-
He's a happy camperPage 6
Volume 24, Number 9 www.accesspress.org September 10, 2013
Kindness is thelanguage which thedeaf can hear and theblind can
see.
Mark Twain
NEWS DIGEST
INSIDE
2013 Charlie Smith award winner
Access to college is one ofAppleby's many contributions
Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDTwin Cities. MNPermit No. 4766
Address Service Requested
Connection to rail line celebrated by advocates
Accessible Fun, pg 13Events, pg 14People & Places,pps
6-7,10Radio Talking Book, pg 14Regional News, pgs 8-9
Campaign toincrease wagesrolled out
5% Campaign - p. 13
Activist Rick Cardenas celebrates with Metropolitan Council
representatives, downtownresidents and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
and Council Member Dave Thune, at right, atthe groundbreaking.
Photo courtesy City of St. Paul
Cal Appleby is the 2013 Charlie Smith Award winner.Photo
courtesy of Laurie Savran
by Access Press staffThe 5% Campaign is on
the march, kicking off withadvocacy during the Minne-sota State
Fair and a well-attended press event inDuluth last month.
Support-ers hope to continue to gainmomentum before the startof the
2014 Minnesota legis-lative session.
The coalition behind thecampaign wants a 5 percentincrease in
state funding forservices people with disabili-ties and aging
adults receiveat home and in their commu-nities. If successful, the
cam-paign would raise the wagesof about 112,000 people whoprovide
direct services to ag-ing adults and disabledpeople.
Self-advocates, their fam-ily members, caregivers and
On August 28, one of the hottest days of the summer, groundwas
broken for a skyway/ground connection in downtown St.Paul. Efforts
for the connection to the METRO Green Linelight rail station were
led by Rick Cardenas, co-director of theadvocacy group Advocating
Change Together (ACT).
Cardenas was one of those who got to wield a shovel at
thegroundbreaking. With the support of ACT and Corridors of
Op-portunity, the elevator will make it easier for people with
dis-abilities, seniors, people pushing strollers and the general
publicto get to the Xcel Energy Center, Wilkins Auditorium,
Ordway,their homes, work and everything in-between protected from
theelementseven the heat! said Cardenas.
Financial support for the $1.7 million connection is from
an$800,000 federal grant received by Metro Transit and the bal-
ance provided by the Metropolitan Councilfrom the Central
Corridor Light Rail ProjectContingency Budget. Cardenas and other
advo-cates for accessibility fought for the connec-tion, saying the
elevator is imperative. Theytook their request to regional and
local officialsand lobbied state lawmakers before the federalfunds
and council grant were obtainedTransit investments like the Green
Line are
designed to better connect people to jobs andhomes around the
region. This project adds tothe connections created by the light
rail line andmakes it easier for all people, particularly thosewith
limited mobility, to access 40 blocks ofdowntown St. Paul via
skyway from the lightrail station and major bus stops, said
Metro-politan Council Chair Susan Haigh. Im pleasedthat we were
able to make contingency moneyfrom the Green Line project budget
available toimprove access to transit services for all people.Id
like to thank our project partners for helpingmake this a reality
including the city of St. Paul,Advocating Change Together and
theCapitolRiver Council. The council is theDowntown Neighborhood
District council.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, City Council Member DaveThune,
Ramsey County Commissioners Rafael Ortega and JimMcDonough,
Metropolitan Councilmembers Rich Kramer andJon Commers, and
Cardenas were among those at thegroundbreaking.
St. Pauls skyway system and accessible connections to andfrom
street level have been under scrutiny in recent years. Oneproblem
has been building owners and managers who wish tolock up skyway
access, leaving people hunting for elevator con-nections. Access to
the light rail line, which starts operations in2014, has been a
huge concern.
I heard from many of my constituentsdowntown residents,employees
and employerson how important reestablishing a
Mural about disabilityon display.Page 13
Adaptive bowling loses achampion.Page 2
Meet the 2013 CharlieSmith Awardrunnersup.Page 3
Olmstead Plan detailsdeserve more scrutiny.Page 4
New name for a long-time service provider.Page 7
Plan to attend anupcoming town hallforum, sponsored byMNCCD.Page
14
By Access Press staffCal Appleby is a man of selfless
action,
who has helped many others overcome chal-lenges that he himself
also faced, is the win-ner of the 2013 Access Press Charlie
SmithAward. Cal Appleby is this years honoree.
My lifes purpose has been to work withpeople who may be
marginalized by the restof society, said Appleby. If people
arewilling to come forward and take part in hisclasses and groups,
Appleby said he is will-ing to help them better themselves. He
seeshimself as a catalyst in the lives of others.
For decades Appleby was part of a re-markable team that founded
and shapedmany programs for students with disabilitiesat Augsburg
College in Minneapolis, at theUniversity of Minnesota and beyond.
Thework of Appleby, and the late Vern Bloomand Wayne Mo
Moldenhauer, had im-pacts throughout the region. The three willbe
recognized at the annual award banquet,set for November 1.
Bloom died in 2012 and Moldenhauer died in 2003. Charlie Smith
award winner - p. 10
Rail line connection - p. 10
-
Pg 2 September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8
Minnesotan was a kingpin in adaptive bowling circlesAdaptive
sports of all types help people with dis-
abilities get exercise and have fun. Adaptive bowling,which
began in the 1940s, is one of the most popularforms of recreation
thanks to various devices thatmake bowling enjoyable. A Minnesotan
who was anational champion of adaptive bowling died
recently.Garland Gar Giddings of Ramsey was 68 years old.He had
initially taken up adapted bowling in 1969.
For a few years, Giddings held the third-highestbowling average
in the nation. His highest series everwas 513. He bowled for Team
USA in the 2007 Inter-national Blind Sports Associations Blind
BowlingTournament in Australia. He won a bronze medal in asingles
event for the blind and finished fourth world-wide in the
all-around category.
Giddings lost his sight in a car accident at age 19.His wife
Nancy Giddings told the Star Tribune that healways refused to let
his blindness define him.Giddings enjoyed a long career as a
computer pro-grammer with Wells Fargo.
In the community of adaptive bowling, he wasknown as one of the
top blind bowlers. He belongedto the American Blind Bowling
Association (ABBA).His average score was 126; his best score was
226.
Giddings was highly competitive, using his strongmemorization
and mathematics skills gained throughhis work to become a champion
bowler. He used thelatest technology and Braille on the job.
NancyGiddings said his work was logical, and he was ahighly logical
person. He used geometry as a bowlerand memorized bowling
scores.
HISTORY NOTE
EDITORS DESKTim Benjamin
He also was a memberof the Twin Cities AudioDarts League.
Giddings was born inAnoka and lived on afarm in what is now
CoonRapids, before his familymoved to the ChisagoCity area. Hed
plannedto be a farmer until losinghis sight in a car accidentwhen
he was a freshmanat the University ofMinnesotas agricultural campus
in St. Paul.
After graduation from the University of Minnesotahe learned
computer programming in 1969 in Cincin-nati. There he joined a
blind bowling league. Hemoved back to the Twin Cities in 1970.
The bowling bug bit Giddings again years later.Eleven years ago,
he borrowed bowling rails from theABBA so he could bowl with his
wife, children andothers at a church outing. He joined the ABBA at
thattime and became an avid bowler, finding new friends
and a new way to compete.He loved the sound of thepins falling,
his wife said.He was constantly thinkingof how to do it, how to
betterhis score. Giddings is survived by hiswife, four daughters,
threesisters, two brothers, fivegrandchildren and manynieces and
nephews. Serviceshave been held. The History Note is amonthly
column sponsoredby the Minnesota GovernorsCouncil on
DevelopmentalDisabilities, www.mncdd.organd
www.partnersinpolicymaking.com
Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to
persons withdisabilities, or persons serving those with
disabilities, are welcomed. Wereserve the right to edit all
submissions. Editorial material does not necessarilyreflect 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 centsper word over 12 words. Advertising and
editorial deadlines are the last dayof the month preceding
publication, except for employment ads, which aredue by the
25th.
Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for
persons withdisabilities by Access Press, Ltd. Circulation is
11,000, distributed the 10th ofeach month through more than 200
locations statewide. Approximately 450copies 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
theSt. Paul, MN 55121 facility. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
toAccess Press at 161 St. Anthony Ave, Suite 901, St. Paul, MN
55103.
Inquiries and address changes should be directed to:Access Press
care of The Kelly Inn Offices; 161 St. Anthony Ave; #910;
St. Paul, MN 55103; 651-644-2133 Fax: 651-644-2136email:
[email protected] www.accesspress.org
Co-Founder/PublisherWm. A. Smith, Jr. (1990-1996)
Co-Founder/Publisher/Editor-in-ChiefCharles F. Smith
(1990-2001)
Board of DirectorsBrigid Alseth, Steve Anderson,Kristin Jorenby,
Elin Ohlsson,Halle O'Falvey, Carrie Salberg,Walt Seibert and Kay
Willshire
Advertising SalesMichelle Hegarty612-807-1078
Executive DirectorTim Benjamin
Assistant EditorJane McClure
Business Manager/WebmasterDawn Frederick
CartoonistScott Adams
ProductionEllen Houghton withPresentation Images
DistributionS. C. Distribution
Volume 24, Number 9 Periodicals Imprint: Pending ISSN
In a summer of unusually mild weather, it kind offigured that
the end of August would bring a week ofrecord-breaking heat just in
time for the State Fair.Attendance hit some record-breaking lows
becauseof the heat. Then the last Sunday of the State Fairwas a
beautiful day and because of the cooler tem-peratures the final two
days of the Fair resulted inrecord-breaking crowds. Oh well. Normal
is over-rated.
This years Charlie Smith Award banquet will beon the first
Friday in November as it has been for thelast nine years. This year
weve received nomina-tions for a very strong mix of candidates for
theCharlie Smith Award. Throughout this issue, wehave biographies
and photographs of most of thenominees. As youll see after reading
them, the Ac-cess Press board of directors had a difficult
timechoosing the honoree. Every one of the nomineesdeserves
applause from each of us for their hardwork and efforts to improve
the lives of Minnesotanswith disabilities and our older adults.
Each one has
made a distinct impact on the disability communityand expanded
the services that are available to ourcommunity. We will be
inviting each of the nomi-nees to the banquet, and I hope youll
plan to come,applaud them, and help us give special recognitionto
2013 Charlie Smith Award recipient, CalAppleby. Appleby has a long
record of accomplish-ments, but we want especially to recognize his
con-tributions in making higher education at AugsburgUniversity
more accessible to people with disabili-ties.
Sue Mattson has written a very informative com-mentary on the
Olmstead plan. As youll read,Mattson has been closely following
what will be alandmark change for the future of Minnesotas
dis-ability community. She brings forward some chal-lenging
concerns from the committee working on theOlmstead plans. She
explains how this plan will af-fect the Minnesota Department of
Human Servicesand how DHS interacts with all of us who use
theirservices. It is very difficult to achieve both construc-tive
transparency and policy oversight in such a hugestate agency, but
we need both in an organizationthat manages so much taxpayer money.
All of ushave responsibilities as taxpayers and clients of
theDepartment of Human Services, and DHS in turn hasthe tremendous
responsibility to supply social healthsupports, with swiftness and
dignity as the legisla-
ture has intended. Unfortunately, sometimes the waythat
legislation is ultimately written and adoptedslants one intent or
philosophy over others, and theway that supports are delivered and
used do not al-ways execute the same legislative intent. Its
criticalthat the Olmstead plan establish clear guidelines,and
well-defined appeal processes that are weightedin favor of the
consumer rather than in favor of thedepartment.
Congratulations to all those self-advocates, Com-missioners,
council members and St. Paul MayorChris Coleman, who worked to make
the light railmore accessible to the skyway. Now with the
newelevator in such close proximity to the light rail sta-tion and
to the skyway, people with mobility dis-abilities will have a much
easier time during thewinter to access each area. We thank you for
yourhard work and dedication.
Finally, a reminder that MNCCDs 5% Campaignis in full swing. The
campaign rollout in Duluth wasa huge success with Rep. Tom Huntley
(DFLDuluth) signing on along with other legislators fromnorthern
Minnesota. I understand also that someCongressional staffers at the
state fair became ex-cited about the new campaign and will be
supportingit. Now, we all have to attend one of the forums
thatMNCCD is putting on for the campaign (see theEvents listing on
page 12). We also have to encour-age our caregivers to support the
campaign by beingat the forums and telling their stories.
Stay safe and enjoy the beautiful Septemberweather while it
lasts.
-
September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 3
Nominees - p. 5
Albright Townhomes Minneapolis (612) 824-6665 1 BRBuffalo Court
Apartments Buffalo (763) 684-1907 2 BRElliot Park Apartments
Minneapolis (612) 338-3106 2 BREvergreen Apartments Hutchinson
1-800-661-2501 1 BRFranklin Lane Apartments Anoka (763) 427-7650 1
& 2 BRHanover Townhomes St. Paul (651) 292-8497 1 BRLincoln
Place Apartments Mahtomedi (651) 653-0640 2 BROlson Towne Homes
Minneapolis (612) 377-9015 1 BRPrairie Meadows Eden Prairie (952)
941-5544 2 & 3 BRTalmage Green Minneapolis (612) 623-0247 2
BRTrinity Apartments Minneapolis (612) 721-2252 1 BR (sr)Unity
Place Brooklyn Center (763) 560-7563 2 BRVadnais Highlands Vadnais
Heights (651) 653-0640 3 BRWillow Apartments Little Falls (320)
632-0980 1 & 2 BRWoodland Court Apartments Park Rapids
1-888-332-9312 1 BR
We are accepting applications for ourlarge number of mobility
impaired accessible units.
Please call us for more information.
BDC Management Co. is now accepting applicationsfor our waiting
lists at the following affordable communities
MARY BENHARDUS,HANDI MEDICAL SUPPLY
Mary Benhardus took her experi-ences as a personal care
attendant(PCA) and her business skills, andturned them into a
thriving home medi-cal supply business. Benhardus foundedHandi
Medical Supply in 1988, withthe vision of properly serving
consum-ers who require medical equipment andsupplies. The vision
for the companybegan when she was working as a PCAfor a
quadriplegic friend who hadtrouble finding needed medical
items.
In the late 1980s home medical ser-vices for people with
disabilities werevery poor. People would call a medicalsupplier,
only to often wait for weeksfor their medical equipment and
sup-plies to be delivered. Suppliers had noorganized way to track
prior order in-formation, which made the orderingprocess very
time-consuming for con-sumers and their health care profession-als.
After-hours emergency medicalequipment services were unheard
of.
Benhardus believes that people withdisabilities deserve more
caring consid-eration than what she had experiencedwith her friend.
She made changes inhow orders are tracked and clients arecared for.
She developed a personalizedafter-hour service. Benhardus made
itHandi Medical Supplys mission to en-rich lives and find quality
products andequipment for people with disabilities.
Under her leadership, Handi contin-ues to be dedicated to the
people whoneed medical supplies and equipmentfor independence and
mobility. She isthe driving force in the organizationand challenges
team members to pro-vide high-quality service, care andcommitment.
Her nominator and co-
Luther GranquistTom FogartyMary Benhardus Can-Do Canines
Many talents shown
Meet the other 2013 Charlie Smith Award nominees
worker Mike Bailey stated, Humanityhas always been and will
continue to bean essential part of Mary Benhardusand Handis
business plan.
In 2012 Handi Medical Supply wasrecognized as the Home
MedicalEquipment Provider of the Year byHME News. The company also
won theBetter Business Bureau IntegrityAward.
In 1997 Handi began providing anannual education and equipment
refer-ral conference. It now draws more than700 attendees. Medical
professionals,case managers and others can continuetheir medical
education and learn aboutthe latest medical supplies and
equip-ment.
CAN-DO CANINESCan-Do Canines has a long tradition
of service to people with disabilities.The New Hope-based
nonprofit raises,trains and places specially trained dogswith
people who need them. The dogsare trained to provide specific types
ofassistance, tailored for the client. Dogsprovide assistance for
people with hear-ing impairments, mobility issues, sei-zure
disorders and diabetes. Childrenwith autism also benefit from the
assis-tance of a service dog.
Can-Do Canines dogs help peopleachieve greater freedom,
independenceand peace of mind. Matching speciallytrained dogs to a
clients personal assis-tance needs creates a mutually benefi-cial
partnership. The dogs are raisedfrom birth with loving care and are
spe-cially trained before going to a client.Can-Do Canines staff
and volunteersenvision a future in which every personwho needs and
wants an assistance dogwill have one.
They are helping people who needhelp, said nominator Claudia
Fuglie.She noted that the independence peoplehave thanks to a
service animal is im-portant to Minnesotas disability com-munity
and is worthy of considerationfor the Charlie Smith Award.
The nonprofit now serves Minnesota,Wisconsin, North Dakota and
SouthDakota, and Iowa, with a few place-ments in Missouri and
Illinois andadded new services, providing assis-tance dogs to
people with seizure disor-ders, children with autism, and
peoplewith diabetes complicated by hypogly-cemia awareness. Because
the previousname no longer reflected what the non-profit had
become, in 2009 Hearing andService Dogs of Minnesota becameCan-Do
Canines.
All assistance dogs are provided toclients at no charge, thanks
to generousdonations and the hard work offundraising that Can-Do
Canines takeson. Start to finish, $25,000 typicallysponsors an
assistance dog team. Theactual cost to train one team can beeven
higher.
Can-Do Canines has 14 full-time em-ployees; six part-time
employees and20 field trainers. There are 10 boardmembers. But it
is largely a volunteer-driven group and they deserve
muchrecognition. The 200-plus volunteersinclude 100 puppy
raisers.
TOM FOGARTY, CAMP COURAGEFor almost 50 years, Tom Fogarty
has helped Minnesotans with disabili-ties enjoy the great
outdoors indepen-dently. In December 2012 he retired asdirector of
camping services for CampCourage and Courage North. Fogartyswork
will benefit campers for years to
come. As a person with a significanthearing impairment, Tom has
been asuperb role model for people who aredeaf and hard of hearing,
said nomina-tors Jeff Bangsberg and Anita Boucher.He has worked
quietly behind thescenes in developing and implementinginnovative
recreational opportunitiesfor people with a wide range of
physi-cal, sensory, cognitive and other typesof disabilities.
Fogarty is known for his personalwarmth and humor, and for
giving ev-eryone a chance to be successful. Manycampers considered
him to be a fatherfigure and a mentor.
In 1964 Fogarty attended the first ex-perimental program for
deaf/hard ofhearing children at Camp Courage.Two years later he
returned to theMaple Lake camp for a kitchen job. Helater was a
camp crafter, riding instruc-tor and maintenance supervisor.
Fogarty attended St. Cloud StateUniversity, earning a degree in
specialeducation in 1975. For two semestershe and Access Press
founding editorCharlie Smith were roommates. Theybecame good friend
and Fogarty wasSmiths personal care attendant.
Fogarty became camp director ofCourage North near Park Rapids
in1985. Under his direction the camp ex-panded programs and
facilities. Thecamp offered sessions for deaf/hard ofhearing
children and teens, adults withphysical disabilities and the
CourageHandi-Ham Radio Camp. Programs forchildren with Aspergers
syndrome andhemophilia were added. He also coordi-nated staffing
and logistics for the Cali-fornia Radio Camp held each winter.He
helped the camp develop partner-
-
Pg 4 September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8
Olmstead Plan
Dont sweep aside concerns, delay plan until it is doneGUEST
COMMENTARY
by Susan MattsonEditors note: Mattson is
a disability advocate, spe-cial education profes-sional,
court-appointedguardian and licensed careprovider. Mattson has
fol-lowed the progress of theMinnesota Olmstead com-pliance issues
since 1999and has monitored the cur-rent activity on the cre-ation
of the newest plan. Mattsons greatest con-cern is that this current
plan effort, as past move-ments, will be swept aside and/or
prolonged tosuch an extent that the necessary, significantchanges
fall by the wayside. This draft proposal ofthe Olmstead Plan misses
the elephant in theroom and needs to include, from the first day
ofimplementation. The following is excerpted fromher comments on
the most recent draft. The fullarticle can be seen at
www.accesspress.org:
Transparent meaningful oversight with account-ability to
consumer,
Measurable demonstration of implementation ofthe Olmstead
philosophy by government agents/agencies involved and all providers
acceptingMedicare and Medicaid dollars
Simplified direct means for the consumer toimpact the
administration, implementation anddirect outcomes of the Plan
without encounteringthe circular bureaucratic within the
system.
Comprehensive and ongoing training and enlight-enment
Accountability to the consumer is expressly writteninto the DHS
Mission Statement to the people weserve. It is the foundation of
the Olmstead Act/Plan.Ombudsman Roberta Opheim covers it in her
video:http://tinyurl.com/OlmsteadPlan
Other comments considered from the July 9 listen-ing session.
Daniel Olson, PCA said, look at the ex-periences on the ground.
Galen Smith, of ADAPT,urged the planners to be bold and take this
opportu-nity to create a legacy, Chris Bell said, the
plannersshould turn the system upside down. True integrationmeans
being able to make decisions; get informationwithout jumping
through hoops.
No effective means exist for consumer evaluationof
agents/agencies and the plan has no provision.Touted safeguards are
ineffective/meaningless tothe consumer and are weighted heavily in
favor of theagency. Statutes grant deference to the agency in
anygiven appeal situation. Government attorneys repre-sent the
agency/department, while consumers fend forthemselves. The
agent/agencies/department faces noadverse action for failure to
adhere to deadlines orstatutes. If they fail to comply, the
Ombudsmans Of-
fice and the Disability Law Center have theirown
limitations.
County commissioners serving as the Human Ser-vices Board
directly appointing and supervisingcase managers and providing
direct oversight of theadministration of services generally
minimize thoseduties to that of rubber stamping the work of
theagents. Commonly, commissioners bring a constituentconcern to an
agency. The commissioner is assuredthat DHS directives are
followed, that confidentialitytakes precedence, and/or the agency
paints the con-sumer as just trouble.
State law mandates local Human Services AdvisoryCommittees whose
membership cannot include Hu-man Services employees and where
one-third of themembership shall be representatives of persons
re-ceiving services. Task forces shall be established andchaired by
an advisory committee member. Since notall counties have advisory
committees or ones thatoperated as statutorily mandated, this level
of con-sumer accountability is ineffective.
Oversight is another concern. The 2004 LegislativeAudit of the
Administration of the Medicaid Homeand Community Based Waiver noted
concerns raisedunder Olmstead. The state auditor recognized a
fail-ure to solicit the views of the consumer, made
recom-mendations for close oversight by the legislature, andstated
that DHS was to provide specific oversight ofthe county agencies.
The 2005 update reveals DHSstarted to implement those
recommendations, foundthem too time consuming, and quit.
Legislatorscritical to the oversight process never knew
Opheim said in the 2005 William Mitchell Law Re-view
http://tinyurl.com/Opheimtalk regarding agentswho do not follow the
law and/or when agents openlypractice vendettas: History has shown
that countiesare not held accountable when they fail to follow
thelaw. There are few, if any, administrative, legal, orfinancial
sanctions which can be applied by thestate against the counties.
She adds: TheOmbudsmans Office acknowledges that there aremany
conscientious workers at all levels of the socialservice system
working hard every day to improve thelives of children. The stories
of families and the casesreviewed by the Office, however, reveal
that the de-structive practices and harmful decisions madeby
counties contained within this essay are not simplyisolated cases.
She concludes, that those beingharmed cannot wait for the system to
slowly evolve.
A DHS Developmental Disability Supervisor, in ane-mail exchange
with me stated, We havent found aspecific statutory protection
against retaliation or vin-dictive behavior by a county.
Legislation introduced years ago attempted to pro-tection
against retaliation and establish a Board ofDHS Oversight. The
bills sit dormant.
Implementation of the philosophy is also a concern.The
philosophy has been spelled out in the ADA, the
State Application for 1914 HCBS Waiver, TheOlmstead Act, and the
most recent order to establishthe Olmstead Plan. The fact that the
philosophy haseluded many who are in positions of
administrativeauthority is disturbing.
On July 9 Joan Willshire of the Minnesota StateCouncil on
Disabilities said, The Options Too reportin 2006 covered many of
these same concerns . . . un-fortunately many of these same issues
are discussed inthe plan today. There should be ongoing
monitoringof the plan so that it is implemented and so were
notlooking at these same issues again years later. Turn-ing things
upside down as Bell said can happenquite quickly in a
multi-disciplinary action when allare committed to practice the
same philosophy andwhen those who are not are eliminated
Direct means for consumer to impact is the fourthpoint I will
raise. The consumer and/or their guardian,under Chapter 256B.092
subdivision 7, (among otherstatutes, laws, and the State
Application for the Waiver)are to have significant authority to
direct the services.
A plan for training is the final point I will raise The
consumer, their advocates, commissioners, advi-sory committees,
providers and agents, and legislatorsneed training that true choice
exists in matters as this new norm and that retaliation by agents
will not betolerated.
Remember to get yourbanquet tickets
Want to hear more about the Charlie Smith Awardwinner and
nominees? Attend the banquet Friday,Nov. 1 at the Minneapolis
Airport Marriott in Bloom-ington. Tickets are on sale now and menu
choiceshave been announced.
Cost is $45 per person or $325 for an 8-persontable (save $35)
in advance. Tickets are $50 per per-son day of the event, at the
doors.
There are several ways to reserve tickets. Go
towww.accesspress.org and click on the line for theawards event.
Or, Mail your check(s) to: Access Press,Attn: Dawn, 161 St. Anthony
Ave., Suite 910, St.Paul, MN 55103. A third way is to call the
office anddo the transaction over the phone, at 651-644-2133
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction start-Banquet
tickets - p. 15
-
September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 5
ships with Mayo Clinic, the Autism So-ciety of Minnesota and
MinneapolisChildrens Hospital.
In 2005 Fogarty became director ofcamping services for both Camp
Cour-age and Courage North. He receivedthe Spirit of Courage award
from Cour-age Center in 2008.
LUTHER GRANQUIST,ATTORNEY AND HISTORIAN
For many years, Luther A. Granquistwas a key figure at the
Minnesota Dis-ability Law Center/Mid-Minnesota Le-gal Aid. In his
36-year career, hebrought independence and dignity tothe lives of
countless people with dis-abilities. He was involved in
severallandmark cases that greatly improvedthe lives of
Minnesotans. His legal ex-pertise, determination, work ethic
andcommitment to everyones dignity andrights resulted in changed
laws, policiesand practices.
He was the face of the MinnesotaDisability Law Center and Legal
Aid,said nominator Mary Lou Doll. Lutherswork in Minnesota set an
example forother states. Doll said that many fami-lies wouldnt have
received the helpthey needed if not for Granquist.
Granquist was a leader in efforts toclose state hospitals in the
1970s, in theWelsch V. Minnesota case. He and oth-ers worked
closely with families whoseloved ones were in state
institutions.Granquist and the legal team docu-mented horrible
conditions that peoplelived in. People were living withouthaving
even their basic care and medi-cal needs met. Many lacked
propermedical equipment. The lawsuit helpedstart the movement of
people with de-velopmental and physical disabilitiesfrom
institutions into the community.
Through the Disability Law Center,Granquist helped many people
obtaintheir legal rights.
Margaret PerrymanJune LaceySam Jasmine Diana Kommer
For many years he wrote the AccessPress History Note column. His
workdid much to add to the written historyof Minnesotans with
disabilities. Healso gathered and organized historicaldocuments for
the Governors Councilon Developmental Disabilitieswebsite. He
continues to assemble ma-terial for a book he is writing on
thehistory of disability in Minnesota.
Granquist also was a strong presenceat the state capitol and was
well-knownamong members of the Minnesota Leg-islature,
self-advocates and disabilityadvocacy groups.
The Arc Minnesota has named its an-nual systems change award
after Gran-quist, to recognize his decades of workfor people with
disabilities. In 2012Granquist was given a lifetime achieve-ment
award by The Arc Minnesota.
SAM JASMINE, RADIO HOSTSam Jasmine has devoted years to
helping people with disabilities haveaccess to media. She
volunteers for theweekly radio show Disabled and Proudon KFAI radio
station, 90.3 FM Minne-apolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul.
Jasmine has been an engineer for theprogram 19 years and has
been primaryhost for nine years. She has interviewedhundreds of
people on topics that bringpeople insights and ideas about
disabil-ity. As a radio host she is facilitator forcountless
discussions about disability.
As the host of Disabled and Proudon KFAI, she has brought
attention tohundreds of relevant topics concerningthe integration
of people into the main-stream community through activism,giving a
venue for open dialogue con-cerns the disability community,
statednominator Martha H. Hage. I believethat Disabled and Proud on
KFAIwould not have continued if it were not
for Sam Jasmine taking over upon myretirement from the
program.
Jasmine is a talented actress and wonan award for Outstanding
Achievementin Acting from the Minnesota Associa-tion of Community
Theatres. She is aboard member and past president of theTwin Cities
Audio Dart League. Shewas instrumental in manufacturing heonly
accessible dartboard on the mar-ket. The dartboard speaks in
hervoice and describes the location of theboard to the player,
announces thescores and offers instructions and therules for each
game.
She has been a teacher to newly visu-ally disabled individuals
and childrenwith visual impairments. She gives pre-sentations about
visual disabilities, useof Braille and accessibility for peoplewith
disabilities in schools.
She also volunteers in University ofMinnesota experiments on
visual per-ception and navigation. Hage noted thatJasmine is not
only active in media, thearts and recreation, she also is a
veryeffective self-advocate. Sam has suc-cessfully prosecuted a cab
driver for re-fusing to let her guide dog in has cab.This has
brought attention to cab com-panies that refusal under these
circum-stances is unlawful.
DIANA KOMMER, COURAGE KENNYINTERNATIONAL ART SHOW FORPEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES
On the opening night of the CourageKenny International Art Show
forPeople with Disabilities, the happyfaces of the artists say it
all. The personwho makes that possible is DianaKommer. She has led
efforts to stagethe show for the past three years.
Kommer has worked for AllinaHealth for more than a decade. Her
pri-mary job is as administrative assistant
with Courage Kenny Rehabilitation As-sociates in the outpatient
clinic. she isalso coordinator of the annual art show.For 11 months
out of the year she vol-unteers her personal time for the show.
The work is barely out the door be-fore she begins to prepare
for the nextyears show, said Kommers nomina-tor Elizabeth Rosalind
Young. Kommeris well-known for making the show anenjoyable
experience for all who par-ticipate, including artists, their
familymembers, visitors and what is now theCourage Kenny staff.
More than 360pieces of art arrived for the 2013 show.Art that isnt
sold is returned to the art-ists. When a piece is sold, the artist
re-ceives 75 percent and 25 percent goesto support Courage Kenny.
Artists re-ceive monetary prizes in six categories.
Diana works tirelessly to get the artshow on its feet and
running without ahitch, Young wrote. Its almost toosmooth. Few
people have any idea of thetremendous amount of work and energyit
takes to make this show happen. Theshow is in May. But the work to
orga-nize it starts the September before, withoutreach to find
artists and their work.
For two months after the show Kom-mer returns artwork and closes
theevent books. One facet to her work isasking employees of Courage
Kenny todonate Encouragement Awards of cashto various artists in
the show. Theawards give the artists a boost as wellas needed
resources to buy more sup-plies and possibly enter other
exhibitsand contests.
Kommer more than doubled theamount of awards this year by
offeringincentives and her own contributions,without
reimbursement.
Her son Alex has also volunteered asa co-coordinator.
Nominees - from p. 3
Nominees - p. 11
-
Pg 6 September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8
PEOPLE & PLACES
Camps of Courage & Friendship has added to itsofferings with
a new partnership. Creative LearningIdeas for Mind and Body or
CLIMB Theater wasadded this summer to the camping programs
exten-sive list of activities.
The non-profit childrens theater provides program-ming once a
week at each of the Camps of Courage &Friendship sites. The
company presents plays and en-gages campers in fun and creative
games all whiletouching on topics like respect, friendship and
accep-tance of differences. The camping program can pro-vide these
experiences throughout the summer be-cause of the Partner in Arts
Participation grant it re-ceived through the Minnesota State Arts
Board thispast spring.
CLIMB Theater started in 1975 as a theater com-pany for persons
with disabilities This is our way ofgetting back to our roots, said
Peter Mol of CLIMBTheater.
The program offers a unique experience that dif-fers from
typical camp activities by focusing on the-ater skills and
expressing themselves in a differentway. We are so pleased to add
this new and fresh ex-perience to our programming, Camps of Courage
&Friendship Program Director Jon Salmon said.
New program makes these campers happy
Camps of Courage & Friendship, a nonprofit,
pri-vately-funded agency, enriches the lives of nearly4,000 people
with developmental or physical disabili-ties and special needs
annually. Camp locations in-clude Camp Friendship near Annandale,
Camp Eden
Wood in Eden Prairie, Camp New Hope nearMcGregor, Camp Courage
near Maple Lake andCamp Courage North near Lake George.
Peter Mol entertains campers by acting out a skit.Photo courtesy
of Camp Courage & Friendship
Living Well Disability Services is the new namefor a longtime
Twin Cities area service provider.Eagan-based Dakota Communities
made the namechange last month. The new name reflects changes
inresidential care, which allow more people with dis-abilities to
live in the community.
Parents and volunteers in the West St. Paul areafounded what was
originally Dakotas Children in1972. The nonprofit now offers
support services to
New name for a longtime Twin Cities area service provideradults
and children with physical and developmentaldisabilities. Living
Well Disability Services stillowns and operates 33 group homes in
19 communi-ties. But over the years the nonprofit has expandedto
offer services in a clients home. Living Well Dis-ability Services
currently offers customized homeservices to about 120 people and is
expected todouble by 2016.
The name change includes a new logo and the slo-
gan, TransformingLives, which repre-sents the organizations
mission to de-liver exceptional services that transform the lives
ofpeople impacted by disabilities.
Changing our name to Living Well Disability Ser-vices was driven
by the fact that we intend to servemore families in the future and
become a resource to aPeople & Places - p. 7
-
September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 7
Diamond Hill TownhomesDiamond Hill Townhomes is a great property
located near theMinneapolis International Airport. We have spacious
two and threebedroom townhomes that are HUD subsidized and rent is
30% of thetotal households adjusted gross income.
Our Three Bedroom waiting list is now open and we are
currentlyaccepting applications. Our non-accessible Two Bedroom
waiting listis also opened.
We are always accepting applications for our large number of
mobilityimpaired accessible units. Please contact us for more
information.
We look forward to hearing from you!Please call (612)
726-9341.
PEOPLE & PLACEScontinued from p. 6
same commitment to excellence intended by ourfounders in
1972.
The new name also more accurately reflects thenonprofits wider
service area, which has grown be-yond Dakota County.
The name Living Well Disability Services buildson our rich
legacy and honors what we help people dolive well, said Julie
Manworren, President andChief Executive Officer, Living Well
Disability Ser-vices. Our board, volunteers and employees are
ap-proaching this transition with great energy as we worktogether
to extend exceptional service to families wecurrently serve and
those who would benefit from ourunique approach.
Innovation in service, accessibility, wellness andtechnology are
allowing more people to live as inde-pendently as possible through
customized home ser-vices. The changes and added staff should be
part ofaddressing a current state backlog in care. The statehas a
moratorium on new group homes and restrictshow openings are filled,
so home care demand contin-ues to increase. Home care is also
typically less costlythan group home care.
Living Well Disability Services has a staff of morethan 600
full-time, part-time and occasional employ-ees, including
direct-care providers, occupationaltherapists and medical and
support staff. It also has ateam of about 250 volunteers. Its
annual operatingbudget is about $19 million.
UCare adds two executives
UCare has added two executives to its leadershipteam. Gregory A.
Hanley is the nonprofit healthplans new Quality Management Director
in UCaresQuality Management department. John Rotilie, M.D.,is
UCares new Associate Medical Director, a part-time position in
UCares Clinical and Quality Man-agement area
As UCares Quality Management Director, Hanleyoversees the
development, implementation, and evalu-ation of UCares
member-focused clinical quality im-provement processes. His team
analyzes clinically ori-ented health plan performance reports and
ensuresthat UCares clinical quality performance meets orexceeds
requirements set by regulatory agencies. Heprovides oversight and
direction for UCares practi-tioner credentialing as well as
complaints, appeals,and grievance processes, and participates in
the set-ting and accomplishment of UCares strategic direc-tion as a
member of the leadership team. Hanley mostrecently was the Regional
Director of Quality Im-provement at Coventry Health Care in Kansas
City.
Rotilie is an internal medicine physician withRotilie, Toman and
McRaith, LLC, in St. Paul. In hispart-time position with UCare, he
reports to MichaelLynch, M.D., UCares Medical Director, and
joinsUCares team of Associate Medical Directors, CraigChristianson,
M.D., and Dan Rubin, M.D. As a mem-ber of UCares Clinical and
Quality Managementteam, Rotilie helps oversee the health care needs
ofUCares nearly 300,000 members. He also contributesto the
development, implementation, and maintenanceof UCares quality
improvement, utilization review,and case management activities.
Rotilie has close to30 years of health care experience.
UCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan pro-viding health
care and administrative services to morethan 300,000 members. UCare
serves more peoplefrom diverse cultures and more people with
disabili-ties enrolled in Medical Assistance than any otherhealth
plan in Minnesota.
The Youth Legacy Foundation is celebrating itsnewly obtained
nonprofit status. About 80 people at-tended an August 17
celebration and ribbon-cuttingevent at Boom Island Park in
Minneapolis.
The Youth Legacy Foundation empowers youthwith disabilities to
lead exemplary lives in the com-munity. Youth are involved in
activities centered onvolunteer service, Legacy, mentoring and
peermentoring.
Youth are important to our future, so they are im-portant to us,
said Mai Thor, Youth Legacy Founda-tion board chairperson. She is a
well-known disabilitycommunity leader and a former Access Press
writer.
For too long, society has focused on the perceiveddeficits of
people with disabilities because of thestigma and discrimination
attached to labels. This isreally unfair and it inhibits people
with disabilitiesfrom being all they can be for themselves and
theircommunities. We want to break through all of thesebarriers to
make way for youth with disabilities to notonly be a part of
community life, but to influence itand shape it, said Bridget
Siljander. She is the found-ing executive director for the
foundation and has beeninvolved in a number of disability community
groups.
Organizers said the fun event energized those in-volved and
captured a sense of community aroundyouth with disabilities. The
foundation will continueto build momentum to unify, organize and
leveragecommunity resources, networks, and programs. An-other goal
is to facilitate access and negotiate accom-modations to promote
personal and professional de-velopment and capitalizing on
strengths, gifts, andabilities to give back to the community.
Elected officials and disability community leaderswere among
those who congratulated the foundation,with many speaking during
the program. Joining thespeakers were four young people who shared
theirdisability experiences and what is important to them.
Brian Barnes, a recent Congressional candidatewhose last
campaign had significant youth participa-tion, said, Lets look at
what youth can do.
The foundation already has a long list of accom-plishments,
including the formation of a youth advi-sory council and design of
a new website. Membershosted a conference at Courage Center and
gatheredcommunity input. They also presented at the Minne-sota
Statewide Self-Advocacy Conference, on Diver-sity Day, and at the
Wisconsin Youth Legacy Forum2013 annual youth retreat. The
foundation has beenfeatured on KFAI Radio and on the television
showDisability Viewpoints. Foundation members alsoexhibited at the
ARRM Conference. Several membersspoke at a large disability rally
at the capitol duringthe 2013 session.
One key accomplishment was participation in Na-tional Disability
Mentoring Day and activities to com-memorate National Disability
Awareness Month andDisability Employment Awareness Month.
Youth Legacy Foundation would like more com-munity participation
as it prepares for upcomingprojects and more public policy advocacy
by its con-stituents, It included more outreach and
communityvisibility, fundraising to expand the organization
andrecruitment of mentors to support youth participantswith
planning, goal setting, and activities. A workingpartnership with
Wayzata Public Schools will connectstudents with diverse community
opportunitiesaround volunteer service, mentoring and Legacy.
Help with event planning and the creation of apublic service
announcement are other needs.Anyone wanting to be involved with
Youth LegacyFoundation can call 612-293-7008 or
[email protected] The groups website
iswww.youthlegacyfoundation.org
Youth Legacy Foundation takes shape
Aaron, Bridget and Imani attended the celebration.Photos from
Youth Legacy Foundation
Find more People & Places on page 10
Desktop
Publishing:AdvertisementsBrochuresCatalogsFlyersNewslettersNewspapersProject
MgmtScanning ...& More!
Ellen Houghton952-404-9981
[email protected]
-
Pg 8 September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8
Security hospital faces sanctionsThe Minnesota Security Hospital
in St. Peter was
fined $2,000 and had its conditional licensing statusextended by
one year after authorities documentedtwo cases of patient
maltreatment and a number of
serious record-keeping violations related to the use
ofrestraints and seclusion. Commissioner of the Minne-sota
Department of Human Services Lucinda Jessonissued a statement
August 28 saying that state offi-cials are Deeply Concerned about
the incidents.While these incidents are serious, we are encour-aged
that the Licensing Division has acknowledgedthat significant
improvements have taken place atthe facility over the past year,
Jesson said. Weare committed to achieving continued progress
to-
Brain injury treatment at riskEllie Cizek, 20, sustained a head
injury while skiing
in January. Her family has dealt with considerable frus-tration
over her care since then. The accident left her ina coma for days.
She was in an amnesia-like state untilApril. Only four months into
her recovery from a trau-matic brain injury, her health insurer
denied furthercare at a rehabilitation center in Omaha. She
wasbrought home to St. Paul. So like many other families,the Cizeks
must raise funds for their daughters care.
Insurance is pretty mean to brain-injured patients,Cizeks
sister, Josie, said. But its a common refrainfor patients like
Cizek and a growing concern in theUnited States, where the
concussive force of sport in-juries, car crashes and other
accidents causes 1.7 mil-lion traumatic brain injuries each year,
including90,000 severe enough to cause long-term disability.
Doctors often recommend cognitive rehabilitationa set of
therapies to retrain patients brains and re-store lost
brainpowerbeyond what insurance com-panies cover. Insurers face the
dilemma of trying tohold the line on therapy costs, especially if
it appearsthat patients have platituded in their recoveries
Her family told her story to the Star Tribune toraise awareness
of the dilemma Cizek and so manyothers face in trying to get care.
She participates ingroup therapy at Courage Center in Golden
Valley,but her parents want her to return to Quality LivingInc., in
Omaha, one of the only inpatient rehab centersfor traumatic brain
injuries so she can receive moreintensive services during this
critical period of heal-ing. But because she can walk and talk, her
insurance
ward improving the care and safety of patients.The St. Peter
hospital, Minnesotas largest psychi-
atric facility with roughly 400 patients, has beenroiled over
the past two years with management prob-lems, turnover in key staff
positions and cases of pa-tient maltreatment. That has led to more
state scrutinyand work to correct problems.
State reports indicated that hospital staff failed tointervene
in August 2012 as a patient repeatedly bangedhis or her head
against a concrete wall over a three-hour period. In a separate
incident, two members ofthe medical staff failed to obtain timely
help for a pa-tient who exhibited unusual symptoms after an
appar-ent seizure. The patient waited for hours for advancedmedical
care and was found to have suffered a stroke.
Extension of the conditional license has resulted innew and
modified requirements governing the care ofvulnerable adults and
documentation of seclusion andrestraint practices.
(Source: Star Tribune)
Regional News - p. 9
REGIONAL NEWS
I have been an In Home client for at least 20 years. During that
timeI have received excellent, reliable, consistent care from PCAs
and
HHAs trained and supervised by In Home. - Jean T (Client)
Serving Adults and Childrenwith Long-Term Needs since 1991
At In Home Personal Care, we pride ourselves not only on the
help weprovide, but also on our ability to listen. We understand
that each of ourclients has different needs at different times. Our
quality home careservices are formed around a plan that works for
you and your
individual situation.
Your home, your independence . . . 763-546-1000
8441 Wayzata Blvd; Suite 130Golden Valley, MN 55426
-
September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 9
carrier refused coverage. The family isnt naming theinsurance
carrier. The Brain Injury Association ofAmerica believes there
should be no arbitrary caps ondays of cognitive rehab because
treatment of patientsis so individualized.
(Source: Star Tribune)
Confused about a court proceedings? Not clear
how Courts operate? The Minnesota Judicial Branchhas created a
video to make sure citizens who are deafor hard-of-hearing have
equal access in the state courtsystem. The 20-minute video called:
Going to Court:Tips for Minnesotans who are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing.
Its meant to help those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing prepare
for a court appearance, and request
A former online news service editor, who has Crohnsdisease, has
taken action against Patch.com The law-suit was filed in late
August in U.S. District Court.
Crohns is an incurable inflammatory bowel dis-ease with symptoms
that include diarrhea, vomitingand abdominal pain.
Mary Vandergrift, former editor of the Golden Val-ley Patch
website, claims that five hours after herbaby was delivered by
Caesarian section, she wasemailed and asked to work from her
hospital bed. Sheis alleging that employer AOL and Patch failed to
ac-
commodate her under the Americans with DisabilitiesAct, the
Family Medical Leave Act and other laws.She is also claiming that
when she sought to exerciseher rights her bosses would retaliate,
shorting her pay-check and not providing needed technical
support.She was let go last year.
AOL and Patch have not filed a response to thelawsuit. Patch is
an online news site founded in 2007and acquired by AOL in 2009. It
was formed with theaim of giving readers more local news.
(Source: Pioneer Press)
communication assistance if needed. It is captioned andis in
American Sign Language. It was developed withinput from persons who
are deaf and hard of hearing.
The video was produced to help explain what canbe confusing
court rules. It is posted online atwww.mncourts.gov
(Source: Minnesota Judicial Branch)
Video provides judicial access for hearing impaired, deaf
Disability leads to action
REGIONAL NEWScontinued from p. 8
-
Pg 10 September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8
New personnel at Fraserand growth of the program. He also had
ongoingevaluations of program and service outcomes andcontinuous
community needs assessments.
Michael Nass is the new Executive Vice President& Chief
Financial Officer at Fraser. He will be re-sponsible for the
overall financial, information tech-nology, facility and revenue
cycle management opera-tions of Fraser. He serves as a key advisor
to the chiefexecutive officer and board, providing financial
lead-ership in developing and executing long-term strate-gies and
goals of the organization.
Nass was previously employed at HealthEast CareSystem serving in
the capacity of Vice President/Chief Financial Officer for the last
two years, and for28 years previously as corporate controller,
assistantcontroller and divisional controller.
Fraser, founded in 1935, is Minnesotas largest
andlongest-tenured provider of autism services. Fraseralso serves
children and adults with more than 60types of mental and physical
disabilities.
PEOPLE & PLACEScontinued from p.7
Fraser, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit serving chil-dren and
adults with special needs, has announcedthat it has received
three-year accreditation fromCARF International (Commission on
Accreditation ofRehabilitation Facilities). This accreditation
primarilyfocuses on two areas, Fraser Career Planning and
Em-ployment Services and Fraser Autism Center of Ex-cellence.
Several Fraser services were also acknowl-edged as exemplary and
deserving of national recog-nition.
Fraser also has two new members of its leadershipteam. Aric
Jensen is now Director of Mental Health.Jensen will manage,
develop, and expands FrasersMental Health Programs serving children
with severeemotional and behavioral disturbances. He was
previ-ously employed at Portia Bell Hume Center as Pro-gram Manager
for the School Based Prevention andEarly Intervention Program.
While there he developedand managed all aspects of the program from
initialcommunity needs assessments to developing, imple-menting and
providing service offerings to expansion
Charlie Smith award winner - from p. 1Nominator Clarence
Schadegg noted he also wants
Applebys former coworkers and friends honored aswell. They were
effective in changing the lives ofmany people, for the better.
What a remarkable trio, said Access Press Execu-tive Director
Tim Benjamin. Their work has helpedso many people and we are
pleased to present themwith the 2013 Charlie Smith Award. They have
a longlegacy of service to Minnesotans with disabilities.
I am overjoyed and elated to be receiving thisaward, and to
share it with my friends and colleagues,especially since the three
of us worked together for somany years, Appleby said. I feel so
honored that thework we did over the years is being recognized.
Working with them for so many years was the pin-nacle of my
career, he added. He and Bloom collabo-rated for more than 50
years.
He and Moldenhauer developed a strong friendshipafter they had
met while Moldenhauer was in prison.He was a hard case but he was
able to turn his lifearound and reach so many people, Appleby
said.
Appleby has been a chemical dependency treatmentcounselor since
the 1970s and developed and led dis-ability awareness and sociology
classes and medita-tion groups. He began teaching at Augsburg
Collegein the fall of 1969. He drew on his own recovery fromalcohol
addiction through yoga and meditation andhelped many others do the
same thing.
He started the Beverly White Community Project,an organization
that has brought meditation and yogato people facing challenging
life conditions. Anotherof his projects at the University of
Minnesota resultedin the Student Parent HELP Center, which
helpssingle parents complete college degrees.
He has also been a pioneer in disability awarenessat Augsburg,
The classes and groups were open to all,brought much-needed
positive change and awarenessabout disabilities to Augsburg
students, faculty andstaff. Classes were held at Augsburgs campus
andthroughout Minnesota at facilities that includingTravilla in
Robbinsdale, the Beverly White Founda-tion, nursing homes,
treatment centers and state mensand womens correctional facilities
in Stillwater, OakPark Heights, Sandstone, St. Cloud and
Shakopee.
Augsburg officials are adding their congratulations.
As Cal, Wayne, and Vern were keenly aware,Augsburg College
exists to provide quality educationto individuals from diverse
backgrounds and with anarray of capacities, said Ann Garvey, vice
presidentof Student Affairs at Augsburg College. When thesemen were
at Augsburg, they saw that segments of ourstudent population had
unmet needs; they took action,and their influence continues to
inform our work.
In the 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, these menhelped Augsburg
faculty and staff build a stronger un-derstanding of how students
varying physical andlearning abilities influence their success in
ourcourses and learning environments. Today this atten-tiveness is
built into our culture and our infrastruc-ture, and thats a
tradition they started.
Bloom led Augsburg College programs for de-cades, including the
Continuing Education for Non-traditional Students (CENTS),
Community HumanResources (CHR) and Augsburgs College of theThird
Age. He also taught sociology and social workclasses for more than
25 years.
Moldenhauer had served time in prison and broughtan awareness of
the challenges prison inmates face.He helped raise the funds
necessary to establish a trans-portation program between Augsburg
and Travilla. Hefounded the Deafness Education Advocacy Founda-tion
(DEAF), the message relay system for deaf andhearing people. DEAF
has grown considerably sinceit was started. Moldenhauer was also
the administra-tor/fundraiser for the Northern Sign Theater, a
theatri-cal program made up of people with hearing loss.
Moldenhauer also raised funds for the installationof ramps and
elevators at Augsburg College for users
of wheel-chairs.
The threefounded aunique modelof support topeople
withdisabilities, totransport stu-dents betweenAugsburg andTravilla
forclasses. Theirwork influenced the creation of Metro Mobility
whenstate planners grasped the significance of their
trans-portation model.
Today there are robust programs for students with dis-abilities
at Augsburg College, thanks to these three men
They helped guide generations of college studentsand inmates
through the Augsburg College educationprocess. They not only taught
off and on-campus theyalso helped organize Open Doors, a conference
tobring faith communities together to support peoplereleased from
prison.
People with disabilities have many allies, peoplewho step up and
do their part to make our lives a littlebetter. Certainly, there
are many people doing this kindof work who havent been recognized,
Schadegg said.Cal, Wayne and Vern were but three people whowalked
the talk. Many programs came about becauseof the work done by Cal,
Wayne and Vern.
Appleby lives in St. Louis Park with his longtimepartner, Laurie
Savran. He also has an adult son.
connection between the street and skyway at this loca-tion is to
maintaining pedestrian access, comfort andsafety throughout
downtown, said Thune. His wardincludes the downtown area. I am
pleased that theMetropolitan Council understands this as well,
and
Rail line connection - from p. 1
Vernon Marvin BloomSeptember 3, 1934-October 20, 2012
has committed its resources to making it happen.Central Station
will be one of the busiest stations
along the Green Line, so connecting it to the heart ofdowntown
is critical, said Coleman. Thank you tothe accessibility advocates
who worked hard to makethis connection a reality, and to the Met
Council forfinding the funds to construct this valuable
connectionon the largest infrastructure project in Minnesota.
Everyone helped break groundPhoto courtesy of Ruby McKusick
-
September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 11
Ruth Ulvog(Photo as requested)
Cliff Poetz Jim Thayer
Nominees - from p. 5
JUNE LACEY, LIFELONG VOLUNTEERJune Lacey has volunteered
count-
less hours of community work everyweek for more than 75
years.
Daughter, Joyce Lacey, calls hermother a remarkable woman.
June Lacey co-founded Project BearHugs, which provides stuffed
animalsto nursing homes, childrens and veter-ans hospitals,
shelters and disasterscenes. June saw a need for an out-reach to
give love, hope and compan-ionship to those individuals in
hospitalbeds, those facing hardships, those whohad no one else to
turn to, and whowere all alone, said Joyce Lacey.Since you cant
always get a real pet,the next best thing is a stuffed animal
tohug, hold and tell your troubles to.
Of Project Bear Hugs, Joyce Laceysaid, What a difference it has
made!Nurses, doctors and family membershave shared hundreds of
stories on howmuch happier, less fearful and more re-ceptive their
patients and loved oneshave become. The stuffed animals givethem
someone to love and they knowthat someone loves them.
June Lacey has been a leader withthe Midwest Walk and Roll for
theChristopher and Dana Reeve Founda-tion. She volunteers with the
MSWalk, 150 Bike Ride, MS Tram, MSRoot Beer Float Days, Community
MSBooths, 30/60 MS Bike Ride andChallenge Walk. She served on
thesteering committee for the Susan G.Komen Breast Cancer
FoundationRace for the Cure. Her other cancer-related volunteer
work includesAmerican Cancer Association Relayfor Life, Golf for
the Cure, Bike forthe Cure and Shop for the Cure. Shealso helps
with the Muscular Dystro-phy Association Telethon. She servesmeals
at the Salvation Army andUnion Gospel Mission, and helps withthe
annual Thanksgiving baskets andChristmas gifts. She is a
Salvation
Army bell ringer and knits scarves forthe homeless.
June Lacey does volunteer work de-spite dealing with lifelong
disabilities.Severe arthritis, scoliosis, heart issues,loss of
vision and a seizure disordercaused by a head injury havent
everslowed her down.
MARGARET PERRYMAN, GILLETTECHILDRENS SPECIALTY HEALTHCARE
During her 25 years as the Chief Ex-ecutive Officer and
President ofGillette Childrens Specialty Health-care Margaret
Perryman has advocatedfor public policies that meet the
uniquemedical needs of persons with disabili-ties. She is retiring
soon.
She has raised awareness of theunique medical problems faced by
chil-dren and adults with disabilities, therange of health services
needed to meetthose needs, and the crucial importancemaking health
services available re-gardless of income. Anita Schermer,Luther
Granquist and Deb Holtz nomi-nated Perryman. Margaret
Perrymandeserves to receive the Charlie SmithAward because of the
simple idea thatshe has always seen people with dis-abilities as
people. That sounds so ba-sic, but most professionals do not
un-derstand that, said Holtz. She has adaughter with
disabilities.
Schermer and Granquist saidPerryman should be honored for
herleadership in making Gillette more ac-cessible to children and
adults. In1986 the future of the hospital was indoubt, they wrote.
Budget deficit andstaff cuts had leaders considering affili-ation
with another hospital. But in herjob interview, Perryman told
hospitalleadership she didnt want to be a mor-tician for the
organization, but wantedto help Gillette grow and expand. Sheled
Gillette to profitability and majorfacilities expansion. For
Perryman andfor Gillette, the bottom line was not
just a positive operating margin butalso provision of needed
services tomeet unique needs.
Gillette has one of the nations larg-est groups of pediatric
orthopedic sur-geons and the regions largest group ofpediatric
rehabilitation medicine physi-cians. It has a mobile outreach
clinic,clinics around Minnesota and a partnerin Chile.
Perryman recognized that when chil-dren reached adulthood they
still needthe specialized services provided byGillette. In 2001 she
helped establishGillette Lifetime Specialty Healthcareto meet needs
of teenagers and adultswith childhood onset disabilities
Last summer Gillette Childrens Spe-cialty Healthcare joined
United Cere-bral Palsy as an affiliate organization,the first
childrens hospital to do so.
CLIFF POETZ,PIONEER SELF-ADVOCATE
For more than 40 years, Cliff Poetzhas been one of Minnesotas
leadingchampions of human rights and social
justice for people with developmentaldisabilities. He is a
founder of the self-advocacy movement, giving peoplewith
disabilities a voice in decisionsthat affect their lives.
One defining moment in Poetzs call-ing as an advocate came in
1972. Hespoke to the directors of what was thenthe Minneapolis
Association of Re-tarded Citizens (now The Arc GreaterTwin Cities).
He explained the impera-tive for people with developmental
dis-abilities to control their own lives, theabsolute necessity for
equal pay forwork and the need for giving due re-spect as an equal.
That was a realgroundbreaking concept then. His re-quests were
groundbreaking demandsfrom someone with a
developmentaldisability.
His nomination from The ArcGreater Twin Cities stated,
Disabilityrights and self-advocacy are ideaswhose time would have
probably comeeventually but they came sooner andwith greater impact
because of CliffNominees - p. 15
Joani Werner
-
Pg 12 September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8
UPCOMING EVENTSFall forums are set
The Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabili-ties (MNCCD)
is gearing up for its fall town hall forumseries, Breaking Through
Poverty. The focus is on poli-cies that impoverish members of the
disability commu-nity, and what advocates and elected officials can
do tocreate change. Share stories with elected officials, de-velop
advocacy skills and meet representatives ofMNCCD member
organizations.
Sessions are 2:30-4:30 Wed, Sept. 18, ArrowwoodLodge, 6967 Lake
Forest Road, Baxter; 1-3 p.m,. Wed,Sept. 25, Opportunity Partners
Koch Campus, 5500 Op-portunity Court, Minnetonka; 5-7 p.m. Tue,
Oct. 1, GreatRiver Regional Library, 1300 W. St. Germain Street,
St.Cloud; 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thu, Oct. 10, Goodwill/EasterSeals, 553
Fairview Ave N, St. Paul; 1:30-3:30 p.m.Wed, Oct. 16, Mary T Inc.,
1555 118th Lane NW, CoonRapids; 5-7 p.m. Mon, Oct. 21, RSI, 2900
Piedmont Ave,Duluth: 5-7 p.m. Mon Oct. 21, Blue Earth County
Library,100 E Main St, Mankato; 5-7 p.m. Tue, Oct. 22,
MainslServices, 7000 78th Ave N, Brooklyn Park; 5-7 p.m. Tue,Oct.
22, Rustic Rock Chop House, 301 Hat Trick Ave,Eveleth; 5-7 p.m.
Tue, Oct. 29, Wescott Library, 1340Wescott Rd, Eagan, and 4-6 p.m.
Wed, Nov. 6,Hjemkomst Center, 202 1st Avenue North, Moorhead.
Questions? Contact MNCCD at www.mnccd.org
AdvocacyAttend home visits
The Arc Greater Twin Cities invites residents of Sen-ate
District 57 to discuss issues affecting people withintellectual and
developmental disabilities and their fami-lies at the home of Kelly
and Mike Kausel to visit withelected officials, 6:30-8 p.m. Wed,
Sept. 18, 14414Everest Ave., Apple Valley. Elected officials
invited to par-ticipate are Sen. Greg Clausen, Rep. Anna Wills,
Rep.Tara Mack, Dakota County Commissioner Chris Gerlach,District
196 School Board Members Joel Albright and ArtCoulson, Metropolitan
Council Member Wendy Wulff,Apple Valley Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland,
and AppleValley City Council Members John Bergman, TomGoodwin, Ruth
Grendahl and Clint Hooppaw.
A second meeting is for residents of Senate District37, 6:30-8
p.m. Mon, Sept. 23 at the home of hostsSheri and Murray Radoux,
3508 127th Ave. NE, Blaine.Elected officials invited to participate
are Sen. AliceJohnson, Rep. Jerry Newton, Rep. Tim Sanders,
AnokaCounty Commissioner Julie Braastad, Anoka-HennepinSchool Board
Members Marci Anderson and Jeff Simon,and Metropolitan Council
Member John Doan. The visitsare free and open to the public but
space is limited, sopreregister. FFI:
952-915-3665,[email protected]
The Arc Minnesota hosts conferenceMark your calendars for The
Arc Minnesotas 2013
state conference Nov. 1-2 at the Doubletree Park Placein St.
Louis Park. This years theme is Raising Expecta-tions: Achieving
Your Goals and Dreams. Internationalmotivational speaker and author
Jonathan Friesen willkick off the conference. The Conference
Planning Com-mittee is finalizing workshop topics, and workshop
pre-senters, and the Awards Committee is collecting nomi-nations
for outstanding Minnesotans and Minnesota or-ganizations to honor
at the awards banquet during theconference. Join us for another
great event that will ben-efit self-advocates, parents, direct care
staff, and mem-bers of The Arc. More information coming in the
weeksahead. Questions? Contact Mike Gude [email protected] or
1-800-582-5256,ext.113
Fitness, fun and fundraisingRun, Walk, Roll Against Bullying
Join PACER Center to support bullying prevention inMinnesota
communities and help raise funds forPACERs National Bullying
Prevention Center, 9 a.m.Sat, Oct. 5 at Mt. Normandale Lake Park,
NormandaleBlvd. and 84th St., Bloomington. Do the four-mile run
or1.5 mile walk/roll. Registration is $20 for adults, $10 forages
7-16 and free for little ones. Pledge or gatherpledges. Food and
entertainment provided. FFI:952-838-9000, [email protected]
Made in the ShadeThe Made in the Shade walk, run and roll raises
funds
for several non-profit agencies serving people with
dis-abilities at 9:30 a.m. Sat, Sept. 21 at Thomas Beach,Lake
Calhoun, Mpls. Register, collect pledges, walk, run,bike or roll
and enjoy post event lunch, entertainment foodand receive a
T-shirt. FFI: www.madeintheshade.org/
NAMI Walks this monthNational Alliance on Mental Illness of
Minnesota is
hosting NAMIWAlks, a 5K walk to increase public aware-ness of
mental illnesses, fight stigma, and raise funds.The walks are held
at various locations 1 p.m. Sat, Sept.28 including Minnehaha Park
in Minneapolis and theCommunity & Technical College in
Rochester. More than4,000 people from around the state are expected
to join.The walk supports the efforts of NAMI Minnesota, to
pro-vide education, support and advocacy for children andadults
with mental illnesses and their families. To regis-ter the day of
the walk, please arrive by 11:30 a.m. orregister in advance online.
FFI: 651-645-2948, 1-888-NAMI-HELPS, www.namihelps.org and click on
theNAMIWalks logo.
Youth and familiesTransitions workshops set
Transitions is a free workshop offered by NAMI Min-nesota to
help parents to assist young adult children liv-ing with a mental
illness. The workshop helps parentsgain tools to prepare their teen
or young adult for inde-pendence, learn about special education,
employment,college, transportation, life skills and housing. It
includeshelpful tips for living with young adults who arent readyto
leave the nest. Registration requested. One work-shop is 6-8 p.m.
Mon, Sept. 16 at Roseville Public Li-brary, 2180 N. Hamline Ave.
Another is 6-8 p.m. Tue,Sept. 17 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700
S. SnellingAve., St. Paul. FFI: Andrea, 651-645-2948 ext. 106.
New PACER workshop newsletterPACER Center offers many useful
free or low-cost
workshops and other resources for families of childrenwith
disabilities. Workshops are at PACER Center,8161 Normandale Blvd.,
Bloomington, unless specified.Several are offered around the state.
Check out PACERswebsite and link to a new bimonthly newsletter of
work-shops that allows participants to pick and choose ses-sions
catered to their needs. Advance registration re-quired for all
workshops. FFI: 952-838-9000,800-537-2237 (toll free),
www.PACER.org/workshops
Family fun day and open houseJoin PACERs Simon Technology Center
for a free Fam-
ily Fun Day & Open House and discover the latest inassistive
technology (AT) with an emphasis on early child-hood. The event is
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat, Sept. 21 at PACERCenter, 8161 Normandale Blvd.,
Bloomington. Dont missthe new mobile technology station, one of
several excitingadditions for 2013, along with Ask an Advocate, and
do-it-yourself AT. Children can play with a parachute, tie-dye
T-shirts, dress up in costume at the photo booth, get creativewith
adaptive art, or relax in the hang out room with varioussensory
objects. Registration is required. FFI: 952-838-9000, (toll free)
800-537-2237 www.PACER.org.
Hope for Recovery Workshop in St. PaulNAMI Minnesota is holds a
free, one-day education
workshop that provides families and individuals with
in-formation on mental illnesses, practical coping strategies,and
hope for recovery. It is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat, Sept. 21 atRegions
Hospital, Teeter Library, 640 Jackson Street,St. Paul. Registration
requested. FFI: 651-645-2948.
Information and assistanceUCare meetings
UCare hosts informational meetings about its UCarefor Seniors
Medicare Advantage plan. Meetings are heldall over the region.
UCare for Seniors has more than75,000 members across Minnesota and
western Wis-consin. UCare serves Medicare-eligible individuals
andfamilies enrolled in income-based Minnesota Health
Care Programs, such asMinnesota Care and Pre-paid Medical
AssistanceProgram; adults with dis-abilities and Medicare
ben-eficiaries with chronic healthconditions and Minnesotansdually
eligible for MedicalAssistance and MedicareFFI: 1-877-523-1518
(tollfree), www.ucare.org
Mental Illness supportgroups NAMI-MN free supportgroups for
families whohave a relative with a men-tal illness. NAMI has
abouttwo dozen family supportgroups, more than 20 sup-port groups
for people livingwith a mental illness, anxi-ety support groups,
groupsfor veterans and other
groups. Led by trained facilitators, the various groupsprovide
help and support. FFI: 651-645-2948. A full cal-endar of all events
is offered online.
A free 12-week educational course is offered for thosewho have a
family member living with a mental illness?Families can gain a
greater understanding of mental ill-ness, discuss resources, build
communication skills, re-duce stress and find support. Over 3,000
Minnesotafamilies have benefited from this course. The
Family-to-Family course meets weekly on Tuesdays for 12 weeks.It
starts 6:30 p.m. Tue, Sept. 10, at North HeightsLutheran Church,
Roseville. Registration is required.FFI: Stacia, 651-330-1730 or
Anne, 651-653-5116.Partners and Spouses support group meets 6:45
p.m.the first Tue of each month at Falcon Heights UnitedChurch of
Christ, 1795 Holton St. FFI: Lois, 651-788-1920, or Donna,
651-645-2948 ext. 101. Open DoorAnxiety and Panic support, meets at
6:30 p.m. the firstand third Thu at Woodland Hills Church, 1740 Van
DykeSt., St. Paul and 6:30-6 p.m. on the second and fourthThursday
at Goodwill-Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N.,St. Paul. FFI:
651-645-2948.
NAMI Connection peer support group for adults areled by trained
facilitators who are also in recovery leadNAMI Connection groups. A
group meets at 6:30 p.m.,on the fourth Tuesday of the month, at
Goodwill-EasterSeals, 553 Fairview Av., St. Paul (The group
previouslymet at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.) FFI:
Shelly,651-228-1645. Bi-weekly adult recovery groups meet at6:30
p.m. the second and fourth Wed at CentennialUnited Methodist
Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West,Roseville. FFI: Will,
651-578-3364.
A family support group meets in St. Paul on the sec-ond
Wednesday of each month from at 6-7:30 p.m., atGoodwill-Easter
Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul, inroom 123. FFI: Sonja,
651-357-2077. A family supportgroup meets in Oakdale on the second
and fourth Tues-day of each month, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., at
CanvasHealth, 7066 Stillwater Blvd., in the community room.FFI:
Dan, 651-341-8918. A group also meets at 6:30 p.m.on the second and
fourth Wednesday of each month atCentennial United Methodist
Church, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2West, on the second and fourth Wednesdays
of themonth. FFI: Anne Mae, 651-730-8434
Activities for adultsIndependent living classes offered
The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living offersfree and
accessible classes on living independently forpeople with
disabilities. Most classes are held at 1600University Ave., #16,
the green tile building at Universityand Snelling, St. Paul, unless
specified.
A full calendar of all events is offered online. Enjoyfield
trips, knitting and crafts, wii fun, cooking, andclasses to help
with everyday living. Field trips to desti-nations including the
farmers market and area parks arealso offered.
Weekenders outings are for those who are tired ofsitting home
all weekend. Meet other people who sharesimilar interests and want
to meet new people. Guestsare welcomed. Please bring spending money
for week-enders events. All other events are free of charge,
ac-cessible and mostly scent-free. MCIL has an onlinenewsletter
which includes event information. It is avail-able in alternate
forms. Please RSVP and give twoweeks notice of needed
accommodations for anyevents. FFI: Corbett Laubignat,
651-603-2028,[email protected], Cindy,
651-603-2037,[email protected],or www.mcil-mn.org
-
September 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 8 Pg 13
ACCESSIBLE FUNMural project on display in St. Cloud and
Minneapolis
More than 750 Minnesotans with disabilities areas have been busy
creating art this summer as part of VSAMinnesotas Disability Mural
and Story Project. The first of two exhibits is at Gallery Saint
Germain, 912 W. St.Germain St., St. Cloud, Oct. 4-13. A reception
is 6-8 p.m. Thu, Oct.10. Gallery hours will be announced soon.
A Minneapolis exhibit is Oct.21-30 in the first floor atrium of
CityCenter, located between Hennepin Avenue and the Nicollet
Mallbetween 6th and 7th Streets. A reception is 6:30-8 p.m.
Wed,Oct. 23. Exhibit hours at 8 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, Saturdays9
a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays noon-5 p.m.
Both exhibits are free and open to the public. Theme of the
workis what art access means to individuals with disabilities and
theirfamily members. Those who participated created visual art,
wroteresponses or participated via video. What does arts access
meanto you? They created visual art, or responded in writing or
video,to illustrate why they do or dont participate in the arts.
The projectreplicates a 2011 project directed by Bridget Riversmith
with theArrowhead Alliance of Artists with Disabilities (AAAWD)
inDuluth. Anyone wanting more information can contact VSA
at612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883, or email
[email protected]
Photo courtesy of VSA
representatives of a wide range of disability commu-nity
organizations braced the heat and went to thestate fair to make
their point to elected officials. Onegoal is to sign up legislative
supporters. Many staterepresentatives and senators, along with Gov.
MarkDayton, were at the fair to meet constituents.
Other opportunities to meet legislators will besought before the
session begins, including home vis-its with advocacy groups and the
Minnesota Consor-tium for Citizens with Disabilities (MNCCD).MNCCD
member groups voted in August to supportthe campaign. Other
initiatives MNCCD voted to sup-port are the Medical Assistances
Income Standard andAsset Limit campaign, the establishment of a
QualitySelf-Directed Services Workforce Council, and theDSPMatch
project.
Of these efforts, the 5 % Campaign is one of themost high
profile. One focus for the campaign is thatnursing home workers
received a 5 percent wage in-crease during the 2013 session.
Expansion of the planfor other care providers would cost about $70
million.It is seen as not only providing more equitable wagesand
better care, it also is seen as a way of retainingexisting workers
and attracting new ones. The goal isto get the increase passed and
in place on July 1, 2014.
Community-based services touch the lives of about60,000
individuals. Advocates contend that the ser-vices are also an
efficient tool to ease state budgetwoes. For example, the Elderly
Waiver Program isable to serve three seniors in the community for
everyone individual in a nursing home with the same levelof
funding. However, despite the numbers served andthe cost savings
for the state, these programs have ex-perienced deep cuts over the
last decade.
Services include a wide range of supports designed
to increase independence, including home-deliveredand congregate
meals, homemaker and chore services,independent living skills
training, direct support infoster care homes and help with personal
care.
State Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth) spoke be-fore a crowd of
campaign supporters August 13 infront of Duluth City Hall to kick
off the campaign. Hepointed out that the median wage for caregivers
forpeople with disabilities and the elderly has declinedby about 10
percent over the past decade.
We got a 5 percent increase for nursing homes,but we didnt get
the same for the disability commu-nity, Huntley said. Were not
keeping up with infla-tion. Ive always believed that the disability
commu-nity should be getting the same as what the nursinghome
community is getting. Theyre doing the samejob. He conceded that
the issue is one legislatorsshould have addressed during the 2013
session.
This campaign is critical for providers across thestate, said
Jon Nelson, executive director at Duluth-based Residential
Services, Inc. Ive see the goodthat our services do for the people
we serve, but needsare being unmet and our hard working staff cant
con-tinue to do so much with so little.
Steve Larson, campaign co-chair and senior policydirector for
The Arc Minnesota, outlined the variousservices of the caregivers
provider programs and said.All of these programs received several
cuts in recentyears, during tough budget times, Larson said. Nowis
the time to correct that situation. Legislators arecharged with
difficult budget-balancing decisions andhave to pick their
priorities. 2014 is now the time fortheir top priority to be
adequately funding communitysupport for people with disabilities
and older adults,he said.
5 % Campaign- from p. 1
Welcome to the Access Press Accessible Fun list-ings. Readers
looking for additional opportunities to en-joy the arts have these
options:
For information on galleries and theater performancesaround the
state, join the Access to Performing Artsemail list at
[email protected] or call VSA Minnesota,612-332-3888 or statewide
800-801-3883 (voice/TTY).To hear a weekly listing of accessible
performances, call612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883. The web
accessibleperformance listings at
www.vsamn.org/calendar.html,www.mrid.org, www.accesspress.org, or
http://c2net.org(c2: caption coalition, inc.), which does most of
the cap-tioned shows in Minnesota and across the country.
Performances on Facebook; sign up to connect withAudio
Description Across Minnesota
(www.facebook.com/pages/Audio-Description-Across-Minnesota/202035772468).
Connect with ASL Interpreted and Cap-tioned Performances across
Minnesota on Facebookhttp://tinyurl.com/FBcaption
The Story of LukeThe Story of Luke focuses on a 25-year-old with
au-
tism who is adjusting to life with relatives after his
grand-mother and long-time caretakerdies. Luke resolvesto make it
on his own and embarks on a journey to find ajob and a girlfriend.
The fictional account is rooted in thereal-life experiences of the
films writer and director,Alonso Mayo. The film will be shown Thu,
Oct. 3 at Para-mount Theatre, 915 West St. Germain Street, St.
Cloud.Arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a slice of pizza and can of pop,then
stay for the movie at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in ad-vance or $10 at
the door. Extra pizza is $2 per slice.Tickets available at the
Paramount Box Office, Indepen-dent Lifestyles, or any Disability
Awareness Task Forcemember. The task force will be selling
Inclusion Price-less T-shirts. FFI: 320-529-9000
DanO Golf Outing and BanquetThe fifth annual DanO Golf Outing
and Banquet is
Mon, Sept.16 at the Minnesota Valley Country Club inBloomington.
The fun-filled event is a celebration of lifein honor of Dan Olson
who died by suicide after a longstruggle with severe anxiety. The
organizers are commit-ted to keeping his legacy of having fun with
family andfriends, while making a difference in the lives of
thosefamilies dealing with mental illnesses and/or suicide.Proceeds
from the event benefit NAMI Minnesotas sui-cide awareness and
education efforts. FFI: Erin, 651-645-2948 x104,
www.danofund.org
Save the date for Rise galaRise, Inc. hosts its annual gala Thu,
Oct. 10 5:30-
8:30 p.m. at International Market Square. Network witharea
business leaders, families, and participants inRises employment and
housing programs. Enjoy greatfood and music. Proceeds support Rise
programs, in-cluding the vans and buses that are taking people
towork at hundreds of area companies. Emcee is WCCO-TVs Jason
DeRusha. Be a table or event sponsor. FFI:Betsy Jaros,
sponsorships, 763-792-2415;763-786-8334 general information;
www.rise.org
The MiserRochester Repertory Theatre presents the 1950s
comedy about love and long-lost family, at 103 7th St.NE,
Rochester. ASL show is 8 p.m. Fri, Sept. 13. Ticketsare $18-20.
FFI: 507-289-1737;[email protected],
www.rochesterrep.org
SchoolhouseTin Roof Theatre Company presents the regional
pre-
miere of a show set in a 1938 one-room schoolhouse, atThe Stage
at Island Park, 333 Fourth St. S., Fargo. ADshow is 7:30 p.m. Sat,
Sept. 14, pre-show description at7:10 p.m. Tickets are reduced to
$8 (regular $15, stu-dent/senior $10). FFI:
701-235-6778,www.tinrooftheatre.org or www.fmct.org
ProofBloomington Theatre and Art Center presents the
Pulitzer Prize-winning drama at Bloomington Center forthe Arts,
Black Box Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd,
Bloomington. AD show is 7:30 p.m. Fri, Sept. 27. ASL is7:30 p.m.
Thu, Oct. 3. Tickets are reduced to to $15 forAD/ASL (regular $22,
$20 senior, $17 age 25 & under).FFI: 952-563-8575;
[email protected],www.btacmn.org
Uncle VanyaGuthrie Theaters first production of this classic
show
in nearly 25 years of one of the worlds great plays is aversion
by renowned Irish playwright Brian Friel, at theGuthrie Theater,
Wurtele Thrust Stage, 818 2nd St. S.,Mpls. AD shows are 1 p.m. Sat,
Sept. 28, and 7:30 p.m.Fri, Oct. 11. Captioning is 1 p.m. Wed, Oct.
2, and 7:30p.m. Fri, Oct. 25. ASL is 7:30 p.m. Fri, Oct. 18 and
Thu,Oct. 24. Tickets are reduced to $20 for AD/ASL, $25
forCaptioning (regular $29-71). FFI: 612-377-2224, TTY612-377-6626,
www.guthrietheater.org/visit/access_services.
Good PeoplePark Square Theatre presents a show about a
colorful
south Boston neighborhood, its residents and class divi-sions,
at 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul. AD show is 2 p.m.Sun, Sept. 29, and
7:30 p.m. Fri, Oct. 4. ASL is 2 p.m.Sun, Sept. 29, 2:00 PM. An ASL
promo video is online.Captioning is 2 p.m. Sun, Oct. 6. Captioning
by c2. Tick-ets include a limited number of $5 and half-price
ticketsfor Captioned, AD & ASL performances (regular $25-58,$48
ASL area). FFI: 651-291-7005,www.parksquaretheatre.org
Lillys Purple Plastic PurseStages Theatre Company presents the
story of a
youngster who looks at things very simply and loves ev-erything,
at Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Main-street, Hopkins. ASL show
is 1 p.m. Sat, Oct. 5, with OC1 p.m. Sat, Oct. 12. Tickets are $15,
child/student $12;discount for AD/ASL/OC: $11, child/senior 60+:
$9. FFI:952-979-1111 x4, www.stagestheatre.org