November 1998 Edition - Access Press by Access Press

"Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way." Satchel Paige

Security 'H Afric.an Americans With Disabilities - p. 3

Page 6

Access Press SOURCES

New Services Planned E AFIncorporated, a S t Deafy~'sai)uocatein the m a u l - b a s e d agency sew- state. kdhy ~chumacherhas ing Deaf and Hard of Hearing peoplesincel98O,isw0~Mng oete at the Health to develop advocacy services for victims d sexual assault and dhestic -When

&&pa wm,

iCwill

limited basis.

- .

'& ' & & . - ~ ~ h a t battered '

The

~ e aagencyr f program is still in the development stageg -.* . -. b u t D E A F hopes to be pro- timi at the &is p& in the advocate iran communivising services-in b s s th& a E3gan ancf;$art-~mc&tt=the-i3atec with them in their own 7

msv Li,L#

t 1,

new prqmm. r

..L .

Department Of Health 0 License PCA by Ken Moses .. m e Personal Care me bat'!kWkmWa.The'Depart-

;:;,.-

- .,.

;,,*\

abilities Act. ment's licensure com&nee 4. There is no provision so far d M - " P m n a l Assistance consists largely of Departfor funding the increased hvkes"') covers those di- ment officials; l a y e m , md repld-,css -fmWkk# rect support services for representatives of the ar& and canstrm8fs-wouMha* people withdisabilitieswtkh cal profession; oonsllmers to absorb the costs. allow themtoUvethirliwin and Independent Living adthe community as indqem- vocates are seriously under- The provisions of Ms licendently as possible. They ass. ~ ~ t e d . T h e ~ t w o r sure, k - as well as the increased hag rnof the.reguhtions kvel of~@ation, wouldrake -my-?ilaviees fm " ~ v i t i e s h dloices and â&#x201A;Źon- bhe cost ofplwding ale m@fdaily lMqg,mperformedby nm*have vices wimaterially i~ oommunity &qde who do over t h i r d s : proving the quantity, quality, me&and or reliability of the services. whp we: w p e d s d and 1. C o n s u m e r c m t r o ~ o f ~Theamjmbemfit ~ of liaasure kair&%yitke p e o p l w v supenision, and training a p p m a be that consumers could be rectucLd. whoareineligibkfmMedical 2 Consumers w d d not be Assistance could hire their the -services are f&p&tly able to hire people on short PCAs through the existing restricted by the federal and notice. providers, using them as esstate funding which c v -3. Tht program would be run sentially payrell agencies. from health-care budgets. with more medical-style This would c& consumers - ~gulation, with greater in- less than going through liThe Minnesota Department hiision into consumers' censed nursing agencies a d of Health, under a directive lives. Access to services would be at no additionalcost from the state kgislature, is (dside from money and - to the state. Licensure might putting togetherarecommenhours allotted) would de- also open the program t~ a dation to licensePCA providpend on the type of disabil- shared-cost system for fmaners. They are currently regisity (ratket tEran functional cially-marginal consumers tered with the Department of need) and is in violation of that is more reasonable than Human Servicesas providers, . the Americans with Dis- PCA cont. on p. 7 cfwt(PCA)program(also

~~~ L

tive Director, is excited about the enthusiasm for the pro@am among Deaf women. Many Deaf women in Minep t a have been wanting apro-

women who ing to c a q program started; and she Hearin is very e gram develaping at D E A F. ers [about their needs] when "It's bees hard -s @ey need support the most," she explains. "When I ad& Bmlow. 'cornmunit$% 'h-dpeiota," workingwithtwowomen who ---says.fJ*~*..,i; "1 I"'"" . bothhavetobeincourtonthe L ,'- >a aape day,s@ one in M n n e F Since there are already w& a p l i s at 2 p.m. and one in St. ber, acknowledges the role over 150battered worn& and Paul $t 1p&Wsnotfairthat hearing agencies,too. "Icredit sexual assault programs one of them has to go to court LewisHousewith openingmy aroundthestate,people~&t without a Deaf a d v o o q . , 'eyes. With the m e r i a l s I anotherp r o m Sometimes I can arrange for- . - * g a f m b i r booth, is nekbed. To d w e r thik another Deaf woman to go e s p k h d y 6 ' %mj question, it is necessary to wifbher, but becauseofsched- Control Wheel* &id '%%y look at the current network of ulek ~ ~ t a l w a y o w o r Women k Stay", I began to unservices and how well they out. ~ i t h ~ e w w C e p t e r , ~ ' m derstand my own issues." r.arem&gtheWofDeaf to I warnen. ;&sell eventually sought support for herself. But when :When estabMt$, crisis pro- Advocacy programsforhear- shelefi her husbhd and went grams ate fypidally set up to ing women are doing a better to a'Twh Cities shelter, she serve a p t i c u k p m h i c j& of making their services facamany banks. During area;a county,region, or part accessible to Deaf and Hard her stay, she was h d offbemetropolitan area. And of Hearing women, but there by the lack of akcessibility since these services were set are still serious limitations. andcommunication. The&& up for the general population, Many programs have TTY ter had a TN, but it was lothey often don't have the ca- capability, but because they cated in the business office, pacity to meetthe full range of receive so few calls on than, whieh was only open during needs victims of abuse have. most of the advocates are not certain hours, so Russell's competent using the 'ITY. A access to it was limited. In Forsomeonewho is Deaf, lack few programs have staff or contrast, there was a voice of accessible options is a ma- volunteers who have some pay phone available to the jor barrier to getting help. The American Sign Language other residents at all times. Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ASL)ability, but most arenot The shelter had a captioned population in the Twin Cities fluent. Some programs have television, but she had to neis estimated at more than funds available to hire ASL gotiate with others for the use But there is only one interpreters, but only on a Advocacy cont. on p. 9 .A. I.

November 10, 1998

Access Press Ventura's answers to a ques- resource for him. Over the mssful. Ifyoucanhelpthemin &tion to privatize the protion posed by ACCESS years, many ofus have been thiseffort, call thenumberat gram.Mainstreammediahas

need to pay attention to this issue and be prepared to mo-

****

Metro Mobilitv

Metro Mobility Forums T

heMetro~litanCounci1See ad below for dates and will hold public forumsin times offorums. late November and early Deember to gather i ~ f ~ m ~ a t iTo o nregisterin advance to speak about the transit needs of atafonun,callDawnHofierat people with disabilities in the the Metropolitan Council at metro area. 651-602-1447or651-221-9886 TI11.There will alsobe regis-

tration at the forums. Sign language interpreters will be provided. Reasonable accommodations for people with other types of disabilities will be provided, if requested by November 16.

Adaptive Car Seats Now Cove- -I By MA T

heMinnesotaDepartment of Human Services recently ruled that adaptive car seatsforchildrenwithdisabilities would becovered by Medical Assistance (MA). Three casesinwhichtheDepartment deniedfundingwereqpealed, and in each case the CommissioneroderedtheDepartment toprovi&theadaptivecarseat These decisionsprovide guidance on this often disputed area of service.

The forums are intended to elicit commentsfromriderson ADA Needs Assessment Metro Mobility service and provide an opportunity for and Metro Mobility Public Forums people to make recommendations for improving the serAttend and comment on: vice. A rider's suggestionlast future Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) year resulted in the providers ~blictransportation needs in our growing blishing a cancellation line. line reduces the time riders d on the phone and frees up reservationists to handle who nquirs support and POmore ride requests. sitioningofher head, neckand Council Chambers, Mears Park Centre trunk due to spastic quadpalsy. ~n Riders who do not attend a riparesis and-bral 230 East Fifth Street, St. Paul forum can still participate. this case the snug seat is conDecember I II am I )m Send written comments to: sidered a prosthetic device, Minneapolis Convention Center 4 &viammvDave Jacobson, Metro Mobil- a dpro&& 13 0 1 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis ity ServiceCenter,Metqmli- &by MA. ~n another situatan Council. 230 East Fifth tion, MA reimbursement was Register in advance to speak by calling 651-602-1447 Street, St..Paul,MNS5101. Fax qprovedfora&rillaadaptive or 65 1-221-9886 TTY. You may also sign up to speak comments to 651-602-1660. car seat for a 3-year-old boy at the forums. Sign language interpreter services \Nil1 Send TT"Y comments to 651- with multiple disabilities; be provided if requested by November 16, 1998. 221-9886. OrcalltheCouncil's including spastic quadPublicCommentLineathimat rip&s,&palsy,asei651-602- 1500 or send corn- m*,-haly, ments to the Council's E-mail and general dev&pmatal Dave Jacobson, MMSC address: data.cent&@metc. &lays. 'Ibis seat was also Metropolitan Council state.mn.us. ruled to be a medically n230 East Fit& Street sary prosthetic &vice. St. Paul, Minnesota 55 101-1634 Comments will be accepted until January 1,1999.. In tfie third case, the &&sFax: 65 1-602-1660 TTY: 631-221-9886 sioner a p p v e d Medical AsE-mail: damcente@metc.st~te.mn.us m b b m n t for a Columbia 2000 adaptive car seat for a 5-year-old boy with autism. He concluded that since the car seat will provide Co-FounderhbUsher (1990-1995) Wm.A. Smith,Jr. this young boy with the p s i b e r F o d e r ChPrle~F. Smith tioningand restraint he needs, Cartoonist " ""..ScottAdPms it is a piece of durable medical Production " Resentation Images, Ellen Houghton Editorial Assistant Donna McN~mnra equipment, which is covered ACCESS PRESS is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons with disabilities b A-s Press. Ltd. Circulation is 10,000.distributed the 10. of each month through m o than ~ 150&cabom statewide. Approximately 650 co ies are mailed directly to political, business, institutional and civic leaders. Subscriptions are availabfe for SI51yr.

under the Minnesota Medical this sdndard and the principles Assistance program. underlyingthesedecisionswill serveas the base line for evaluThe decisions in these cases ating all future requests for were basedin part on guidance adaptive car seats. from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). Also of note, the Department HCFA's guidance led to the asserted in all three cases that freeadaptivecarseatsareavailfollowingconclusion: able from the Minnesota "...the federal Medicaid laws PassengerRotectionRogram. and regulations have been However, investigations by ths hMinnesotgDisability Law interpreted by HCFA agency overseeing the &9 Wiiter rl:wealed that z b pt medical assistanceprogram- gram in Minnesota, including

;

ACCESS PRESS

....................... ................ .".., ..............................".." ...... ....... .................. ..................,., . ..... ., "...,..-..-................................

Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities,or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed. Paid advertising is available at rates ranging from $14 to $18/column inch, depending on size and frequency. Classified ads are $8.00, plus 35 centslword over 20 words. Advertising and editorial deadlines are the 30th of the month preceding publication;special scheduling available for camera-ready art. Access Press is available on tape. Call MN State Services for the Blind, 642-0500 or 800-652-9000. W. Suite 185N St. Paul,

BEnER

compliancewithHCFA direction, states may not categorically deny prior authorization requests for adaptive seating for disabled children."

Disability Law Centermanmends that if you have aclient who is a Medical Assistance recipient and requires anadap tive car seat to provide s u p portive seating, proper positioning or necessary restraint in a car, you should prepare and submit a funding request for Medical Assistance reimbursement for an adaptive car seat.

Not only did theCommissioner conclude that the Department couldnotcategoricallyexclu& car seats from coverage, he also concluded that adaptive car scats may be covered as prosthetic &vices or as durablemedical equipment. He If you have any questions also stated the following: about these cases, please con- ,-' tact StevenP. Elliotat the Min- ; 'Itisthe prevailing community nesota Disability Law Center . standard to provide adaptive (61213321841). car seats to children with or... thopedic deformities, to chil- Informationforthisartick~~~ , drm who lack trunk and head submittedby Steven P. Elliot, ' stability, and to children with Minnesota Disability Law behavior disorders. It is also Center cJnomey.

Ihcprevailing~~mm~tyStan-

dard to provide children with disabilitieswithopportunities to travel throughout the cornmunity aschildren withoutdisabilitiesdo.''

I'leasc yat~*onize your Access Press

Advertisers - rincl tell them whcrc you heard about them.

'ZheDepartmenthas stated that I The> bring you your paper.

SPECIALIZED TRANSPORTATION

529-5019

483-9143

C ~ MEDICAL ~ E ASSISTANCE PROVIDER

II African American people .t

November 10, 1998

Access Press

1: With Disabilities

Many Unmet Needs Remain by Jeff Nygaard

n October6&,KMOJ Radio and Insight News cosponsored a forum atlucille's Kitchen in NorthMinneapolis ; entitled "Understanding Disability Through Awareness." .- . As one of the weekly Public kw Policy Forums heldatLucille9s, the proceedings were broadcast live on KMOJ Radio, 89.9 FM in the Twin Cities. L. L A panel of five, moderated by h - Insight News President A1 McFarlane, addressed the crowd on a variety of issues ,& ' facing people with disabilities *- - in the Twin Cities area. Much of the forum focused on the I . - unique set of issues faced by African American people with disabilitiesin ourcommunity. i-

&$$ k. ,z

In adaiil"oh ro'moderator McFarlane, panelistsincluded Virginia Richardson, with the Parent TrainingProgram at the PACER Center in Minneapolis; Ella Gross, from the Institute forMinorityDevelopment; Michael Cohn. who has recentlv started video educa-

Norman pointed to the fact that traditional (white-oriented) measures of IQ that the county relies on would indicate that "the average African American is 'cognitively impaired,' which we know is not true." This and other examples led him to say that Hennepin County "is institutionallyracist, so we need to deal with that." As a starting point, he said, "we need to bring people into the system [of county services] who are culturallycompetent in regard to disability and to ethnic realities." Ella Gross concurred, saying that "[African Americans] are not going to these agencies and not getting support in numbers proportional to our numbers in the population." To illustrate, she pointed out that there are roughly 2,000 African Americanswith developmental disabilities in the county, but only 400 are currently receiving county services. The Institutefor Minoritv Develo~ment.which SUD-

Americans as it relates to disability, Virginia Richardson spoke eloquently of the complex interaction between institutional racism and how it can lead to disempowerment among people of color. For example, in the criminaljustice system, an assessment indicating mental health problems can resultinjuvenile offenders receiving more appropriate treatment and services. As Ms. Richardson pointed out, "Majority families get those labels right and know whattheir rights are. African American families do not know their rights." Ms. Richardsonstated that "a key difference is the majority parents' assumption that our institutions will do right by their children. African American parents do not expect institutionsto do the right thing."

IN BRIEF . . . .

1 ~ r t Access s Awards Announced Very Special Arts Minnesota (VSAMN)awarded the third annual Art Access Awardr at its annual Board meeting on November 1. Award recipients are chosen to recognize individuals and groups for their accomplishments and efforts in making the artsaccessibleto people with disabilities. This year's winners are:

Tara Arlene Innrnon, Minneapolis, Activist and Visible Minnesota Artist wiith a Disability; Hopkins Centerfor the Arts, AccessiblePerformance Space; Tom Moriarity, North Branch, Arts Educatorfor Students with a Disability; Tourette Travelling Troupe, Active Producing Group~Theater Involving People with

Disabilities. VSAMN' s programs focus on making the arts more accessibleto people with disabilities around the state. For information, call 6 1 2 - 3 s 3 8 8 8 (VoiceKTY) in the metro area or toll-free 1-800-801-3883 (VoicdITY).

Volunteer At MPR Minnesota Public Radio takepledgesintheirupcoming availableNovember7-13. Call (MPR) is looking for volun- pledge drive. Morning, after- 1-S(D228-7123. teers to answer phones and noon and evening shifts are

chorus Auditions Join CalliopeWomen's Cho- excellence and pride. Audi- women welcome. Call649-4732 rus in its 22nd season singing tions for all vocal ranges will be for information. Available in songs of peaceandjustice with held in mid-November. All print, braille, tape.

Accessible Arts Performances AmericanSignLanguage Audiokribed A r d * 1Y12,Thur, 7:30p.m. "Nunsense"; AnokaRamsey CommunityCollege, Coon Rapids

* 1Yl5, Sun,2 p.m. "A Delicate kialance" Theatre in the Round, Minneapolis

12/4, Fri, 8 p.m. "Gross Indecency" . +,:. ,,, * 1Y20, Fri, 7:30 p.m. "The H&ngS'; The suggestion was made that NineMileCreekTheater,BloomingtoaArtCtr Guthrie Lab, Minneapolis , :1, people call their county commissioner to say "We want * 11122,Sunday,2p.m. "ALittleHouseChrist- 1215,Sat, 1p.m. ;12/8, Wed, 8 p.m.;12/26, Sat, more services for African mas"; Child's Play Theater, Hopkins 8 p.m. "A Christmas Carol"; Guthrie Theater, Americans with disabilities."

.activist, and co'ft%m; and

disgruntled with the system, peoplethat the commissioners was started with that reality in are determinedto cut property taxes, and that means that "the * 1216, sun; 260 p.m. -.Annier.; w h e u m *1%6,St&$qm. .v Paul Norman, a program manmind. "Antiie";O@heam'Ilea~s mcmey is nattheg?~t q m i i d e Theater,Minneapolis(call 6123734650) Minneapolis(cdS12373-56%) geemed to agree needgd s-wjces: Ms. &h: -. with moderator McFarlaneYs ardson suggested that educa- * 1 m 2 , ~af,i:00~.m. ''Nmiayf;youth~erfa- * 1 ~ i l ~ $8 p.m. , "Orphan Train" Ms. Richardson has a daugh- statement that "Services do tion is the key. Families need to mance Co.,HowardCo~FineArts Ctr., Mpls, . Great American ~ i s t o 'qFhatre~M ter with a developmental dis- not take into accountthe larger educate themselves -about =ability andepilepsy whoisnow context of African Amedcan wkat is out there for them, and * 12/12, Sat, 4 p.m. "The Best Christmas * 12/12, Sat, 4p.m. "The ~ e s~t h r i s t m Pagan adult living independently lives." According to Mc- our institutidns need to be Pageant Ever"; Steppingstone Theatre Go., eantEver"; steppingstone~heatreCo.,Landeducated about the real needs LandmarkCenter, St.Pau1 - in the community. She spoke Farlane, "Too often, when the markcenter, St. Paul , - , . of some of the special chal- 'establishment' offers services of people in the community. lenges faping herfamily: "Be- to the public in general, those Her advice? "Use your con*-Asterisked performances are eligible fm:~educedadmission prices through the Access to *cause I am African Arnerican,J services are geared toward nections, and pass on what ~~ea&qraje&. Contact the theateior~my~ 'Arts MN ~ (332-3888) 1 forfurlherdettail didn't connect with any agen- white people." Such bias can you've heard here May." , 1 .-.> . ..... . . w , . . cies [for support in raising a ~&sdi"iiiAtfticrin'++rijans -,:-u' . . daughter with a disability]. I beink deiiihd seivi~es@~#k-- -ThiInsightIKMOJ Public -?>-J -*- w l n ' t about to go to a major- fessional gatekeepers. In 'an PoliE$ Forum at Lucille's is ~ ~ t c h c : i i 1.kc:~1~c~ioii ii~~ iillo li: f st GM~IU~Y'-' . , ~ty-runorganizitiothat would era of intense focus on cutting p&sP.nfk@fiom8iOO - 1O:CK)am make us feel bhl about our- budgets, denial of services can and - ICkOJ. br~adt'aststhe , selves. So wedealt withitas be poitrayed as a good thing final half houi@:36--'KtWm~ live. For more information on fiimily." . '. .? bqthe '+tilid 8 &neral.' ..:., +. * . - forzim topicscall ~ n ~ i ~ h t ~ e w s giant,&[) Porwa~vllo iinl)rovc ant1 e r ~ l i a n tlSiin&iL c~ yer'vicas in ttrc 'hvin " ' Other pa?elisis echoed &is ~ ~ a b o r a t h g o&dsi%dt$rfie n 5884313.. Cili(~sZ@#b~~a. Even befili~:~ l g t ~ l - r a i t h w lk&~wke sk bcgi11s. ~ I I B I ~srrpD distrust ofmostly~whiteinsti- underserving of Akibhn . , .- -. , , . j)orl ar#~dm1mrnily ilovolv~ner~l~lu: e s s ~ L ~ ~ l ~4U C~~ )~W S1~ L@I planning, I tutions and the barriers they ,.. ,-.. alcsigbk u s 1 (c:tnislrl~tcl.im~af i@hl rail in oursrcgim.. . . " - . . resent to people ofcolor. Paul 'I'llo i l i ~ w a l l ~(:orri(lor a mulc ia 12.2 rnflc9lnug. wl1.h i41lgtir rail sLations, bnd Lir~ks downlwn M inrieapokii, M0ls.-St. 1'unllnlc~natim:D ARl)arr, and lllc hddd 01Amc&:a. Estirnatm am~Lhtit~24.006 fltlers par day WH USC:I&KL .. H m HEALTHCARE E rail will1 fielghbtrrhood conncclians Ilr)m Mcftwlhn~tta ~ ~ol.llc:r r l rcgio& bus scrvice. ~. o- m care r services 'Ilvcoly-two light rail t h i n cars, each 90' longwith lo\ir.~&&?ol' easy ba8M1Ayailsble!24 hours per day ing will scat 65 custonrers o r 160 cuslorners inclutlingatinding room. -+

MmD

,:t,

i z

I ,

d l i l

To Reach 10,000 Active and Interested Readers, Call 644-2133

----.

Specializing of Children*Adults*Eldcrly . . .in-the . w.care --+

wCppovi& ~ e r s c & l & @Y % R & ~ @ * Home Health Aides *Hcmem&ets *.*$%-in Cttkegivers Nursing

II I I

:',

1 Hiawa'tF7 Light '=I\.

_..6

-1.

d a r l W w b i ~ ~ F & ~ i cinclude: es physical/ O c c u p a t i o n a V S ~ p i r a t o r yTherapies . PCA Provider Organization MAEWaiverlMedicareCeaifk4

I I

con1ruw~ityPlannlrrg IY0rksll OP

\Vcdrrcsday, Novcn~bcr18,(i-9 pin Mirincapolis Cur~vcnlionCenter

Neigt~borheod'Meetings I'ruvitle community input on plaming and design of light llai#8.'b&cherlde a'rmeblng cull 651 -582-1 031 (Curing business hours.

For ~norcirforn~al.ioa abaul light rail call Lhe Regional I)ak Conter at 651-802-1 140 or visit tile Mell'Wolilan Coul1Cil's w e b i t e a t ~mv.uretroc'ounciI. org.

P I 11

November 10, 1998

Access I

On Mental Illness

Offering Our L1Isacl- ,; Using Our Gifts

How I Spent My YU Summer Vacation----

by Peter Feigal

by Frank Guinello

uring the Depression, tive overnight, then take the there was a youngwoman streetcar to the hospital in St. from Minnesota named Anna Paul. She would sit next to her Zupp. She lived with her hus- mother's bed, holding her band Clarence and her daugh- mother's hand in silence for ter Anna Mae on a farm near the one hour allowed children Frost, Minnesota, close to the visitors, then return to the farm Iowa border. They were ahard- the next day. working family, and even though they were poor, they Annabelieved she had no gifts were better off than many at to give, had no meaning in her that time, becausethefarm pro- - life, nothingbutpain andshame vided them with food. Anna to offer her daughter, and she loved her family, working in drifted away into the darkness. her garden, and singing in the A kindly nurse urgently Lutheranchoir at the church in contacted Clarence one day and he rushed to the Cities and Bricelyn. bundled Anna up and brought Anna got very sick. Her legs her home, where she died the lost their strength and her b i - nextday of pneumonia. He had ance left her, so that she to rush, you see, because if couldn't walk. The small-town Anna had died in the hospital, doctor, unaware of someof the she would have been buried in newly discovered neurologi- the back yard without a cercal diseases, didn't recognize emony, without goodbyes, the symptomsof multiplescle- without even her name over rosis; and because it was 1931, her grave. Anna, my grandand she was avoman, hediag- mother, was 5 1years old when nosed her as "Hysterical." His she died. treatment was steady injections ofpheno-barbital,his own The most painful thing that I secret addiction, which soon have experienced or witnessed became hers. As she lay there in my own 30-year struggle, is year after year, her body be- that people with mental illness came withered from the MS, have a deep conviction that and her mind became lostin the because of their hurt, they have

was at Camp Courage for a week in June last summer, along with about 80 other disabled adults. Almost everything physical in life that the average person takes for granted, and even some emotional and communicativeaspects are dangerous, difficult, or painful formost of the campers, myself included. Offsetting this difficulty is acounseling staff of college students But our sorrow does not con- and recent college graduates taminateour gift. In fact, in my who foster campers' indepenexperience, the opposite is of- dence. ten true: our sorrow can break us open, illuminating our gift. Camp Courage is one of two From deep within our suffering camping facilities run by the and loss, we can become more Courage Center. It opened in aware, more sensitive, more 1955tobroadentheexprienceS available to people with disattentive and kind. abilities. For44summers,ithas And so our sorrow becomes done just that. "Certainly one our gift. In our grief and con- of our goals is to allow the staff fusion,we may mistakenly be- to care for any physical problieve we have no offering to lems or health-related issues, bring. But mere suffering can- and let the campers enjoy a not extinguishthe pricelessgift typical, fun camping experiof our true nature. ence," says Bob Polland, director of camping services at Many of the gifts we offer to the Courage Center. others are small, ordinary things: a kind word, a meal, a Located inMaple Lake, about comforting visit, an hour's 50 miles west of the Twin Cit-

and ordered her committed to insme asylum in St. Paul. Theywerenltcallingthem"insane asylums" anymore, though,the new tern "hospital." But there was still little or no attempt at any kind of treatmentortherapy,and arose by any other name...

laughter is our gift. If we grow tomatoes, then tomatoes are our gift. If we can cook, then foodisourgift. Ifwecanmake music, hold a hand, listen well, build with wood, or plant flowers, these are our gifts.

'111 . ,I .-

. - -

Clarence and Anna Mae made the long trip to St. Paul as often as they could; but Anna, in her shame and guilt, could no long= bear to see them, and asked especially that her daughter not come very often. When she was allowed, Anna Mae would take the day-long bus ride from Blue Earth to Minneapolis, stay with a rela-

of thei;gifts is, I would argue, more costly than the original pain of their mental illness. Theirsorrows, while powerful and real, are not unbearable. With faith and kindness, patience and wisdom, these wounds can heal. The greater &edy is that each person, in their own way, believes they have been broken by their suffering. As a result, they are convinced they have no credibility, nothing useful to bring to the world in which they live, and they feel isolated and useless.

that we must first be repaired, detoxified, perfected. We wait and wait, hoping for that moment when we will be filled, finally be acceptable, before we feel worthy to offer our gift to others. Some of us wish to wait until our gift is potent and comprehensive enough to solve all the world's problems and seeing our gift does not stop all the suffering, we decide it is inadequate.

Agiftis likeabulboraseed. It isn't an impressive thing. It's what can grow from the seed that is impressive. If we wait until our seed becomes a tree before we offer it, we will wait and wait, and the seed will die hlackofplanting. Theniracle is not just the gift, the miracle is also in the offering, W h wefeelhurt or afraid,we forif wedonot offer,who will? arereluctant, ashamed our gift is insufficient. We are certain

METROPOLITAN CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING

\\\:\ton

&.a

* i , y

MCIC OFFERS SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND INTERESTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE SEVEN-COUNTY METRO AREk

hformdian md R d d @rs(timwdiorhdk~61-289) @ Independent Living Slrillr Triiniog @ Individual P e r Support

80 disabled people in new and very accessible accommodations. The adaptations include large, spacious cabins with plenty of room for themany wheelchairstypically occupying them. The cabins all have accessiblebathrooms. All of the common areas are equally accessible; for example, adining hall, arec hall, and an arts and crafts building. The other unit, the Woodland Unit, is set up very similarly, but houses up to 72 hearing and speech impaired children, ages 7-14, at a time. This unit doesn't haveall the accessibility features of Lalceside, since t h p are not as many physically disabled people staying at Woodland. The units also share some facilities, including a fann forhoc&backriding, a lake for inner tube rides, speedboat rides, etc., and a swimmingpoollgymnasium.

ranging in duration from a few days to 18 days. The camping programs run from June through August, keeping the staffatcampfor IOsglidweeks. At Lakeside, there are many differentprogramsfor varying age groups. The camp that I attended was for adults, ages 25-45; but there are also programsfor ages 18-25;acollege preview camp for teenagers with an interest and ability in mathematics, business, or computers; and others, including athletic camps, for younger children. At Woodland,all the programs are for children with communicationproblems,but they are offered for slightly varying age groups. The Woodlandprogramsofferprofessional speech therapists in addition to the staff common to all thecenter'scamping programs.

!w?q

As mentioned earlier, Camp

riding or other outdoor ventures, water sports, arts and crafts, and campouts. They also assist in daily activities like getting in and out of bed, showering, dressing, and eating. In addition, they are responsible for planning and executing nightly activities, such as adance, acasino night, and an elaborate banquet. Polland states "that the camp experience is a two-way street for the very active counselors. The idea with the counselors is educating them on how to deal with disabled people as much as it is to have them help the campers." The counselors take as much from the experienceas the campers; over 50 percent of the counselors return for another summer. There are other staff members as well: the nurses, doctors, cooks, and many others. There is about a two to one camper1 staff ratio that seems to provide adequate assistance to all campers.

Courage is not the only summerfacilityrun by thecourage Center. The other is Courage North, located in Lake George nearItascaPark, about200miles The Courage Center camping north of the Twin Cities in the department>hasseiauniversal Minnesota North Woods. fee for all programs at both

has since become a wonderful addition to Camp Courage, especially for those who enjoy the outdoors. According to Polland, though Courage North is not as big as Camp Courage, it is a beautiful setting for a camp. Hosting eight programs of its own, the northern facility is more focused on experiencing nature and includes frequent trips to Itasca Park. The programs at Courage North include a Ham Radio camp and programs for autistic children. They are for varying disability and age groups. Ihe counselors are the most important and visible of the staff. The counselorsat Camp Couragewearmany hats, functioning as personal care attendants,supeW,rnleenforcers, teachers. entertainers, and mainly fritds. The counselors help campers with all the program's planned activities.

United way and other picate donors. That means that a weeklong program wouldcost in the neighborhood of 400 dollars. HoweverPollandsays that there are scholarships available. "We never decline anyone based on financialreasons. No matter what people can contribute, we gladly take whatever they can pay, and let the other sources t a k care of the rest," he says. Not surprisingly,Polland brags a bit when discussing the preeminence of Camp Courage. "There are pretty big facilities in -Indiana, Connecticut, and Alabama," he says, "but I've been to two of the three, and Camp Courage is definitely the best in the U.S. as far as I'm aware."

Feel free to direct any questions about the camps to Bob Polland at the Canning Services department of the CourEach summerthere are 1 ageCenter. His phone number grams at the camp, 12 at TypicaIly,activitiesatthecarnp is (612) 520-0502. Lakeside and 7 at Woodland, includeswimming,horseback

Deaf L L Sewices Support G~wPs... cvmntly: lhnmmk Brain 1~

9 CllvonicNnar

'YourKey to Freedom"

--T

D ~ a l P k y r i 9 o txxWnithDtab&k J ~ Re&k~h@s 8 P a r o n a l A n ~ ~ ) a d F a m i i y C m r g i * m

~enond Assistance SeWiceS (M.A Subsidized) Ramp Project 8 Transition Program 8 ADA Information Meeting Rooms @ Computer Lab 8 Resource Library 1 6 0 0 U N ~ I T Y W., A ~Sum16 . $ ST.PAUL,MN 55104-38.5 (651) 646-8322 v o f a CB (651) 603-2001 TIY Cg (651) 603-2006 FAX m://www.~~u~.o~dMCI4

(612) 571-6368

I I

Comfortable Sedan Transportation for those with Special Needs MA Recipients

Patronize your Access Press Advertisers. Let them know where you heard about them. They bring you your naner. n

November 10, 1

Reliaion & Disabilitv

Hello Nicole:

by Cheri Registe

* Every year on the Sunday nearest November 1,Refonnation Sunday, I drive to church hoping we will sing "AMighty Forlress."Myex-Lutheranwul longs to belt out, "The Prince of Darkness grim,Itmnblenot forhim-- ."T h e l i M h e s b y terians with whom I worship now don't generally personify evil in this way, and I miss it.

physical pain and the terror it causes, I preferthesimple Taoist statement, "Shit happens." Evil simply exists. Horrible things occur. C'cst lavie. The ProtestantC'Shitwon'thappen if Itry harder" doesn't work for me. Pain is just too powerful.

*Ifail to comprehend the gmd thatstrikesintelligent, familylovingCEO1sof multinational corporations and allows them to overwork, underpay, and even sicken and injure their 'offshore' workforce without guilt. How can human beings who behave so inhumanely enjoy the rewards of their inhumanity?

* For the firit time in my 53 years, I am hooked on a soap opera. This past summer, I sat down with my teenage daughtersin front of theT.V. and got caught up, in spiteof myself, in 'Days of Our Lives.' I am fascinated with Stefano, that charming, debonair, and viciously self-serving Prince of How do we acknowledge the Darkness. force in our lives that works againstthe good, that aceounts * My favorite T-shirt, which I for both bodily pain a d the seldom dare wear, features pain we inflict on esachother? It eighteen variations on the slo- is time forthe concept devil to gan 'Shit happens.' I tuck the make a comeback, but not for shirt in to hide hlast f w r the Puritan revivalism that items, added by someone who equates lying about sex with missed the point and saw this treason. There is a more danasamerejoke. Theoriginallist gerous evil afoot than that. is adever treatiseon hawvari- The young men who crucified o w mljgions deal with the Matthew Shepard for his hoprobh,&di. A sm~itymi&ttlsragefully who has lived d f . 6 a d @-zi&&ously stxike

dawnsomeone walking with white. cane or the curled p tureofcerebralpalsy. like this kill not are lacking in s because they by an evil thati in all of us:

those people who I feel may

der an outburst of self-hate if rible. New Age trends iq theology and secular psychology both

staredownthatPrinceofDark-

925-0485.

by Steven P. Elliot

s youmay beaware,Medical Assistance (MA) recipients who reside in nursing homes have had difficulty ob-

same medically necessary and appropriate wheelchair as a community resident. Further, we do agree that when arecipi-

nursing home resident recipients, who need power wheelchairs for independent mobility, to receive separate Medi-

will be short and filled with and for whom it is the natural know choose euthanasia. In some situations I felt it was compounded with a severe the end 1just had to try to trust

Disability Law Center and the Department of Human Services, the Department has decided to evaluate requests for power wheelchairsby nursing home residents using the same criteria as currently used for requests by people living in ICF/MRs and people residing ;- the community. In a recent tter, the Department stated ; position as follows: Department that recipients w long-termcare facilities should have access to power wheelchairs in a manner which is essentially equivalent to recipients who live in the community. While the Department must comply with the language of rule [Minnesota Rules, part 9505.0310, subd. 2 (A)] and statute [Minnesota Statutes, Section 256B.0625, subd. 311 regarding this issue, we do not believe that this additional language creates burden of proof which substantially changes the right of a long-term care facilityresidentrecipientto tht

Write to Nicole: submitting a request for sepa- disability and/^ illness,"can, that they made the decision rate Medical Assistance reimbursement, please contact Steven P. Elliot, Minnesota DisabilityLaw Center,612-3321441, TDD 612-332-4668, cr The Department's new posi- toll-free 1-800-292-4150.. tion should make it easier for Handi MedicalSupply 2505 University AvenueWest St. Paul, Minnesota 55114 At Hwy. 280 & University Avenue chair, that fact alone will frequently meet the test of an "unusual medical need" as required in the rule language above.

i&i&

(651) 644-9770

HANDa,v-=w-SUPPLY .

I ne

RENTAL-WS

SERVICE REPAIR

NRECT

B I Y # E ZyNEJIEEE MEDICAID I

OSTOMY - URINARY MANAGEMENT NURSING SUPPLY SPECIALISTS

Visit Our Large, Fully-stocked showroom open to the public.

YOUR COMPLETE MEDICALSUPPLYVENDOR

Wheelchairshvith complete - - 7 'T.--? repair service '' -e Walkerslcanes, crutch Bathroom safety aids IncontinenWrologicalsupplies "

Commode& shower chairs Ostomyland wound care Blood pressure equipment Diabetic supplies

GREAT SERVICE & PRICES

933.1126 ST PAUL 841-1917 HOURS-M-F

â&#x201A;Ź33

We offer 24 hr. Emergency Service excluslvelv to our regular customers. Free UPS and deliveries to Mpls., St. Paul & Suburbs.

We bill M.A.. Medicam, Blue CrosJ/Blue Shield, Medica and many other insurances

. .. ..-

Commenta

Socia;Security:

Access

Markets And Societies

by Jeff Nygaard

,- I

n our last ins@lment, "So call it "privatization," since it cial SecurityUpdate"(AC- essentially would privatizethe --T . .cEssPRESSSeptember1998), entire system. That is likely wesaidthatRodGramsseemed why he uses the tern "Per:' "pretty excited about Social sonal Security" rather than :..f Securityreform." Thatwasan "Social Security." By further 5 understatement. On October labeling it 'Wealth in Retire f 6th,SenatorGramsintroduced ment," it makes one suspect 'i. . in the Senate a bill that would that the interests of survivors almost entirely privatize the andpeopbwithdisabjlitiesare Social Securitysystem, and he a low priority in his bill. A has promised to hold meetings closer look shows â&#x201A;Źhat to inin each and every county in deed be the case. Minnesota over the next five months to discuss his plan. TheSocialSecurityprogmmis Then on October 24th, Presi- officiallycalled the OMDI or (dent Clinton announced the "Old Age, Survivors,andDisfirst-ever White House Con- ability Insurance" Program. ference on Social Security, to "Old Age" is the retirement be hdd on December 8th and part. But almost4 in 10Social , Wand ~ i s i p m d tolead, d Security recipients each year . to a " b i p h a n solrrtipn early aredisabled workers or the deW t s or survivors of disnext year." abled or dadeased workers; So' it looks like some sort of thatssfâ&#x201A;Źxe" S W in theOASDI "solution" may beon the way. program, Noprivatizationplan ~ s f : ~ t a ldlyof, thesolu- provides good deYb m distions put forth so far from ei- ability protecfion, and W s ther party accept themarket as areason for that: Workers who the ultimate solution. That is die or become disabled at a bad news for people with dis- young age haven't had time to abili&d+@themajority of save enough in their personal workers h the B&& States. accounts to support them-' . m s articlewill he*jl;oumake selves or their dependents. sense of the debate so p p tqg I1SctoMinnesota'sjuniorSena- In 1996, o w 20% of people r;or w b a Jhg comes to your newly awardeddis&ili~ben-

November 10, 1998

And, since everyone pays in and everyone is protected, there is no way to "shift costs" or "skim off' the lowest risk individuals, as private insurance companies and HMOs often do. A system of private accounts is not the same at all. Senator Grams' plan calls for the managers of the private accounts to use the balance in those accounts to purchase disability insurancefor each account holder. But private disability insuranceisexpensive, and it's mnpkated to administer. A study done on this subject this past July by theNational Academy of Social Insurance had this to sa)i on the subject: '*If pu~hasedprivately, the design of [dsability insurtmce] could not match the social insurance features [of the public Social Security system] that pay different amounts to otherwisesimilarlysituated workers bitsdOR whether they had small children or a spouse." It's true that Senator Grams' plan requires that the private fund manager p d a s e disability insunace sufticient6?o at least mat& the promid

Grams' "pri~atiZati0n"plan krACCESS PRESS, overthe financial markets, had this to wou~d~eedtodrawfundsfn,mlong haul the market cannotdo say abwt private Social S e the Treasury, pramably in- better than the overall curity accounts: "If we are to creasing the federal deficit, in ecmomy. hi^ means thatthe have self-directed individual order to guarantee the same bleak projections for the over- accounts, we must be ready level of benefits that the cur- all economy which give rise.t~ to undertake an unprecrent system already provides. talkof8 Social security fund- edented level of broad-scale The current system has never ing "crisisware the'same pro- policing of the equity [i.e. had a deficit. Under the priva- jKtions that give the lie to stocks and bonds] markets. tized Social security systemin promises for high -ket re Without such policies, fraud Chile, a System admired by turns over the same period. In and sales practice abuses SenatorGrams, similargovern- other words, if themarketdoes may be perpetrated against m m y of novice investors. merit guarantees are putting well, so does the Social Secu~ ~ r i o strains us on the federal rity system. And if there really And many of those novice budget. is a problem with Social Secu- investors are our society's rity funding, then the market most vulnerable citizens." One thing seem5 ~lznostcer- has the sameproblem, because Who knows how much this ti3in: The high Costs of pW- they're based on the per- would cost? There has been c h i n g therequireddisability formance of the underlying no significant fraud in over i&D years with thecurrent syshiurance in the privatemarket economy. That's all you need w i l l e a t u ~ a l a r g e ~ n t % e o fto know about thewhigherrate tem everyone's retirement a c ~ o ~ n tofreturn" , argument. But there resulting in a ve~.much are many other problems as * Oversight unlike tmhitional SocialSeourliy,each account duced pension benect for d l well. Forexample: holder in an individual sysnun-disabled retirees. Thus, such a plan may n d l e s s l ~ 0verhead.Ofeverydollarin tem would want (and need) create a ~ r c e ~ t i o nf c o m ~ SocialSecuritytaxesyou pay, to monitor the performance htionf~fundsbetween~e~leover 99 cents goes to pay of theirportfolio. Thatmeans with disabilities and retirees, benefits, meaning that the that millions of people who where none exists today. administrative overhead for don't have to think aboul the public system is lessthan their Social Securityincome *$araJoM one percent or a private under the current system system, costs are much would have to educate them"There is no doubt that a mar- higher. why? Unlike the selves about the market and ket-based n3i~mentSystem public system, any private then spend many hours manwill generate much better re- system would includecorn- aging their accounts. Ashim than the traditional Sonrissims, fees, msaction sumin&&& -t&em~urs

-1

Y r

- . *.,

. P

L r t .~=u.A*h7&,.1,C '

November 10, 1998

ess

OClAL StCURlTY = c0"t.fim.s

settingaside money forarainy day. M a r k e t d o w n t ~fraud, , errors, inexperience, and bad luck. all of these arerisks to be faced by the majority of individual Americans who would be "novice investors."

I the current spend-down sys- The Independent Living phitem. losophy upon which Personal Assistance services are based Much of the difficulty in pro- is an outgrowth of the overall ducing the regulations for the civil rights movement of the program stems from the per- past 40 years. ''The dignity of ception of a disability as an risk is the heart of the Indepenillness, and of consumerswith dent Living movement. Withdisabilities as automatically out the possibility of failure, being invalidsin need of medi- the'disabled person lacks true cal care. In the past few independenceand the ultimate months, the Department's li- mark of humanity, the right to censure committee has held choose for good or evil." four public meetings to con- @eJong 1983).InNew Jersey, sider these issues, most re- the program's regulations state cently on October 20. At that that a self-directed person livmeeting, a representative of ing independently "does not the Nurses' Association need or want amedically-based stated that PCA services are person or organization to opan extension of nursing, and a erate and oversee personal care representative of the Depart- services and can manage and ment of Human Services as- supervise a Personal Assis-

meering, the 6-page draft of

pm at thesnelling Ofice Park, 1645Energy Park Drive in St. Paul. If you are concerned aboutIndependentLiving Personal Assistance services, you should try to get to that meeting. Copies of thedraftregulations and further information are availablefrom Mary Cahill or Maggie Friend (651-2158725or 8726), and writtencomments may be sent to either of them at the Department of Healtho B o x 64900,St.Paul, MN 55164-0900) or to Ken Moses at MCIL (1600University Ave. W.,#16, St.Pau1, MN 55104-3825)to be passedon to the committee.. Ken Moses is the Personal Assistance Services Program

But the other category is entirely different. These are the costs and risks shared by the societyasawhole. Thesecosts and risks are often not seen by the "average" person, but they are very real. The costs of regulation r e f e d to by the SEC chairman, as well as the costs of insurance, marketing, sales, and other costs associated with acompetitiveprivate system are costs you wouldn't necessarily be aware of, but which would nonetheless drain funds from the system. In the private market, industries often can increase their profits by getting somebody else to pay a part of the costs involved in doing business. For example,thepetroleumindustry increases its profits by getting the government to pay for part of the costs of cleaning up aftermajor spills such as the Exxon Valdez. This is called "externalizing" costs. What does this have to do with Social Security reform? Everything.

. of

.$rat sysfem s&I, 'That's sim of this solution yet put n a a p- -e. m t ' s a forbard, A strong, public sys- -welfare ism.*Trye enough, tem of Social Security is the b u f b t i f l - ~ m ~ best hope f w people with dis-b i e r defEci& $ &* -. ab~tleg, andforthemajority of Just l&e w d d b r e in the h r i ~ and thei~ families. Let's notcreateareal

17, fi.Om'f0atnto"3

(MCIL), the followingindividu- comMtiaof color. als were elected to the MCIL Board of Directors: Jamie Becker; Richard Caner; Mary Mack; David Swanson; Julie Wegshied and Elizabeth Young. The following were elected officers:Pam Stenhjern

Senator Grams claims that his plan would increase benefits withoutraisingtaxes orincreasing the deficit. Doesthat sound too good to be true? It is. And the sad truth is that the "liberal alternatives" to privatization all call forreducingthecurrent none-too-generous benefits through raising the retirement age, reducing cost-of-living adjustments, or other techniFirst ofall, akey word is "aver- cal changes. age." If mostpeopleare worse off but a few people are much The reality is that the value of better off, the overall average Americans' personal savings may well be higher. That's and private pensions, both of how amarketis. It has winners which are supposed to suppleand it has losers. A society ment SocialSecurity's minimal does, too, but with one key benefits, are going down. difference: In arnarket, the los- What we should be doing is ers simply go away, and the expanding and strengthening money they have lost goes to the Social Security system to the winners. In asociety, there address this problem, not cutis nowhere forthe losers to go. ting it backorreplacing it with somepie-in-thesky plan. But, A "market-based personalized the rhetoric about a false crisis retirement system," such as has made it all but impossible Senator Grams and many oth- to talk about anything but cut ers envision,would "external- and slash. ize" as many costsas possible. The costs of regulation and It would not be that hard to the costs to each household of maintain currentbenefit levels overseeing their investments, for the next century. To do so, for example,would be invisible we would have to raise taxes within this system. Most CN- gradually, for a total increase cially, the system would exter- of about 1 percentage point nalize the costs of supporting each for workers and theiremits inevitable losers. But who ployers. Can we afford that? If will pay the costs of support- overall wages continue to go inn them if the Social Securitv ua at even a verv modest level

He&&

sented at the Septembm 30 T%e commiw's final draft qf meeting had IRW-ed t a the recommended regulations ZOpagesofmedical-dl b.will bsant ta the sbtB1CgisIapage, and the committee 6 tw in January. c i d d bstart over rather thsm

would thus be going to something other than paying benefits. SO,overall,we'd beworse off. Yetprivatizersoften claim that the average return on investment would be higher under a private system. How could the system as a whole be worse off and the average return be higher? Simple, if you understand the difference between a market anda society.

Fdowing a brief business meeting and lightsupper,board members and guests were entertainedbyagroupparticipatory production of "The Mirror," performed by Made in

We ask people who plan on attending to RSVP by Monday, Nov. 30m For more information, directions, or requestsfor accommodations, please call DSCC.

All disability groups and coalitions are invited to participate.

Disabled Student Cultural Centsr (DSCC) 235-L offm man Memorial Union300

Chair), Valerie Bygd (Trea- was a reminder that there are surer), Julia Washenberger many individualswhose lives (Secretary) and George Hall are governed by societal mis-

expanded office space; a new creating a truly inclusive socicomputer lab for Independent ety for individuals with disLiving classes, which is open abilitiesa

LEGISLATIVEROUNDTABLE set for January 6,1999

MetropolitanCenterfor Independent Living (MCIL) 1600 UniversityAve. W. 3.Paul, MN 55104-3825 1-646-8342NOICE) ,651.

Submit your 1999 legislative agenda (on disk in an IBM compatible WP 6.1 or lower [or text] file) to Tom Brick by December 20 to be included in next year's Legislative Roundtable booklet. For furtherinformation, callTom Brick @ 651-296-3478.

65 11296-6785V/TTY

or 1-800-945-8913 VlTTE

by Victoria Medleys

Changesin solidarity notwith- mental retardation certainly hears used indiscriminately by step is to accept that you have we all go down." more obvious. standing,crip casteis still alive doesn't mean you're dumb." the disabled and non-disabled an obligation to recognize your "If we can recognize as a group alike. "Many people think I'm privilege. that our issues are the same For those on the low end o

do is use it in my work to help you say it, but I can't say I've quads or paras to be poor, to founditan influenceinmy own have few social skills, to be life," saysTucson,Ariz., writer living in astate institutionorto

stayed at home so as not to

"unsuitable" for such a life- Non-DisableCMairs hitsthe here? Perhaps part of the ansavingmeasure. With &help nail on the head. Most know swer can be found in writer of other advocates, Jensen there's something happening, JamakeHighwater's'TheMy-

Cross-DiiityRealities

one more year.

,d d e s s q joined self-detervernor's groups or councils. ficial divisions increased the separation nds of dissociety &-large; alsofueled disability-speon formoneyand

anaccasionalcolunvlistftxthe

People First of Washington powerfiiltheaterfilledwithdisnewsletter, .knows well. ability metaphor and history. "There's a big. difference between people with spinal cord Knownforhes&b+gtlinjuries and the greater popu- em style, Wade says &m&rl# lation ofPeopleFitt,'"he says. be ~ S Sthan b o m t not to XI"In how they grew up, how mit she%gratefulto bpmt of t h e y n x i n ~ ~ l ~what e s ,the "llpper" caste. "From my they talk @boutandwhom they rather privileged disabled poget along with. As far as what sition, I say 'yippity-do-yawe'retrying toachieve,there's .yeah' for at least one gift. StephanieThomas,edi- littledifference, As fm as how Anybody who functions swIncitement", ~DAPT's people respond to us, there's a ces&lly in this balf+a syse, politically radical, blgdiffercnce." tean d @yo,different is ainclusivenewsletter,gddmn liar. You'd be a fool readily admjtted to her igno- - Moss, who uses crutches and - to w e t to be o&erwim!'

-HOUSING AND .-

II i .

PERSONAL CARE SERVICES

~ccksibleSpace, Inc. (MI) offers subsidized one and two bedroom apartmentsfor individualswith physical disabilities. Wehavehousingi~~the Twin Citiesmetropalitanarea,.St. Cloud, Brainerd, GrandRapids, @%bing, Austin, Marshall, Vki-llmar, Gd~~lGth. The apartments are fully wheelchair accessible md&b building has a centrallaundry room,large co-Q mom, secured entry a d qn on-site caretaker*.AS1 also offers shared personal care services 24 how8 a day, at most locations, for adults with a physical disability and/or traumatic brin injury who qualify for Medical Assistance. For more information call (651)645-7271 or (800)456-7722.For services or ho6singcall ~eigh, foremploymentas apersonalcareattendant call Sean.

%* ,-

8 '0

Accessible Spam,Inc.

if domes down to is bask survival: Wade says. . . "If you don't think we're exp ~ think <&gain. ~ The , histiny ofpebp.le with disabilities isn't aactly a song and -e, you laow.". -

- "'JVZlat

it in more personal terms, mendilln=&t;weyre&d my privileges, I don't look "Eventually," he says, *'what ofthe pynem &it; and we're down, but I do feel sort of a wecanhdpto+'leafilisth8t notwillingtolwkatitbeca~ggr twinge a desire to make it one's grata& enmnyisn" the fact ofbeing a crip, but iather w e ' r e w w M t W we, , p d b l e tQ share the goodies m & e w e me.' Csmm@tT society is not quick to let go what o m sees in the mirror." ~ ~ ~ b e r s t h e ~ y iy &ply pmj* of." he a v o W c&ms with disand s b e may not be easy. W m e m pres"W&iw a es-ly di-. abilities,& B u t g i v ~ & & s ~of with disal~ilitie~, Wade be- vided group? q s 'NEW ence in hi3 e @ t y as somelieva, it's a dmgerous luxury MOBILITY' editor Barry thing that c o u 2 d ~ ~ m d o w n to ignore it. Co*. ' y- w b n a in the eyes of 0 t h ~ ~ . , comes to inqam& .What ws "'You mlly+a a thelrap of the have in the disat@ty1~apmu- Cheryl Marie Wade says she, castetdaySSkut withdnity is an entiregroupdtrhlud too; spent years being "the %xc@m ta tlre rule," counting on her intellect to some how 1ih her out of disability prejudice: -Wsan attitude she .Cantinu%to confront. "It's a lifelong struggle to deal with t h e bu&lt4ib-ng the way, yau ~ t ' ~ ~ 1 B H 1 e of n t S amval, bm+hm%&@mm, m, lhear'p&gre&ioa to eirlightemmeat. When y-ow get - ~ - h e n t sj ,u a ~ 'ern b d rhn kikhit." ' '

Crip Caste: dwning up to the Pecking Order and Prejudice Withintke Disability Cammunity originally appeared in New Mobility magazine,

from pm ADWAS was thefvstpogam As a f m t step, a group of four by Deaf people."

,f the TV.And she had no way o communicate with the vomen around her. ' m e r e vas no interpreter provided or me, so I could not benefit rom the house meetings or nteraction with others," Lussell recalls. "This is true or all of us who are Deaf in nost shelters. When Deaf vomen do not have full and qual access, and when they re made more lonely by their move into the shelter, they are morelikelytoretumkkhome. We are tired enough from the abuse at home, and our energies are too drained to advocate for ourselvesat ashelter."

option is usually only u&d as a last resort, because it means leavingfriends,family andeverything else behind (and it is also no guarantee of safety [many women are followed, stalkedandkilledbytheirabusers]). But nationwide the Deaf community is small and news travels fast. Something that happens in Washington, D.C. onedaywillbecommonknowledgeinSanFranciscothenext. Even a less desirable option, like moving across the country, is not an option many Deaf womencanconsider. Sowhen it comes to providing safety from abuse, services must be based on the specific needs of ~fSeeking help of any kind may Deaf women. , inat feel like an option formany , $)&women. Becausethecom- D E A F's advocacy services P b u n i t y is small (some refer to it arebeing developed with these tf;:w "like a small town"), confi- language and cultural differ?dentiality is difficult to main- ences in mind. Deaf women k ~ n .'Women often won't survivors of abuse, advocates *are what happened for fear and others in the community 2 , o f feeling ostracized by the recognize that the key to pro-- community," says Schumach- viding safety for Deaf people ?Qr. "They're afraid to say any- doesn't lie with mainstream i . .t thing because they think other agencies. With the support of people will thinkit's their fault. women in Seattle and other 2-So what I try to do is make sure cities, they are building accesp a o m e n know that whatever it sible, Deaf-based services in -c? . the Twin Cities. 1 was, it was not their fault." -5f

P. ?

5 .-

$Other options may be limited .--,. for Deaf women as well. For ..,example, some hearing women @'try to escapeabuse by moving to another city or state. This 4

nd.7

ExtendvesupportforDBAFa program is coming from Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS) in Seattle, Washington.

in the United States specifically set up to address the needs of Deaf and Deaf-Blind peoplewhoarevictimsofsexual assault and domestic violence. Foundedin 1986,ADWASisa non-profit agency of, by and for the Deaf and Deaf-Blind.

women at n Russell was one of the seminar participants from Minnesota. ''Inbecominginvo1ved,1hoped to create a change of climate and attitudes for the DeafcamWith a grant from the Justice munity here in the Twin CitD e p a r t m e n t ' s ~ o f V i ies,"statedRussell. ~ 'Thehighof Crime, ADWAS is sharing light for me was the way in the advocacy model they d e which we all bonded, becomveloped withothercities. Min- ing strong links in the chain neapolidst. Paul was chosen first begun by ADWAS." as one of five cities to receive training under the grant. In September, ADWAS staff Marilyn Smith, founder of traveled to Minnesota for a ADWAS, has some long- week to provide training spestanding connections here, cifically designed to meet our and is confident the new pro-. local needs. In conjunction gram in the Twincitieswill do with that visit, the Minnesota well. Lori Breslow, D E A F chapterofDeafWomenUnited ExecutiveDirector, is a former sponsored a day-long conferADWAS Board member. An- ence on battering and sexual other connection is through assault. Conference organizlocal advocate Kathy ers were thrilled with the turnSchumacher, who has called out and response of particion Smith and other ADpants. Marilyn Smith, the keystaff numerous times for ad- note speaker, shated hei vice and resourcematerialsfor thoughts on the cunferemk. clientshere. "MinneapolisJSt. "I was surprised at the numWr Paul was chosen because over of women who showed up, the years some women have consideringthe topic of abuse expressed interest in having issti11smewhattabooinmany training; and Lori was a great parts of the Deafcornmunity," boardmemberwhenshelived shesaid. '*Womentoldmethat out here. She is one of the tbey are ready for change in reasons I Rave great confi- howthecommunityviewsviodence something will develop lence. And that they want this frornthis,"accordingtoSmirh. program to be run by a Deaf agency that is truly of, for, and

Deaf women Reed? What kind of program should we have? When the groups reconvened, they found they had identified the need for the same basic services. Women ranging in -age from t h e i r b to their 60s talkdabouttheimportanceof things like a 24-@UI crisis hotline; equal access; Deaf advocates, and safe housing. ~ o f i ~ r e s l ofeltoverwhelmw ing supportfrom women at the conference. "We sent around sign-up sheets for people to help with fundraising, giving community presentations and so on. People were signing up right and left to become volunteers,"said Breslow. ADWAS' Smith concurred, saying, "There was this incredibleenergy near the end of the day when we. all broke into work groups .and shared dreams for the ww I'm excited both by the energy I saw and the support hearing people have shown."

The Seattle program also in cludes asystem ofsafe homes, which have proven to be an effective alternative to shelter forDeafwomen. Thesafehome providers in Seattle abide by the strictest confidentiality policies. No one knows who the providers are. Usually, a womanstaysatasafehomefor one week, and, if additional time is needed, will move to another home. Occasionally, women go to shelters, but only if very specific arrangements have been made in advance to ensure appropriate,accessible resources will beavailable. Itis more likely that awoman would go from a safe home to another type of residence, such as an apartment, with sup .vicca off&.

The ADWAS model will be very helpful in meeting the needsidentifiedbyconference participants. Their program includesa24-hour crisis phone line, staffed primarily by Deaf women. This is accomplished

D E A F Incorporated is cur rently seeking funding 'to de velop this program. The advocacy program will initiallymnsist of a 24-hour crisis hotline staffed primarily by Wf women. The p r o m is also looking for volunteers and other kinds of suppan For more information, to make a . donation, or M b&&ie &Bvolved, c a n t a ~ D E A F at 651-297-6700(Voice,

featuring Afi-Tiombe, actress and historian Her one person readings entertain, enlighten, and educate audiences on black history and diGbility

Nov. 20;

FREE admittance, efreshments, and parking -?

-..> >

a -

bus routes 21, 94, and 12 21 and 94 are accessible

Ca for information on accommodations 651-646-8342 651-603-2001 tty Sp~nroredby METROPOLITAN CENTERFOR INDEPENDENT LMNG THEb U i M Y bSrmm COURAGECENTER UNIVERSITY OF M I N ~ T A THEVERYS P E ~ A LARTSMINNESOTA Special thanks to the Minnesota Historical Society for providing space for this series of events.

m)..

r '

November 10, 1998

Sports Beat

a&d-%q,

Team USA Captures Gold Congress Fails To Ac nd Sllver Metals On Work Incentives lLli~.

by Craig McCleltan and Luke Pedersen

by Bryon R. MacD

!C +-,,-;. di?-$)p3y,,J

T e a m USA captured the withahard-fought61-59victo- is curreay ee o chrge. gold and silvex medals at ry against the Netherlands.

*?up,

he JeffordsIKenn Incentives Im- advocacy.

after October 9th, which was We areall responsibleforthese will secure passage and the

were hosted together.

medal game Canada showed sessions. why they are the world's best, TheEnergyAustraliaGoldCup as Team USA fell 54-38. ' 98 consisted of 240 athletes

tition. The tournament next month's edition. ed 66 action-packed

****

ton legislatois and the White House. Senate stafÂŁhave re-

1 Work

the first day of the next session 1998than I hear loss and blame right and to yourselves and

cost activities.

thegold, and t h e w o m ' s team adults with physical disabili- phone at (612) 784-5743, be-

the leaders here. In 1998, we were not big In 1999, in the next session of enough, loud enough, early Congress,I have amessage for

eceuse of the messages we A good response to that is a Bryon R. MacDonald is the

, Congress,.-- includin~

To ListYour Business Card

3 Wheel 4 Wheel

Power Wheelchairs Ramps Trunk Lifts Accessories Free In Home Demo

Specializing in Wheelchair Accessible Homes Office: (612) 382-8330 Pager: (6 12) 632-3276 Home: ( 6 12) 45 1-7387

Newsletters

Sydney Wood. GRI

SCOOTERS S:WHEELCHAIRS Statewide In-Home S e r v ~ ~ e S'1le5 & Serv~ceot Pride Scooters & J u 7 y Power Wheelcha~rs,Electnc Trunk Lllts. ~ l t Cha~rb, t Stalr L I ~ ~&Sscoot-A-~ong

We Servlce All Bratzds

Toll Free 888-288-3749

How Lths mi llnzmrr

Lift Installation Mu*

Raised Doors

300 2ndSt. S.E.

651-463-3874

Lfl,

W b x t h p r r hrnp

Ambulatory and Wheelchair Service Group Charters Available M.A. provider plus other insurances

(612) 922-6876/885-0580

Hand Cmmb f a All Vchrk,

Povtrrd ma Opmr Dntmg A u k

FibnplruTqd for Msnt Shzcd Vuu Rat& Dom

FUII

R.C.SALES AND MFG., INC.

1 Northland Transportation, Inc. 1

14726 Wake S ~ r c eNE ~ Ham Lake

MN $5304 a (612) 7866504

EXCELLENT JOBS

EXPERT STAF

If you don't call us flrst, you will M.I.S. out. Call, fax, or e-mail Janet Arntsen at:

P K P.

November 10, 1998

Access P THE FRIENDS OF ACCESS PRESS

Since the sudden death of the publisher of ACCESS PRESS in 1996,ACCESS PRESS has been having financial problems. Over the past two years, The Friends ofACCESSPRESS has kept us alive. Yet, we need your continued support to keep the paper to 12 pages. Advertising and subscriptions have not kept pace with the cost of producing the paper.

Reach 10,000 Active, Interested Readers with Access Prass Classifieds. $8 up to 20 wards, 35$/wo1-d thereafter; Mail with check to: ACCESS PRESS, 1821 -11University Ave W, #185N, St. Paul, MN 55104; (651) 644-:A

Burnsville: 2BR Accessible Townhouse, Available 1111. :Bar- GreatLmation, Section 8 welheel- come, $565.6 12-890-6292.

EZ~ivotmechanicallift.Holds Person UP to 6'2"s 250 lbs. 2 months old. $600 or BO. 6 12439-0327.

dized. One and two bed- OakpmkV&g6APmenb deonebedroom signed for physically handiSt. Pau1, OP- capped person. Convenient St. Louis Park location. Call 935-9 125for availability infor-

Salt Water aquariam, 125gallons - 4'x 2'x 2', wet/dry filter, UV sterilizer protein skimmer. $450.

Here are the sponsorship levels: Basic (low income) .$5.00 Silver .....$150.00 & up Benefactor ... $1,000.00 & up Friend .......... .$25.00 & up Gold ......$350.00 & up Bronze ..........$75.00 & up Diamond $500.00 & up Contributionsmade at the "Friend" level ($25) or above, will entitle the contributor to a one year complimentary subscription to ACCESS PRESS.

ACCESS PRESS is a501(c)(3)non-profit. Checks should bemade out to ACCESS PRESS. Ca117i9-0607.

Your contribution is tax deductible. Please mail your sponsorship to ACCESS PRESS, 1821 University Avenue West, Suite 185N. St. Paul, MN 55 104.

Equal Opportunity PCA needed for Mexico worW vacation at Thanksgiving and second weekinFebruary. Call MAp. 651-64 1-0297,651-224~ ~ i ~ dual ~ 5279 ~ l ~ h ~ wheels, autoIvan lift, charger, other accessories, $2,200.6 12831-6973.

L + :

he public is invited to the Clown" by Tim Traver. Pro- and T-shirts displayed in the

grand opening of the Inside Out Art Gallery on Thursday, November 19from5:OOto 8:OOPM. Thenew gallery features paintings, drawings, and sculpturesby artists who work in the studios of Interact Center for thevisual and Perform-

" .

"2 rx -,9 ,

,)T

Interact To Ooen Art ~ a l l e r y

duced with the Center's MentorshipProgram,this small edition artist's book tells the story of whimsical characters on afantastic journey and how Timmy learned to fly. Traver uses screen printing, tie-dye, colored pencils and paint to

gallery. Now an outstanding artist, doctors once thought Traver would never be able to walkortalkduetoencephalitis at the age of two. For more information, please wntact I&r.;achat (612) 339-

g-.

include live music, refreshments and an opportunity for visitors to explore what art enthusiasts refer to as Out*a*, Ww-G Lq& sider Art. Guests are also offered an inside look at the studio where the Interact artists work.

i w P P e d FOR INDEPENDENCE

Your source of USED adaptive equipment

Large inventory of durable medical equipment available by appointment

Outsider art is created by artists unshaped by academic training,individualswho have unique styles which may surprise and delight viewers. Purchasing it as an investment and colorful enhancement of homes and offices, art collectors have embraced outsider art. The Wall Street Journal calls it "the art of the nineties." The Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, recognized for its successful theater productions, develoDed the Inside Out Gallery to showcasetheworkofitsminy visualartists.Mstic~ircctm JeanneCalvitsays,"Theartist comes with the vision and the inspiration. We help facilitate therealization ofthisvision by providing the space, supplies and mentors." The reception

Please patronize your Access Press Advertisers. They bring you

USE OUR NEW LISTING SERVICE CONNECTS SELLERS WITH BUYERS Consignment P i c k up and delivery Rentals Compact chargers

Check out our web page www.equipimd.com

: :

You can always buy new if we do not have what you need.

O O O O O O O * * O O O O O O O O ~ O O O * O O O O * O O O O .

r-------I-----=-q 1 Don't Miss An Issue! Subscribe ~ o d a ~ n Il 5 1 BUYSA Full Year (12 Issues) Of Access Press 1

I Name

I I

1 have an idea for editorial coverage. =I've enclosed my check for $15. Send your advertising rates. MAIL TO: ACCESS P ~ W ;I82 1 University Ave. W.. I XI85N, St. Paul. MN 55104. (651)644-2133

I I I I I I I

L I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I J

I I