We welcome your letters and commentary

Access Press welcomes letters to the editor and commentary pieces from readers, on topics of interest to Minnesota’s disability community. Letters should be no more than 500 words, with 750 words per commentary. Ask the editors if more space is needed.

Letters and guest commentaries must be signed by the authors or authors. With letters, a writer’s hometown is published but not a street address. Please send contact information, in the form of a phone number or email, in case the editor has questions about a letter or commentary. Contact information isn’t published unless the writer specifically requests that the newspaper do so.

Pictures of the author or content subject matter can be published with a guest commentary but aren’t required.

Access Press asks that letters and guest commentaries be specifically written for the newspaper. Letters must have a focus on disability issues and ideally, a focus on those issues as they affect Minnesotans. Form letters will not be published.

Here’s an important reminder during an election year. Because a non-profit publication and must follow regulations on political partisanship, political endorsement letters are not published. That is true for candidates’ endorsements as well as for ballot questions.

are always encouraged to contact the newspaper to discuss ideas or to ask questions about From Our Community submissions, at 651-644-2133 or accesspress.org.

accommodations are needed to submit a letter or commentary, and we will help you.

available are barriers to independent living. There are options to help, their resources are stretched, but they are available.

• Centers for Independent Living (CIL) are out there. All 87 counties of Minnesota are regionally served by a local, independent 501c3 non-profit organization of people with disabilities for people with disabilities. They serve people who identify a barrier to accessing an independent life defined on their terms. You can search for your local center at the MACIL website.

• Online resources like Disability Hub provide links and tips for everything from health to money and work.

MNSILC’s message:

We want it well-known what independent living is and its criticality in the health and well-being of all involved. We want everyone who plays a role in any decision making to be well educated about the options and resources available. We want all to “live their best life” without barriers.

• To those in hearings, presiding over cases, representing individuals - take the time to educate yourselves fully on what is available, exhaust all options that provide the greatest amount of independent living to the individual.

• To the medical profession – learn what you can about resources to recommend to your patients. Reach out to your local CIL, reach out to MNSILC or many other organizations serving those with disabilities.

• To legislators: recognize we are talking about basic human rights and consider that in all that crosses your desk. Issues like these should never be partisan.

Robyn Block, chairperson, Minnesota Statewide Independent Living Council Jacob Schuller, chairperson, Minnesota Association of Centers for Independent Living and executive director of Southeastern Center for Independent Living

Letters and commentaries reflect the view of the authors and not the views of the staff and board of directors of Access Press.

Deadline for the print edition of the newspaper is the 15th of each month, with publication the following month.