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Dental Care Crisis — Page 6
Inside Disability Humor — p. 4
Volume 10, Number 2
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SOURCES
February 10, 1999
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“Respect is based on justice.” — Dick Gregory
RESOURCES
February 10, 1999
LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS II Disability Groups Plan for ’99 by Charlie Smith, Editor
W
ith the 1999 legislative session in full swing, we are following up our January front page story with additional summaries of the legislative agendas of disability organizations. What follows are summaries from groups that participated in the State Council on Disability’s Legislative Roundtable on January 6, 1999, that were not received in time to be included in January. For more information on the agendas outlined below, contact the specific organizations. PACER Center Irving Martin, 1939-1999
Irving Martin: Tribute To A Life-Long Advocate
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rving Martin, a resident of St. Paul, died of cancer on Thursday, January 15, at the age of 60. Martin was an organizer, advocate and role model for people with disabilities claiming their civil and human rights. In 1981, he was the first person with a developmental disability elected to the national board of directors of Arc. He also founded the St. Paul chapter of People First, and was a co-founder of Advocating Change Together. He continually spoke out against injustice and encouraged other people with disabilities to become part of the struggle for dignity and equality. Many people are saddened by Irving’s death. We asked some of the people who knew him well to share their memories and feelings for him. It is clear from what they shared that what Irving stood for will be carried on in their hearts
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and in their work. LeAnne Dahl: “When I think about Irving, I recall his quick, friendly smile and gentle manner. Although he had accomplished much during his sixty years, he wasn’t one to boast. No, instead Irving prodded and encouraged his peers who have disabilities. Whenever he was asked to speak in public on their behalf, he did so with pride and dignity. He will be missed by many of us.” Cliff Poetz: “Irving and I were very close. We were like brothers. I am proud of everything Irving did in his life, and he was proud of me also. Irving was a role model for me and a lot of other people. He worked hard and cared about people. He made a difference in my life. I will miss him. He told me when he got sick that he did not want us to get off track. He wanted for all of us to keep on pushing for disability rights.
He wanted people to know that there is still a lot of work to be done. I will keep on working so that what Irving stood for does not get lost.” Sue Abderholden: “Irving Martin was a friend, an advocate, a hero. He never missed an opportunity to talk about the importance of holding a job, of living on your own and of speaking up for yourself. He inspired countless numbers of people to take those first steps towards their dreams, and he convinced many parents that they needed to let their sons or daughters with developmental disabilities chart their own course. I always think of the Horton quote, ‘you can hitch your wagon to the stars, but you can’t haul corn or hay in it if your wheels aren’t on the ground.’ “Irving continuously re-
Tribute - cont. on p. 5
Last session the legislature moved to eliminate all Minnesota special education rules and regulations that exceed federal law. The Department of Children, Families and Learning pulled together key stakeholders to reach an agreement on those areas that are needed to clarify federal law and those areas that while they exceed federal requirements, should be kept in Minnesota statute. There were several key provisions where no agreement could be reached, but that PACER feels are very important to families and should be retained. They are: a) serving students through age 21, b) transition interagency committees, c) parent advisory committees, d) conciliation, e) Pupil Fair Dismissal Act, f) regulation of aversive and deprivation procedures, and g) transition plans for students beginning at age 14. IDEA ’97 requires children who are suspended from school to receive a functional behavioral assessment to determine the function, or motivation, for their behavior. While the benefit of such an assessment is supported in special educa-
tion literature, the law is vague as to the definition of “functional behavioral assessment” and as to the training required for persons who conduct these assessments. Many families currently face long waiting lists to obtain services, particularly waivered services. More must be done to support families to care for their child at home and to provide varied options for living in the community. Wages paid to personal care attendants (PCAs) must be increased before this service is no longer available due to staff shortages. PACER proposes that the state pay substantially more than the current 50% of the costs of special education. More must be done to address the needs of young people with disabilities who are juvenile offenders by providing coordinated services, by establishing an assessment process that identifies disabilities in offenders, by providing appropriate special education services in correctional settings and by providing coordinated aftercare programs. Children with disabilities are at a higher risk of child abuse than non-disabled children. Education and intervention efforts must be focused to prevent abuse and to provide appropriate supports to families. Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf & Hard of Hearing People 1) MCDHH will pursue legislation to establish quality assurance for community interpreters working in MN.
2) MCDHH will pursue a mandate to require insurance coverage for hearing aids. 3) MCDHH may pursue startup funds for a state captioning center so that government entities can add captions to videotapes for less cost. 4) MCDHH will seek an expanded budget so that commission members and other interested citizens from Greater Minnesota can become active members of MCDHH committees and task forces via video conferencing. 5) MCDHH may seek legislative funding to (a) establish specialized mental health services for deaf and hard of hearing people in Greater Minnesota, (b) to allow the Array Midway Services (the drop in center for mentally ill deaf people) to continue in operation, and (c) funding to replace and increase existing county match money for Array community based mental health services so that deaf mentally ill persons can get needed community-based mental health services regardless of their county of residence. Minnesota Habilitation Coalition Expanded Day Training and Habilitation (DT&H) Rate Variance Criteria Under current law, there is no provision for changes in DT&H rates based on a change in the needs of existing clientele. While MN Stat. 252.46, Subd. 6 provides for some rate variances, the criteria are limited and do not address the need for a rate change when
Leg. ’99 - cont. on p. 3
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