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State Park Survey In Progress by Jane Wheeler
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overnments are paving and ramping. Businesses are adding Braille and sound recordings to public spaces. Although it may be slow, corporationsare recognizing ADA regulations and adapting. But there is one great corporation that simply wjll not budge, mother na.$+"',;, : :. .". 'st: ture. .- . I .
are not just a great resource to bring tnItOuri~m-doll@s.They mate;state pride md we ow L.
Commentarv
Under Attack:
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ation of parks in _tRe United States was to proHde a natu-" ral environment where all are welcome and included. This is why Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has recently established aprogram to surveythe state parks for accessibility. To make the state parks completely accessible would be costly, unattractive and probably impossible, but in 1995, When you invest money, you the Minnesota State Legisare trying to make more lature mandated a five year money. That's obvious. But plan to make at least one trail what are you doing when you in every state park accessible. buy insurance? That's differ- Since that time, the DNR has ent: you are buying security. enlisted the help of WilderFor example, you don't get ness Inquiry (WI) to survey any money back on your fire park trails and facilities and insurance if your house to recommend changes. doesn't burndown. Have you "lost" that money? No, of course not. Social Security, John Strohkirch, the DNR's likewise, is not an "invest: Manager of Development ment". If you die on the day and Acquisition of State that youretire youwillnotget Parks, said they may not be your"money's worth. But if able to follow ADA regula-' you become disabled, or live tionsexactly when modifying for 40 years after you retire, the trails. He recognized that you will get a check every some compromise will be month. And the amount will necessary to keep the parks be adjusted for inflation, and natural. The DNR involved will be related to the amount Wilderness Inquiry in the you wereearning as a worker. surveying, Strohkirch ,exAnd you will receive it until plained, because they have a you die. That's Social Secu- history of balancing the isrity insurance. sues of disabilities and nature. '"They are not going to Concept Number 2: Social want to pave everything or versus Individual. "All for bulldoze it flat. They are inone and one for all." "An in- terested in leaving some of Security - cont. on p.3
Saving It Or Destroying It?. by Jeff Nygaard Part 2 of a 3-Part Series "Social Security Doesn't Work Any More." So said a recent headline, singing a song you will be hearing a lot in the coming months. This song has many verses, and they are all false. Last month in ACCESS PRESS, we showed why. Social Security is like a car, and it needs, a tune-up if we want it to keep running well for the next 75 years. But lots of people are saying we need to junk it and buy a new car. Why arethey sayingthis? And what kind of car do they want us to buy, anyway?
The Philosophy of Privatization What a lot of people want us to "buy" is a new arrangement called "privatization'". Exactly what is "privatization"? Briefly, privatization would dismantle the current system of taxing all workers to pay
benefits to those who need them, and replace it with a system of "Personal Security Accounts" (PSAs) wherein each worker would set aside money for their own retireme$, along the lines of the current IRAs or 401 (k) plans in the private sector. Under the PSA plan, workers would still have the same amount of tax (or more) taken out of their paychecks, but they would be required to invest part of it into the stock market. When they retire, they would get their money -however much might beto do with as they please. We can best understand the philosophy and goals sf the privatization proponents by contrasting them with those of the current system using three simple,but crucial, concepts. Concept Number 1: Insurance versus Investment.
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O a t k e ~ 1 y ~ b i k s Tbe p~. way theory behind the m-
these trails a little rustic," he said. However, the state park facilities, like rest rooms and interpretive centers, will be made completely accessible. The surveying phase of the facilities is almost complete and any needed changes will be implemented soon.
out is exactly what they hope people will do. He said "they are considering including everyday comparisons on the signs. An example would be that an indoor ADA regulated wheelctiair ramp is an 8% grade." Even with these little clues, Passo explained the long-term theory is that the rating system will become like
sgz&ing out in the outdoors you-go with a beg~nnertrail, just like QQ.* s L ~ pIf, you _&vee n daingit awhile you yzc:: d h @ wk~l i z e W+.XQU are mends will +be-unobtrusive. ready for the harder stuff.';' -~ti?~ir%fiflil8, a small'set of stairs can be modified into a This project is also providing gradual ramp without chang- the added benefit of educating the feel of a trail. But ing those with disabilities and these small changes will not without on how to determine make nature an accessible accessibility. The 20 sorveyors, a mix of people who recplace. ognize the need for more inInstead the DNR envisions a formation on accessibility system of signs that will give include: trail leaders, land information on each trail and scape architects and individu a rating of easy, medium or als with disabilities. difficult. This will allow the public to make their own de- Groups of four workers will cisions on what trails to use. be traveling to the state parks throughout the summer. Passo Readingthesigns will require explained the advantages of some self education by the employing a mix of people. public and possibly some trial "We can send out a person and error. Since each indi- that uses a wheelchair and two vidual has different abilities, other strong surveyorson each the signs will not state spe- project. The person with a cifically that a trail is adequate disability can give a lot of for a wheelchair user or for insights .to trouble spots and someone who is visually im- the others can help with other paired. Instead, they will of- obstacles." fer information such as the averagegrade and cross slope WI is scheduled to survey 19 of the trail. In everyday lan- state parks this summer seaguage these terms translate to son and just received funding how steep the hills are and for Phase Two of the START how much a trail tips to the project. Phase Two will beleft or right. Unless someone gin in August and will involve is an architect or an engineer, 33 more stateparks. The long they are not going to know term goal of the project is to whetherthey can handlea6% gather informationon 48 other sites around the state to ingrade, until they try it out. clude state forests, state recMike Passo, Project Coordi- reation trails and state wildnator of Surveying for WI, life areas. explained that trying the trailr that issurveying thestate park trail system is titledStateTargetiagAccessible Recreation