tinyurl.com/adult-opportunities Volunteer with Ramsey County Ramsey County offers many volunteer opportunities, and can find accommodations for volunteers with disabilities. One upcoming opportunity is to join the family Sponsorship Program. Families receiving county services are matched with a sponsor to make the holidays a bit happier. Families have experienced abuse, neglect, or have a member with a disability. The program is not open to the public for recipients but gift givers are needed. Families get at least one clothing item per child, one toy per child, a parent gifts and grocery gift certificate. Costs range from $30 to $50 per person. Last year 88 families were helped. Call no later than Fri, Nov. 4 to be a giver. FFI: Ramsey County Community Human Services - Volunteer Services, 651-266-4090, HumanServicesVolunteer@co.ramsey.mn.us Share a smile Brighten the day of a senior citizen and have some fun. Spend time with an elder individual on an ongoing basis and do fun things in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County. Small groups and families welcome. Youth volunteers must be age 12 or older and supervised by an adult. This volunteer program through Senior Community Services now includes the seniors program formerly served by the Neighborhood Involvement Program. Many volunteer options available. FFI: Jeanne, 952-767-7894, scsvolunteer@seniorcommunity.org ■
Pg 14 October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10
Radio Talking Book
October Sampling Celebrating local authors
Run, the book airing this month on our program For the Younger Set, is by visually impaired author Glenn Haggerty, of Waconia. Earlier this year, Daniel Bernstrom published a children’s picture book entitled One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree. Bernstrom, who is visually impaired, lives in Red Wing, Minnesota. Bloomington author Shelli Stanger-Nelson has written about her vision loss in Your Story Is Your Medicine, which was released in August of this year. Congratulations to our Minnesota authors.
Books Available Through Faribault Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. Call 1-800722-0550, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The catalog is online at www.mnbtbl.org, click on the link Search the Library Catalog. Persons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies of our books via an inter-library loan by contacting their home state’s Network Library for the National Library Service. Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book, either live or archived programs from the last week, on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/rtb Call the Talking Book Library for a password to the site. To find more information about Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network events go to the Facebook site at: http://tinyurl.com/facebookMTBN Audio information about the daily book listings is also on the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) Newline. Register for the NFB Newline by calling 651-539-1424. Access Press is featured at 9 p.m. Sundays on the program It Makes a Difference. Chautauqua • Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m. The Point Is, Nonfiction by Lee Eisenberg, 2016. Eight broadcasts. Begins Oct. 20. Each of us strives for fulfillment and satisfaction, but how do we find enduring meaning and purpose in life? Lee Eisenberg explains how, from a young age, each of us is compelled to take memories of events and relationships and shape them into a one-of-a-kind personal narrative. Read by June Prange. Past is Prologue • Monday – Friday 9 a.m. The Last Goodnight, Nonfiction by Howard Blum, 2016. 15 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 12. Betty Pack was the greatest unsung heroine of World War II. Her charm, beauty, and intelligence were crucial to her success as a spy, a vocation she fell into almost by accident, but she turned out to be the consummate professional. Read by Susan Niefeld. Bookworm • Monday – Friday 11 a.m. A Fireproof Home for the Bride, Fiction by Amy Scheibe, 2016. 16 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 12. Raised in a Lutheran farm family, Emmaline was promised at 12 to the son of wealthy neighbors. But a chance meeting of Bobby Doyle turns her world upside down. He’s Catholic and so a future with him is forbidden. Read by Janelle Mattson.
The Writer’s Voice • Monday – Friday 2 p.m. H Is for Hawk, Nonfiction by Helen Macdonald, 2015. 11 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 17. To help her deal with her father’s death, Helen Macdonald, an experienced falconer, decided to purchase and train a goshawk. One of the most vicious predators, Helen saw that the goshawk’s temperament mirrored her own. Read by Esmé Evans. Choice Reading • Monday – Friday 4 p.m. Some of the Parts, Fiction by Hannah Barnaby, 2016. Nine broadcasts. Begins Oct. 25. Tallie has been grieving her brother’s death for months by pretending she is okay. Then she finds that he was an organ donor and wonders if tracking down the organ recipients would somehow bring him back. L - Read by Mitzi Lewellen. Night Journey • Monday – Friday 9 p.m. The Whispering City, Fiction by Sara Moliner, 2015. 14 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 25. In Franco’s Spain, wealthy socialite Mariona Sobrerroca has been murdered and Journalist Ana Martí Noguer is assigned to cover the case. What begins as a sensational murder case exposes revelations that implicate the regime’s most influential figures. Read by Myrna Smith. Off the Shelf • Monday – Friday 10 p.m. Chasing the North Star, Fiction by Robert Morgan, 2016. 12 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 24. In 1850, on his 18th birthday, Jonah leaves the plantation on which he was a slave. Running through the night, he was followed by Angel, also a slave, who saw his path as her own way to freedom. Read by Connie Jamison.
Nine broadcasts. Begins Oct. 20. Born Joel David Katz to a Jewish-American family in Cleveland, Joel Grey began in theater at the age of nine. Seven decades later, he is still performing, but he has come to know himself much better. Read by Stuart Holland. Good Night Owl • Monday – Friday midnight Georgia, Fiction by Dawn Tripp, 2016. 11 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 18. Georgia O’Keeffe was an unknown art teacher when she traveled to New York in 1916 to meet Alfred Stieglitz, famed photographer and art dealer. Their connection was instantaneous and she was drawn into his sophisticated world. S - Read by Laura Rohlik. After Midnight • Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m. The Wisdom of Perversity, Fiction by Rafael Yglesias, 2015. 14 broadcasts. Begins Oct. 19. Brian and Jeff were best friends growing up together in New York City in the 1960s. Then something happened driving a wedge between them and ending their friendship, something neither ever spoke of. Forty years later, they need to face the consequences. V, L, S – Read by Tom Speich.
Weekend Program Books Your Personal World (Saturday at 1 p.m.) is airing The Quarter-Life Break-Through by Adam Smiley Poswolsky. For the Younger Set (Sunday at 11 a.m.) is airing Run by Glenn Haggerty, and Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro. Poetic Reflections (Sunday at noon) is airing Window Left Open by Jennifer Grotz, and 99 Poems by Dana Gioia. The Great North (Sunday at 4 p.m.) is airing In Winter’s Kitchen by Beth Dooley. ■
Potpourri • Monday – Friday 11 p.m. Master of Ceremonies, Nonfiction by Joel Grey, 2016.
Abbreviations: V – violence, L – offensive language, S - sexual situations, RE – racial epithets
The Arc Minnesota awards - from p. 11 paredness for families and their children with disabilities. After the 2011 tornado in North Minneapolis, Kenney trained self-advocates, families and service providers how to create emergency plans. More than 200 people learned to respond to natural disasters and similar crises. The Employer of the Year Award honors an employer with an exceptional record of providing inclusive, competitive employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Burnet Title—Edina makes a priority to create a work environment that is diverse and recognizes the skills, talents and abilities of all and gives every employee the chance to grow, learn and contribute. It shows the value of each employee’s contributions and abilities by paying competitive wages. Burnet worked with Kaposia and a client with disabilities in his search for a competitive job. Company staff gave him a look at the work environment and expectations in the production support department. He shared his abilities, skills, and interests with Burnet’s team. They recognized that working here could be a good fit. He has since benefitted from support and training, has increase his skills and confidence, and has in turn assumed more responsibilities.
The Andrew R. Richardson Advocacy Award honors a person or organization that speaks for and/or raises awareness of the rights, needs, abilities and acceptance of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Richardson was a strong advocate for disability rights. Winner James Backstrom has been Dakota County Attorney since 1987. He recognizes the importance of bringing justice to all victims of crime, including those with disabilities. Backstrom has initiated actions to protect children and vulnerable adults. He has vigorously prosecuted cases to bring justice to crime victims with disabilities. He urges his colleagues to prosecute crimes against people with disabilities. Backstrom has spoken about disability justice at continuing legal education courses and has worked to educate attorneys and law enforcement about issues affecting people with disabilities. His knowledge and passion for disability justice have been disseminated through a law school journal and videotaped segments on the Disability Justice Resource Center website. The Bill Sackter Citizenship Award honors an outstanding individual with disabilities who is an achieving, included member of the community, named after the subject of the movie Bill. Winner Robbie Reedy lived in an institution, where he was abused. Yet he has maintained his optimism despite some very difficult life experiences. Reedy participates in the Bold Choice Theatre group in Duluth. He works at the Black Bear Casino in Carlton and at Miller Hill Subaru in Hermantown. He serves on the Self Advocates Minnesota Board. Reedy has a vast base of knowledge on many disability issues. A member on the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, Reedy has served for several years as its vice chair of public policy. He has listened to countless presenters and guests, and though he asks direct and sometimes hard questions, he always has done so with respect, insight and charm. ■
EMPLOYMENT
Employment ads are $22-$25 per col. inch. Mail to: Access Press, 1821 University Ave. #104S, St. Paul, MN 55104 FAX 651-644-2136 • Email: access@accesspress.org
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR-Access Programs Job Opening #313223–Continuous Appointment The Disability Resource Center (DRC) at the University of Minnesota—one of the nation’s largest and most progressive disability services offices—has an opening for an Associate Director of Access Programs. This associate director advances access by managing the Interpreting & Captioning and Document Conversion units of the DRC. The successful candidate will join the DRC Leadership Team and provide strategic direction for units comprised of more than 30 staff; bringing excellent management skills, intellectual curiosity, resourcefulness, and resilience in one’s work to the position. If you are innovative, hardworking and committed to diversity in higher education, and you want to join a dynamic and highly effective team, please review the position requirements and submit an application on the University OHR Employment website at http://z.umn.edu/313223 The University of Minnesota is an Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer ATTORNEY MN Disability Law Center seeks FT Attorney in Duluth. For more info go to: www.mylegalaid.org/jobs
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 Calvary Center Apts: 7650 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN. A Section 8 building now accepting applications for our waiting list. Call 9 am to 4 pm, Mon – Fri 763-546-4988 for an application. Equal Opportunity Housing. Find your new home with At Home Apartments. Call 651-224-1234 or visit AtHomeApartments.com for an apartment or town home. Equal Opportunity Housing.
October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10 Pg 15
————— In Memoriam —————
Patrick’s work was ‘not done yet’
Motivational speaker and author Mike Patrick often said that he used his wheelchair as a speaking platform, talking about his life with quadriplegia. Patrick died September 20 after being hospitalized for several months. He was 61 years old. Patrick most recently lived in Bloomington, where he founded and ran Patrick Communications, Inc. He was a graduate of the University of Minnesota. As a young man he was a standout, multi-sport athlete at Worthington High School. In September 1971, his neck was broken while making a tackle during a football game. His hometown friends read regular newspaper updates on his treatment, which included spending six weeks on a Stryker frame — which turned his body every two hours — at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls. The Worthington community rallied to help his family cover his medical expenses. Patrick lived in the Twin Cities for many years. But he never lost touch with his Worthington friends. He was an active member of the Worthington High School Class of 1973 and helped organize reunions. He loved basketball and was a longtime University of Minnesota men’s basketball season ticketholder. He is remembered for his strong speaking skills and his influence on many people. He reached out to young people, to motivate and inspire them. Over time Patrick estimated that he had spoken more than 5,500 times. His book, I Still Believe in Tomorrow, was published in 2011. During one speech on Minnesota’s Iron Range, he was telling listeners how he had lived for 33 years and not the nine predicted after his injury. When he asked the audience why he was still here, one young man replied, “Because you’re not done yet.” Patrick then adopted that phrase as an ending for his talks and as a title for his blog. Patrick often used humor to get his points across. He would speak from experience about knowing that
one’s hopes and dreams are gone, and that it may not feel like life is worth living. Patrick is survived by many family members and friends, including his mother Colleen. No services were held, at his request. A memorial fund in Patrick’s honor is being established at Worthington Federal Savings Bank.
Huelster was children’s advocate Mary Ann Huelster is remembered as a pioneering advocate for children with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Huelster died in August of a stroke at age 91. She lived in St. Paul. More than 60 years ago, she and her husband, Howard, helped found what was then known as the Association for Retarded Citizens in St. Paul. She had stayed active with what is now Arc Greater Twin Cities and attended its pioneer lunch and celebration last year. Huelster grew up in Chaska and was a graduate of Macalester College, where she met her husband. Their son Scott was born with Down syndrome in 1950. The family made the difficult choice of having Scott institutionalized for a time. But the Huelsters and many other parents wanted more for their children. They began meeting and formed the St. Paul ARC chapter in 1950. Mary Ann and Howard Huelster were dedicated ARC volunteers through the 1990s. They lobbied lawmakers, worked with other parents and helped run a Minnesota State Fair booth. Howard Huelster, who died in 2015, served as president of the St. Paul and statewide ARC groups. Mary Ann Huelster was also active with the League of Women Voters. Family members describe her as someone with local and global social interests, with a lifelong concern for environmental issues and social causes. She was a longtime member of Unity Church of St. Paul. Her son Scott preceded her in death. Three other sons and other family members and friends survive Huelster. Services have been held. ■
Pg 16 October 10, 2016 Volume 27, Number 10