August 2011

Volume 22, Number 8

Budget had mixed impacts - p. 13

www.accesspress.org Aug 10, 2011

ACT and its Remembering With Dignity program were targeted for cuts butwere ultimately spared.

Photo courtesy of ACT Historic shutdown - p. 14

“Be kind, for everyoneyou meet is fighting ahard battle”

— Plato

NEWS DIGEST

INSIDE

Health and human services budgethas mixed impacts on community

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDTwin Cities. MNPermit No. 4766

Address Service Requested

Award banquetpreparationscontinue

Challenges created by shutdown, budget decisionsNot in Kansas any more

Regional News, pg 6

People & Places,pp 8-9

Accessible Fun, pg 10

Events, pg 11

Radio Talking Book, pg 12

See Pg 11

Banquet - p. 15

Eight Special Olympics Minnesota athletes returned from the World SummerGames in Athens, Greece with many news friendships and lifetime memories.Oh, and they won some medals, too.

See page 8 for details.

The 2011 silent auction and rafflewere a hit

by Access Press staff

When the 2011 Minnesota Legislature’s spe-cial session adjourned July 20, Minnesotanswith disabilities and their families faced a diz-zying array of changes in the adopted healthand human legislation and budget.

For the short term, many people will seecuts to services or changes in how services aredelivered. Over the long term, Minnesotanscan expect changes in how many forms ofhealth care are delivered. Gov. Mark Daytonand legislators have pledged health care reformand how that actually happens will play outover the next several months. Some reformswill require permission from the federal gov-ernment, which could be a long process.

The more immediate impacts will center ona health care system that won’t have the pro-jected amount of funding needed. While healthand human service spending will show somegrowth, from $10.2 billion last biennium to$11.4 billion this biennium, that’s about $1 bil-lion less than the actual need projected by theMinnesota Department of Human Services(DHS). And because the approved state budgetrelies on borrowing and not revenue increases,the state’s deficit picture may only get bleaker.That’s especially true if the economy doesn’tturn.

Many advocates contend that the full im-pacts of the 2011 health and human servicesbudget may not be fully understood for monthsto come, but that the impacts will be felt foryears. At this point it appears to be very mucha mixed bag. For some programs and services,the cuts were less than anticipated. Others faceserious constraints.

The special session ended Minnesota’slongest state government shutdown in history.The shutdown began July 1 when Dayton andlegislators couldn’t agree on a budget. Manypeople with disabilities were greatly affectedby the shutdown, losing access to servicesranging from workplace interpreters to theability to do background checks on health careworkers. For much of July the two sidesbattled over how to address the state’s budgetissues. Dayton ultimately gave up on his pushfor increased taxes on the state’s wealthiestresidents as the state shutdown dragged on. Hesaid the pain of the shutdown was becomingtoo great for Minnesotans.

One major cut that families will feel, with

Scott Adam’s latest car-toon reflects what’s hap-pening at the capitol.Page 13.

Members of ADAPTfrom the Twin Cities areraising funds to attend anational action in thenation’s capitol.Page 11

Access Press Unbound,our blog project, needssponsors to keep our writ-ers posting. Recent postscover the Minnesota StateFair grandstand accessibil-ity and dog etiquette.Page 3

This month’s history noteshows us that those whoforget the past are con-demned to repeat it.Page 2

Retiring legislatorSenator Linda Berglinis remembered for her yearsin office and commitmentto health and human services.Page 7.

It’s the best party of theyear for Minnesota’s disabil-ity community. And you andyour friends can make it bet-ter.

Access Press hosts theCharlie Smith Award Ban-quet Friday, Nov. 4 at theMinneapolis AirportMarriott, Bloomington. At-tendees enjoy music, a deli-cious meal and the presenta-tion of the Charlie SmithAward, which is given annu-ally to someone who pro-vides outstanding service toMinnesotans with disabili-ties. Tickets are $45, with adiscount for groups that pur-chase a table

One highlight banquet at-tendees look forward to is thesilent auction and raffle. Pro-ceeds go to support opera-tions of Access Press,Minnesota’s disability com-munity newspaper.

Lots of great items are upfor bid or available by raffledrawing. Past prizes have in-

by Access Press staff

For organizations thatserve Minnesotans with dis-abilities, the historic stateshutdown and its aftermathhave created a flurry of ac-tivities that for some, are farfrom over. For agencies thathad to shut down and thenstart up, the complicationshave been many and varied.

A few of the complicationswere unintentionally humor-ous. One agency that facedchallenges is Radio TalkingBook, a program of State Ser-vices for the Blind. This ser-vice provides information andentertainment to Minnesotans

who are visually impairedand its reading and programschedules are avidly fol-lowed. The shutdown put ahalt midway through somebooks, a frustration to thosewho rely on the service andhad to wait for almost threeweeks to hear books contin-ued.

When that program’s staffreturned after the three-weekshutdown, they were facedwith several problems. Thebuilding was locked so novolunteers had been able toproduce programs. All maildelivery to the building had

Minnesota Special Olympians win 13 metals in summer games

Pg 2 August 10, 2011 Volume 22, Number 8

Minnesota: Budget balancing or a lack of due process?A historical perspective on past state impasses

EDITOR’S DESKTim Benjamin

Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to personswith disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed.We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material does notnecessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press.

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Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons withdisabilities by Access Press, Ltd. Circulation is 11,000, distributed the10th of each month through more than 200 locations statewide.Approximately 450 copies are mailed directly to individuals, includingpolitical, business, institutional and civic leaders. Subscriptions areavailable for $30/yr. Low-income, student and bulk subscriptions areavailable at discounted rates.

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Volume 22, Number 8 • Periodicals Imprint: Pending ISSN

HISTORY NOTE

by Luther Granquist

During the governmentshutdown in July, RamseyCounty District Court

Judge Kathleen Gearinruled that certain govern-ment functions must beprovided and paid for even

though the MinnesotaLegislature and the gover-nor had not agreed on anappropriation act. Yearsearlier, in a different con-text, U.S. District JudgeEarl Larson issued a simi-lar order inWelsch v. Likins, aclass action in-volving Cam-bridge State Hos-pital.

After a trial in 1973,Larson ruled in October1974 that the due processclause of the U.S. Consti-tution required increasedstaffing levels at Cam-

bridge. Although Gov.Wendell Anderson atfirst said he agreed withLarson’s orders andwould comply, he didn’trequest funding for therequired staff in his pro-

posed budget and the1975 legislature did notappropriate necessaryfunds. In April 1976, af-ter a further trial in late1975, Larson ordered

slightly increased staff-ing levels.

To address thelegislature’s failure toappropriate sufficientfunds to comply withthese staffing orders,

Larson inJuly 1976enjoined thestate’s fiscalwatchdogs,the commis-

sioners of Finance andAdministration, from en-forcing any state fiscalcontrol provision thatwould prevent the Com-missioner of Public Wel-

fare and the CEO atCambridge from hiringneeded staff. He specifi-cally referred to ArticleXI, section 1 of the Min-nesota Constitution, theprovision at the heart ofthe shutdown contro-versy: “No money shallbe paid out of the trea-sury of this state exceptin pursuance of an appro-priation by law.” Larsonemphasized that this or-der was required to pro-tect the constitutionalrights of the Cambridgeresidents:

“The Court has foundthat they are inad-equately housed,equipped, fed, treated,and cared for, and thattheir very safety is im-periled by their surround-ings and by lack of ad-equate staff. What thepeople of the State ofMinnesota have done andare continuing to do tothe plaintiffs is—despitethe loftiest of motives—inhumane and unconsti-tutional. Plaintiffs’ causecries out for the utmostrelief that this Court canoffer, consistent with itspower.”

The commissioners

History - p. 5

“No money shall be paid out of thetreasury of this state except inpursuance of an appropriation bylaw.”

The state shutdown was truly a catastrophe. Al-though disappointing, Gov. Dayton made the right de-cision. He did what had to be done to get the stateback to work, even though he knew he was acceptinga budget that will not solve any of our financial woesbut only put them off for another budget cycle. Thereare a couple things we can be grateful for, and youcan read all the details on those throughout this issue.But most importantly, our state is back up and run-ning and our state workers are back on their jobs.

Some of the bad news in this compromised budget:occupational, physical and speech therapy for adults20 and over was drastically cut; the 20% cut in wagesfor relatives who work as PCAs remained in the bud-get bill; and reduction in reimbursement rates to PCAproviders will still go into effect. There is also a4.5% cut to non-emergency medical transportation—meaning your ride to the doctor will cost more.

The shutdown was really an expensive political ma-neuver or experiment. It was very expensive to shutdown and equally expensive to get the state back upand running again. I hope it will be very costly for theelected officials that refused to compromise. It’s ourobligation to make it expensive to them; we have totake it upon ourselves to make sure that like-mindedpeople are elected to govern. At the very least, we haveto have people who are interested in our society as awhole, not just in the welfare of people like them.

The shutdown raised many questions about the fun-damental obligation of government to its citizens.What makes a service essential? Who and what deter-mines what is essential to the citizens? ThomasHobbes (1651), John Locke (1689) and Jean-JacquesRousseau (1762) are the most famous “social con-tract” thinkers, and their work had a deep effect onthe writers of the US Constitution. Each drew quitedifferent conclusions about the nature of political au-thority or obligation, and during the lives of these phi-losophers, medical necessity was not part of theirthinking about the social good. But their theories allheld that government has an obligation to its citizensto provide liberty and safety. What is the definition ofsafety? Is providing medically necessary services andensuring citizens’ independence a matter of libertyand safety? This is a question that should be at theheart of the debates of our elected officials.

During the state shutdown with issues of medicalnecessity involved, the courts were forced to decidewhat essential services are (or the social contract is).How is it then that the legislature could cut appropria-tions to deliver effectively what the court has deter-mined are essential services? It seems to me that thereare some constitutional legal questions related tosome of these cuts. That might be also why RamseyCounty Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin was so carefulabout making some of the rulings she was obligated tomake about the state’s essential services.

When our good friend, Luther Granquist, a retiredlawyer, wrote me about his history note this month, heexplained to me (now what follows is in Tim terms)

how in October 1974, Judge Larson ruled in Welsch v.Likins, a class action involving Cambridge State Hos-pital that the “due process” clause of the State Consti-tution required increased staffing levels at Cambridge.Not being a lawyer, I became even more confused. Iwas thinking that government’s ‘social contract’would explain its fundamental obligation, but in thisspecific case it was the constitutional guarantee of the“due process” of law. Because individuals at Cam-bridge were court-ordered to be in state custody, thestate was required to provide them with the necessi-ties to remain clean, healthy and safe, and with theappropriate staffing to ensure these services.

It seems so clear that we as a society have to ad-dress some fundamental questions and concerns aboutobligation. In the history note you will read about asituation in which another court required the state toadequately fund services to people who were institu-tionalized. (It is an interesting read; please do take thetime.) It also illustrates the issue of government’s ob-ligation to meet the security and liberty necessities ofall individuals. For many of us, it raises the furtherquestion about the needs of those who are not institu-tionalized but living in the community.

This is where action comes in. If we’re going toanswer these questions and prevent these standoffs ofopposing views, we must become politically involvedin getting officials elected who have similar philoso-phies on the obligation of government to its citizens—especially those who are disabled, elderly, or notcompletely capable of being independent. Remember,the ADA requires that people with disabilities live inthe least restricted environment. This is our right!Let’s keep protecting that right and keep remindingsociety and legislators. ■

August 10, 2011 Volume 22, Number 8 Pg 3

BEST OF THE BLOGSAccess Press Unbound, the Access Press blogs

are undergoing some changes this summer andfall. Accessing the Arts and Animals at Your Ser-vice will continue on a limited basis. Other newblogs will be announced soon.

Sponsors are needed for the blogs. Sponsors getrecognition in the print and online editions. If youare interested in being a sponsor, contact us at651-644-2133.

Working dogs: Can they play?

by Clarence SchadeggIs your dog working? Can I pet your dog? Does he bite?

These are questions, I’m asked almost every day.If a person interferes with a service dog or dog guide while

the dog is working, the distraction can make it unsafe for thedog to perform properly. To reach out and pet a working dogcould possibly result is injury to handler, dog or both.The standard protocol while the dog is working is that nobodybut the handler touches the dog. Not all handlers strictly ad-here to that. The best thing to do is ask the handler. This tendsto be relaxed when the dog is not working, indicated when thedog is out of harness or not wearing its vest.

Service dogs are often well socialized to handle touchingby children and adults. The preferable thing is for parents toteach children to not reach out to pet any dog. A random pet,pat or poke may be all it takes to irritate some canines.

The following dos and don’ts are appropriate to people whointeract with their pet dog or with a working dog on or off duty.

Pet Project recently posted an article by Dr. Sophia Yin,How Kids Should and Should Not Interact with Dogs.

Yin identified four dos for children when interacting with apet dog: 1.) Play fetch with the dog. “Fetch where the dogwillingly. That is fun for dogs who love to retrieve.” 2.) Usetricks and treats to reward good behavior 3.) Exercise thedogs. 4.) Play games with your dog.

Yin stated, “Adults should ensure that the dog has lots ofpositive associations with the kids. The kids can regularly givefood rewards for the dog’s calm, polite behavior, such as auto-matic sits. Even if the child is generally well-behaved and thedog very tolerant, it’s essential for all interactions to be super-vised. Accidents can happen in a split second.”

During play time, my off-duty service dog Frisco had a hightolerance for children. Toddlers would fall or climb on him.While running and playing, he was extra-careful to not plow

Access Press Unbound is a series of blogs, on spe-cific topics, published by Access Press, Minnesota’sdisability community newspaper. The startup ofblogs on service animals, arts and entertainment andemployment/education was made possible by a grantby the Minneapolis Foundation. The blogs are writ-ten by and for people with disabilities.

Access Press would like to continue publishingthese and other topic-specific blogs but we needsponsor support. We are asking you to consider be-coming a sponsor or co-sponsor for one of our blogs.The current blogs are:• A Better Life - a blog about employment and edu-

cational opportunities,• Accessing the Arts - a blog about the many arts

and cultural opportunities in MN, and• Animals at Your Service - a blog about the many

types of service animals that assist people withdisabilities. In the future, we would like to addblogs on health and on children and families orideas sponsor may suggest.

Below are the two sponsorship levels for our blogs:Blogerati Level - $800/month. This package includes:• An online ad that will be hyperlinked to your main

website, in .jpeg or .gif format. - a value of $100• Recognition on our website and Blog Portal for

Access Press Unbound• A Free Directory of Organizations Listing at our

main website (good for one-year) - a value of $60

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blogs - A Better Life, Accessing the Arts, or Ani-mals at Your Service

• Printed monthly ad, 1/12th page size – a value of $269

Your Sponsorship of Access Press Unbound isgreatly appreciated, as every donation makes it pos-sible for Access Press to continue its mission of be-ing the voice of Minnesota’s disability community.Please contact Jane McClure or Tim Benjamin onblog content at (651) 644-2133 or [email protected] and [email protected] for further in-formation on sponsoring. ■

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by Roxanne FurlongIt’s well into summer and the Minnesota State Fair is just

six weeks away. I hit the fair at least twice a year and catch agrandstand show once every few years. I’ve seen Rod Stewart,Emmy Lou Harris, Poco, Clay Aiken, Cyndi Lauper, MarshallTucker and Ozark Mountain Daredevils, to name a few.

This year’s line-up includes a great variety including Reba,Def Leppard with Heart, Marc Anthony, Garrison Keillor,Weezer, Train & Maroon 5, Steely Dan and Carnival of Mad-ness 2011.

I’d like to see Marc Anthony, Steely Dan and GarrisonKeillor but decided on The Happy Together Tour, which fea-tures The Grass Roots, The Turtles, The Association and MarkLindsay (formerly with Paul Revere and the Raiders). Theticket price played a huge part in my decision, for $18 I get tosee a few bands from my childhood whereas some of the gigsare $50-60.

I just can’t justify shelling out that much money for agrandstand show. Don’t get me wrong. All of the shows I’vewatched at the grandstand have been great, especially since itwas remodeled. But add $12 to get into the fair and the cost ofparking or transportation … plus you’re sitting outside, pray-ing it doesn’t rain.

The new wheelchair seating is near-perfect at center stage,mid-level, or on the main level off to the side. But oddly, thereis only one elevator to take you up to accessible seating andthe elevator line gets long before a concert.

A few years ago, my friend, Lori, and I went to see ClayAiken (I made us “Achin’ for Aiken” T-Shirts). The elevatorline was long and moving slow. Lori went ahead to see whatthe hold-up was and found that only two wheelers at a timewere going up. Some wheelers had pushers who timidlypushed them on, leaving spaces on the car; some were taking awhole entourage with them.

By the time we were 10 wheelers from the elevator door,we heard the screaming fans while Clay took the stage. Figur-ing it to be another 25 minutes of elevator waiting, wecouldn’t take it anymore, we ran up ahead and started direct-ing traffic.

To the mom and three teenagers, “Come on! You can walk,take the stairs!” … To the electric wheeler, “Move that chairover, you’ve got two feet of space between you and the wall!”… to the wheeler and his date, “Cozy up, pal, we’ve got awalker comin’ in!” … and to the little granny, pushing as fastas she could, “Get movin’ Missy! Are you gettin’ on ornot?!?”

Lucky for everybody, Lori and I made it to our seats beforeClay finished his first song.

More Minnesota State Fair accessibility information ap-pears on page 7. ■

Grandstanding at the Minnesota State Fair

into the children. In the almost 15 years I had Frisco, he neverharmed a child or an adult.

Frisco wasn’t as tolerant during his senior years. A toddlerat a 4th of July parade zeroed in on him. As the child camecloser, Frisco got up and walked to me for his safe zone. As Isoothed and comforted him, he became tense. At times likethat, I asked parents to hold onto their child or move on as mydog let me know he did not want interaction.

Yin’s what not to do list: 1.) Don’t interfere with a dogwhile the dog is eating. 2.) Don’t hit the dog with any kind ofplay toy. Some toys are made of rope, rubber or hard plastic. Ahard toy like these can injure the dog. 3). Do not stare into theeyes of a dog or stick your face in the dog’s face. 4.) Do notcorner a dog. 5.) Do not, even in play, hit or kick a dog. 6.)Don’t climb on or invade the personal space of a dog. 7.)Don’t scream or yell at a dog. 8.) The body language of a dogwill indicate whether or not to pet or hug the dog.

Yin said, “Follow these simple dos and don’ts and everyonewill be safer and happier. . . . The key is to teach both the dog andthe children to be polite. Make sure your children interact withyour dog the same way you want them to interact with you.” ■

To respond, send your comments to Clarence [email protected]

Ellen Houghton • [email protected]

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by Jane McClure

Twin Cities bus and railtransit are among the state-sup-ported services that dodged abullet during the 2011 specialsession of the Minnesota Leg-islature. That’s crucial topeople with disabilities thatrely on regular Metro Transitroute service.

The fate of Twin Cities tran-sit service had been up in theair for months. At one pointduring the legislative sessionMetro Transit faced a $120million cut.

In July transit riders ralliedin the face of sweeping servicecuts and fare hikes that couldhave hit the $5.25 mark. Un-certainty over the extent towhich the state could cut tran-sit funding had Metro Transitand Metropolitan Councilscrambling to plan for theworst-case scenario. Cuts andchanges could have been madeto 131 of 146 existing busroutes. Waits for service couldhave been much longer. Riderswould have to walk longer dis-tances to get to some stops.Two hearings July 6-7 in St.Paul and Minneapolis drewmore than 200 people in total.

Dozens of transit riders toldofficials that if drastic cuts aremade, they would lose accessto jobs, health care, school andday-to-day activities. Somespeakers at the hearings de-scribed disabilities that alreadymake it challenging to usetransit. Others are jobless.Some ride transit for environ-mental reasons. Many areamong the 40 percent ofMinnesotans who don’town motor vehicles. Atboth meetings, peoplegasped and groanedwhen they saw themap of potential routecuts.

More than 78 millionpeople rode Metro Transitbuses and trains last year. JonLevin, director of service de-velopment for MetroTransit, said that re-gional routes make up74.4 percent of Metro Transit’sservices, with light trail, com-muter rail, suburban contractservices, Metro Mobility andother services comprising therest.

Advocacy groups includingTransit for Livable Communi-ties, ISAIAH, District Councils

Collaborative and groups rep-resenting persons with disabili-ties spoke out against potentialtransit route cuts and farehikes. So did agencies that pro-vide service for people withdisabilities, including Opportu-nity Partners.

“This is a lifeline and it’s be-ing cut away,” said St. Paulresident Phillip Sporer. Sporer,who has a disability, noted thatfor people on limited incomes,fare increases will make itharder to ride the bus.

Other people with disabili-ties told Metro Transit repre-

Metro Transit bus/rail service dodged a bullet, avoid deeper cuts

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Here is an overview fromCourage Center of the 2011Minnesota Legislature specialsession.

The end of the longest shut-down in state history and theconclusion to the 2011 legisla-tive session brings some relief.At Courage Center it’s not areturn to business as usual.The agency has difficult workahead to provide clients withthe services they need whilebalancing its budget in a con-tinuously challenging eco-nomic environment.What was in the final deal?

The approved state budget

spends more in the next twoyears than the state did in thelast two years, but significantlyless than the projected growthof programs. That’s why bothsides in this budget fight couldclaim victory: spending isgrowing, but there are big cutsin what would have been spenthad changes not been made.The approved Health and Hu-man Services budget for thebiennium is $11.3 billion. Thisis a billion dollars more thanthe last biennium we just fin-ished (at $10.2 billion), butalso a billion less than DHShad projected would have been

State government shutdown/special session: The end of the end

The future - p. 12

sentatives that longer waits forbuses and other service cutswould cause hardship. Somespeakers said they would loseaccess to jobs and education.

Levin agreed that low-in-come people and people withdisabilities will be affected byfare hikes. Although MmetroMobility does provide servicefor people with disabilities,

many people opt to rideregular buses due to costand convenience.

The transit-fundingpackage that emergedfrom the July 20 specialsession represents a 40percent or $52 million

cut. The cut is covered inpart by moving $15 million of

sales tax proceeds in five met-ropolitan counties. The sales

tax for Hennepin,Ramsey, Anoka, Dakotaand Washington coun-

ties, is meant to be used tobuild new rail and bus transit.The shift has met objectionsfrom the Counties Transit Im-provement Board, which dis-tributes the sales tax revenue.But state lawmakers contend itdoesn’t make sense to expandthe transit system when it faces

so many cuts.The cuts will also be made

up by withholding state motorvehicles sales tax money fromsuburban transit carriers, cut-ting administrative costs andusing about $3 million in re-serve funds. The result meansthat a series of hearings ontransit cuts and fare hikes setfor this month have been can-celed.

The approved state fundingprovides $78 million in generalfund money to Metro Transitover the next two years. Afterthe session ended, Haigh ex-pressed relief, saying that thesituation could have beenmuch worse.

The transportation bill ve-toed in May by Gov. MarkDayton would have eliminated$109 million, or 85 percent, oftransit dollars from the state’sgeneral fund. The total transitbudget is $375 million, withthe rest coming from the motorvehicle sales tax, fares andother sources.

Metro Mobility, the para-transit service for people withdisabilities, would not havebeen affected by the threatenedcuts. ■

needed to provide the samelevel of services to a growingpopulation. In this respect,people with disabilities and theorganizations that serve them,including Courage Center,were hit hard.So if the final budget agree-ment spends more, where didthe revenue come from?

The added spending over thelast biennium was fundedsolely through borrowed funds,not permanent increases in therevenues coming in to the statebudget. Shifting school pay-ments and borrowing moneyfrom future tobacco bonds

brought in anextra $1.4 bil-lion to preventdeeper spend-

ing reductions.Does this framework build afoundation for future stability?

Unfortunately, the funda-mental cost drivers—primarilyhealth spending—were not ad-dressed head on. Unless thestate and national economicoutlook brightens beyond theexpectations of most experts,this deficit scenario will repeatitself in 18-24 months. Thecore issue—not enough fund-ing for service levels eitherneeded or provided—remains.What is the big picture out-look for Courage Center inthis scenario?

Courage Center will con-tinue to evaluate services,costs and fundraising capacityeven as the government re-

opens. The contingency plan-ning done over the past fewmonths helped identify somecost saving ideas. Innovationsmust continue at Courage Cen-ter if it is to not just survivebut thrive.What are the immediate im-pacts of the budget agree-ment for Courage Center?

The biggest impacts affectpayments for people on Medi-cal Assistance (MA): For phy-sician services and therapies,rates will drop 3%; for com-munity-based services like ILSand Behavior Services, pay-ments will shrink by 1.5%;daily per diem payments to theTRP are not cut, but other pay-ments made to the TRP will


History - from p. 2

Your Honors:As the new governor of the State of

Minnesota I want to express to you myplans and aspirations regarding care forour retarded citizens. It is my fond hopethat, given sufficient time to fulfillthese plans and aspirations, we can ren-der unnecessary the further involve-ment of federal courts in the fundingand management of our state hospitals.Should this come to pass, the laudablegoal of improved institutional carecould be achieved without the traumaof a constitutional confrontation be-tween this State and the federal courts.

As you may be aware, I became thegovernor of Minnesota on December29, 1976. I previously served as lieuten-ant governor and before that as a statesenator. In both of those offices I wasan outspoken advocate for our mentallydisabled citizens, and I intend to con-tinue in that tradition.

On Tuesday, January 25, 1977, I pre-sented my initial budget proposal to theMinnesota Legislature. Due to my brieftenure as governor, the spending recom-mendations in that budget are largelyreflective of the goals established bythe preceding administration. However,the budget message delivered on Janu-ary 25th did contain one recommenda-tion of great significance to our stateretardation facilities. I recommendedand will seek to achieve the closure oftwo of our ten state hospitals, those lo-cated in the cities of Hastings andAnoka. The patients and residents atthose hospitals can be cared for farmore efficiently at the remaining insti-tutions. The savings achieved by theseclosings, which can be used for im-proved care elsewhere, will be approxi-mately $3.2 million annually in operat-ing expenses and $2.6 million in appro-priated capital improvement funds. Ialso recommended several cost-savingmeasures in my budget message. Ifthese proposals are accepted by the leg-islature, the State of Minnesota will

have additional resources to add to im-proving care at the remaining state hos-pitals.

The goals which I have for our stateretardation facilities are not differentfrom those espoused by Judge Larsonin his several court orders. I believe inthe concept of habilitation for all men-tally disabled persons. I believe in thenecessity of staffing which is adequatein both numbers and training. And I be-lieve that our institutions should bephysically safe, comfortable and attrac-tive. These goals shall have high prior-ity in my administration, and I will notbe satisfied until they become realities.

My request to this Court is that youallow us time to achieve these goalsthrough democratic processes. It is agovernor’s responsibility to provideleadership on issues of this nature, andI can assure you of my utmost efforts inthis regard. If we fail to achieve ourgoals, then perhaps it would be time forthis Court to reconsider the ponderousconstitutional issues at stake in theseappeals, But it would be tragic if ourresolve to achieve reform is thwartedby a constitutional crisis in which theissue of humane care is obscured by acontest of governmental powers. Thus,it is for the sake of progress as well asfor the continued vitality of our demo-cratic processes that I enlist your sup-port.

I stand willing to provide any furtherinformation which may be helpful toyour consideration of these appeals.Thank you for your thoughtful consid-eration.

Sincerely,

Rudy Perpich

RP: lmhcc: Luther A.Granquist, Esq

STATE OF MINNESOTAOFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

GOVERNOR

RUDY PERPICHST. PAUL 55155

February 1, 1977

The Honorable J. Smith HenleyUnited States Circuit JudgeCourt of Appeals For The Eighth CircuitUnited States Court and Custom House1114 Market StreetSt. Louis, Missouri 63101

BE: Welsch vs. Likins, Appeal Nos.76-1473 and 76-1797

The Honorable Myron H. BrightUnited States Circuit JudgeCourt of Appeals For The Eighth Circuit

The Honorable Roy L. HarperUnited States District JudgeCourt of Appeals For The Eighth Circuit

appealed to the federalCourt of Appeals, andthe legislature hired alaw professor from theUniversity of Chicago tosubmit a friend of thecourt brief opposing thisorder. They contendedthat the power to deter-mine staffing levels laywith legislature and thegovernor, not the courts.In January 1977, shortlyafter a newspaper article

appeared about the argu-ment of the case in theCourt of Appeals, Gov.Rudy Perpich, who hadjust replaced Anderson,called the attorneys inthe case into his cham-bers. He wanted to godown to St. Louis andtell the judges there thatnow that he was gover-nor he was going to doright for persons withmental retardation andshould be given a chance

to do so. Ultimately hewrote the judges a lettersaying that his goals forthe state institutionswere not different fromthe goals ordered byLarson, that he believedin the necessity for ad-equate staffing, and thathe proposed to closeHastings and AnokaState Hospitals so thatmore funding would beavailable at Cambridge.He asked the Court of

Appeals to give himtime “to achieve thesegoals through demo-cratic processes.”

In March 1977 theCourt of Appeals upheldLarson’s orders regard-ing staffing at Cam-bridge. That court statedthat federal districtcourts, to provide relieffrom unconstitutionalconditions, have thepower to require expen-ditures that would nototherwise have beenmade. The court refusedto second-guess Larson’sdetermination of thestaffing standards thatwere needed. But thecourt gave Perpich andthe legislature a secondchance to appropriate themoney needed to meetthose standards by vacat-ing (neither affirming norreversing) Larson’s in-junction against enforce-ment of the fiscal controllaws. The court empha-sized that Larson’s or-ders were “positive, con-stitutional requirements,and cannot be ignored.”

The court added: “Wethink that experience hasshown that when gover-nors and state legisla-tures see clearly whattheir constitutional dutyis with respect to state

institutions and realizethat the duty must be dis-charged, they are willingto take necessary steps,including the appropria-tion of necessary funds.”

Despite this warning,the 1977 Minnesota Leg-islature didn’t respond,although it did order theclosing of Hastings StateHospital. In November1977, on the eve of an-other hearing beforeLarson and with the sup-port of Perpich, a staffingagreement was reachedto assign greater numbersof staff to Cambridge us-ing positions fromHastings State Hospitaland federal funding un-der the CETA (Compre-hensive Employment andTraining Act) program,an agreement thatavoided direct confronta-tion with the legislature.

But not for long. Simi-lar issues arose after theCommissioner of HumanServices, with the con-currence of key membersof the legislature, agreedin 1980 to system-widestaffing standards for allthe institutions for per-sons with mental retarda-tion. During 1981 and1982 there were six spe-cial sessions to addressissues posed by the eco-

nomic crises of that era.In 1982 Larson ruled thatseveral reductions madein institution salary ac-counts violated the 1980agreement, but he re-jected requests for an or-der similar to the one hemade in 1976, in part be-cause of the bind thestate’s economic statuscreated for state officialsand in part because it ap-peared that agreement ona means to comply withhis orders appeared pos-sible. The questionwhether Minnesota’s fis-cal control laws mustgive way in order tocomply with court-or-dered constitutional stan-dards for state institu-tions remained unde-cided. ■

Documents mentionedin this History Note areincluded in With an Eyeto the Past on the DDCouncil website: JudgeLarson’s fiscal controllaw injunction: www.mncdd.org/past/pdf/70s/76/76-WELSCH-8.pdf

The History Note is amonthly column spon-sored by the MinnesotaGovernor’s Council onDevelopmental Disabili-ties, www.mncdd.organd www.partnersinpolicymaking.com


REGIONAL NEWS

Six St. Paul firefighters areappearing in a 2012 calendarthat will benefit the Cystic Fi-brosis Foundation. Voting forthe picture that will be on thecalendar cover was conductedon Facebook, ending Aug. 3.This is the third years thefirefighters had doffed theirshirts and posed for charity.The 2010 and 2011 calendarseach raised about $5,000 forthe Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.The 2011 calendar also raised$2,000 for the Autism Societyof Minnesota.

Firefighters’ calendar is for a good causeCalendars cost $15 each. In

previous years they were soldmostly at Borders Books, inaddition to some small coffeeshops and retailers. Borders isclosings its stores so it’s notknown yet where the sales willtake place. But this will be thefirst year fans can buy the cal-endars online at www.stpaulfirefighter.com. A release partyis planned for Sept. 10. Therealso will be calendar signingsand events. ■[Source: Star Tribune]

Woman sentenced in attackThe final sentence has been

handed down in a December2010 assault on an autisticteen. Tiffany Clock, 22, of Co-lumbia Heights was sentencedAug. 4 to time served and 20years probation in connectionwith the Dec. 23, 2010 inci-dent.

Clock and a group of fourother people met the boy at St.Paul’s Sun Ray shopping cen-ter. The group lured the 16-year-old to a nearby park wherethey beat and robbed him.

In June Clock was convictedin Ramsey County DistrictCourt of first-degree aggra-vated robbery and kidnapping.

Her attorney, ChristopherZipko said she was present atthe time of the assault butdidn’t participate. He also saidthat due to her disability, fetalalcohol syndrome, she hasbeen in and out of fosterhomes. If Clock does not com-ply with terms of her probationshe could be sentenced to 3-1/2years in prison.

Two juvenile defendantsalso have been sentenced andone adult defendant have beensentenced in connection withthe attack. Another adult de-fendant was found incompetentto stand trial. ■[Source: Pioneer Press]

New mental, chemical health facility to openA Bridge to Health and

Wellness, The RamseyCounty’s new holistic facilityfor treating adults with mentaland chemical health issues hasa name. The Ramsey CountyBoard of Commissioners con-firmed in July the name of thenew facility at 402 UniversityAve. East.

The new building, whichwill open in September, willhouse Urgent Care for AdultMental, Chemical Health As-sessment and Placement,Detox, and the Second JudicialDistrict Commitment Court.The creation of this buildingbrings an unprecedented op-portunity to improve and coor-dinate services to individualsexperiencing either a mental orchemical health crisis, or both.The goal is to improve theavailability of integrated, com-munity-based, chemical andmental health services for thispopulation.

Each program area providesa unique service for individu-als in order to maximize theuse of limited resources:Urgent Care for Adult MentalHealth helps individuals expe-riencing acute mental healthsymptoms receive the rightlevel of care at the right time,focusing on recovery and peersupport for these individuals.The program emphasizes com-munity-based services when-

ever possible, offering emer-gency services through phonesupport, mobile outreach andwalk-in services. Both mobileand on-site crisis interventionand stabilization services willbe available, including: sup-portive counseling, informa-tion/referral, consultation toprofessionals, mental healtheducation to family and com-munity, crisis assessment andnext step planning, crisis psy-chiatry, medication evaluation,and placement in crisis beds.Certified Peer Specialists willbe added to the interdiscipli-nary team. Peers have per-sonal experience with mentalillness and are trained to workwith people in crisis and sup-port their recovery. The goalof this program is to expand itshours and to increase the ca-pacity to serve people from theEast Metro—Ramsey, Dakotaand Washington Counties.

Chemical Health Assess-ment & Placement provideschemical health assessmentsand referrals to chemical de-pendency treatment case man-

agement and other services.This unit also serves as an ac-cess point for State-licensedchemical dependency treat-ment services for qualified in-dividuals meeting both Stateincome and clinical eligibilityguidelines for public funding.Referrals to supportive GroupResidential Housing for eli-gible persons with chemicaldependency are also available.

Detoxification services areprovided 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, with assessment and re-ferral to appropriate treatmentprograms. The DetoxificationCenter is a sub-acute residen-tial facility providing medicalmonitoring and chemical de-pendency assessments andscreening for individuals whoare intoxicated or experiencingwithdrawal symptoms.

The 2nd Judicial Civil Com-mitment Court has the legalobligation of determining if aperson is to be committed totreatment centers. Civil Com-mitment hearings will be heldin this new building. ■[Source: Ramsey County]

A St. Paul woman has beencharged with malicious punish-ment of her 5-year-old autisticdaughter. The abuse was dis-covered after a school socialworker noticed scratches onthe girl’s face and an apparent

cord mark around her neck.The mother, Janet Lynn Fox,30, told police the girl wouldnot sit still while Fox tried tocomb her hair, according to acriminal complaint filed Aug.

Charges filed in punishment

Regional news - p. 9


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Planning to attend theGreat Minnesota Get-Together, the 2011 Min-nesota State Fair? Manyaccessibility options areavailable but planningahead is essential. Thefair is Aug. 25 – Sept. 6in St. Paul.

Accessibility informa-tion is available on thefair website, atwww.mnstatefair.org orcall 651-288-4448. Thewebsite includes anonline accessibilityguide.

The Minnesota StateFair provides servicesincluding wheelchair/stroller/wagon/electricscooter rentals, parking

on the fairgrounds,wheelchair accessiblepark and ride, passengerdrop-off areas, assistivelistening devices, wheel-chair battery recharging,sign language interpret-ers, accessible seating atentertainment venues,curb cuts throughout thefairgrounds and a careand assistance center.

Vista Mobility pro-vides manual wheel-chairs, wagons, strollersand electric scooters forrent at four locations:• On the northeast corner

of Dan Patch Avenueand Liggett Street

• South of Gate 2 onCooper Street

• East of Visitors Plazaon the north side ofDan Patch Avenue

• North of Gate 9

Hours are 7 a.m. to 11p.m. daily. Rental feesare $15 per day for

wheelchairs, $13 per dayfor wagons. The depositof a driver’s license orstate ID is required. $9per day for strollers and$50 per day ($35 after 6p.m.) for electric scoot-ers. Vista Mobility willaccept reservations forelectric scooters. Reser-vations will only be for

electric scooters and willonly be accepted online.

For fairgoers needingASL assistance, ASL in-terpreters will be avail-able to assist guests from9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Inquire about this free

service at the guest ser-vices office in VisitorsPlaza. Anyone with addi-tional special requestsfor interpreter servicesmay call 651-288-4448.

ASL interpretation arewith special daily events:• 10 a.m. Ron Schara’s

Minnesota Bound: The

North Woods exhibiton Cooper St. betweenRandall Ave. and LeeAve.

• 11 a.m. IRONJACKTimber Team Show:The North Woods ex-hibit

• 12:30 p.m. Sean Em-ery at Family Fair inBaldwin Park.

For grandstand shows,ASL interpreters or audiodescribers need to be re-quested at least twoweeks in advance. Call651-288-4427 or [email protected] about specific showdates, times and ticketcosts. Shows with ASL

Minnesota State Fair offers many options for accessibilityinclude Reba McIntyre,Def Leppard, Big TimeRush, Happy TogetherTour, Steely Dan, Trainand Maroon 5.Also,Assistive Listening De-vices are available forfree during Grandstandevents (no reservationnecessary). Simply checkout receivers and head-sets at Visitors Plaza;valid state ID and creditcard is required for de-posit.

Taking transit to thefair? Remember that notall park and rides are ac-cessible. Check the fairwebsite or metro-transit.org for details. Orcall 612-373-3333. ■

Sen. Linda Berglin,DFL-Minneapolis, iscalling it quits. The long-time state legislator, con-sidered to be the mostknowledgeable state law-maker on health and hu-man services issues, an-nounced last month thatshe is stepping down.

Berglin has repre-sented some of southMinneapolis’s most eth-nically and economicallydiverse neighborhoodsfor 39 years, starting inthe House and then mov-ing to the Senate. She iscredited with helping tocreate many safety netand health programs thathelped low-incomepeople and people withdisabilities, includingMinnesotaCare, GeneralAssistance Medical Careand other safety net pro-grams.

Berglin, 66, waselected to the MinnesotaHouse in 1972, whenthere was just onewoman incumbent. Her

last day as a state law-maker is Aug. 15. A spe-cial election to fill herseat has been announced,with a Sept. 13 primaryand Oct. 18 general elec-tion.

Berglin isn’t stayingidle and she will con-tinue to work in healthcare policy. In mid-Julyshe began a newjob as healthpolicy managerfor HennepinCounty. Someof her dutieswill includeimplementation of imple-ment federal health carelaw changes.

Media accounts ofBerglin’s legislative re-tirement note that she iswell-liked for her respecttoward self-advocatesand low-income peoplewho testified when shechaired the Health andHuman Services Com-mittee. But she could beblunt in her responses toothers. But even her crit-

ics acknowledged thather encyclopedic knowl-edge of health care willbe sorely missed.

Disability communitymembers praised Berglinfor her years of service,as well as her vastknowledge of laws andpolicies on health care.She was well-known for

her ability to save orshape programs. She hasworked hard to increaseaccess to affordablehealth care, improvechild care, and promotemental health reformsand community-basedservices to help frail eld-erly and disabled peoplestay in their homes.

She was a chief archi-tect of state programsbringing medical care tolow-income working

people and the destitute.She authored laws help-ing aged and disabledpeople remain out of in-stitutional care.

Berglin shaped the2007 legislation to refo-cus Minnesota healthcare programs from pay-ing for services to payingfor results, a change just

unfolding.She alsofought tomove peoplewith mentalillness out ofstate hospitals

and into expanded com-munity services.

In a letter to the editor,People IncorporationCEO Tim Burkett calledBerglin a “tenaciouschampion for those whodon’t have a voice instate policy, especiallythose without access tohealth care.”

Burkett praisedBerglin for helpingPeople Incorporated se-cure funding for its pro-

gram, Safe Ha-ven Services,which helpsmentally ill,homelesspeople findhousing andservices.

“She’s beena guardian an-gel for peoplewith mentalillness who,due to thestigma, oftenfall throughthe safety netsdesigned forpeople with other dis-abilities. Berglin hasworked hard to removethe stigma from mentalillness by finding fund-ing alternatives, such asGeneral AssistanceMedical Care, that en-abled many people tomove out of institutionsand live independently inthe community,” Burkettsaid. “Minnesota coulddo with much more ofthe creative thinking and

Berglin leaves legacy of service on health, human services issues

determination thatBerglin has demonstratedin her decades of work inthe legislature.”

Michael Scandrett, ahealth care consultantand executive director ofthe Minnesota Safety NetCoalition, said Berglinsaved the state millionsof dollars by making sureprograms provided carefor people now, ratherthan delaying care andadding to costs. ■

Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolisx

“. . . a tenacious champion forthose who don’t have a voice instate policy, especially thosewithout access to health care.”


PEOPLE & PLACESMinnesotans do well at Special Olympics

After ten days of exciting competition, eight Spe-cial Olympics Minnesota athletes and two coachesreturned to Minnesota from Special Olympics WorldSummer Games Athens 2011 where they won 13medals as part of Special Olympics Team USA. TeamUSA competed alongside 7,000 athletes from almost180 nations June 25–July 4.

The Minnesota natives competed in 22 eventswhile claiming four gold, five silver and four bronzemedals for Team USA. Gold medals were won inbowling (doubles), bocce (doubles), swimming(4x100 freestyle relay) and equestrian competition(English equitation). The five silver medals were

earned in track & field (400-meter walk), swimming(50 freestyle), tennis (mixed doubles and doubles),and equestrian competition (working trails). Bronzemedal victories came in track & field (800-meterwalk), swimming (50 backstroke and 100 individualmedley) and tennis (singles).

Minnesotans on Team USA include:• Blaine Cox, 24, bowling, North Mankato• Tyler DeVries, 25, bocce, Underwood• Kristina Fritz, 33, track and field, Woodbury• Amy Holty, 31, swimmer, Rochester• Richard Martin, 28, tennis, Hibbing• Jake Sawyer, 22, swimming, Champlin• Matthew Schoenbauer, 14, equestrian, New Prague• Katie VandenBosch, 21, Farmington

The team also included Minnesota track and fieldcoach Corinne Schattschneider of Perham and golf

coach Nancy Schwindel of Richmond. To view spe-cific results for individual athletes, go to www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/2011WorldGamesResults.php.Team USA included 315 athletes from every state andthe District of Columbia, as well as 125 coaches andmanagers.

Alternating between Summer Games and WinterGames, Special Olympics World Games bring publicattention to the talents and capabilities of people withintellectual disabilities, helping to change attitudesand break down barriers that excluded them from themainstream of the community. The 13th SpecialOlympics World Summer Games drew more than25,000 volunteers, 3,000 event officials and thou-sands of families, spectators and journalists from ev-ery continent. ■

Jake Sawyer swam in the Special Olympics Summer Games.

Matthew Schoenbauer was an equestrian team member duringthe Special Olympics Summer Games.

Blaine Cox competed in bowling.Photo courtesy of Special Olympics Minnesota

Hewitt Named New Director of University of Minnesota RTCAmy Hewitt, PhD, has been selected as the new Director of the Research and

Training Center on Community Living (RTC) at the University of Minnesota’s In-stitute on Community Integration. She will assume the new role effective August15 , succeeding Dr. Charlie Lakin, who has been appointed Director of the Na-tional Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S. Departmentof Education.

Over the past 20 years Hewitt’s work within the RTC has earned her a nationalreputation as a leader in the area of community supports to individuals with intel-

lectual and developmental disabilities. Among her areas of exper-tise are Medicaid policy, consumer-directed services, direct sup-port workforce development, and interdisciplinary training. Shecurrently serves on the board of directors of the Association ofUniversity Centers on Disabilities, the American Association onIntellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Arc Minnesota, andArc Greater Twin Cities. ■


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PEOPLE & PLACESDisabled veterans to benefit fromgenerous donation

A ceremony was held July 19 in Minneapolis torecognize the donation of a medical transportationvan benefiting disabled veterans. This donation by theDisabled American Veterans (DAV) of Minnesota ispart of a program that ensures that veterans have theopportunity to receive care at VA medical facilitiesaround the state, sometimes at a great distance fromtheir home.

The DAV of Minnesota operates this statewidetransportation network out of the VA Healthcare Sys-tems in Minneapolis and St. Cloud. Last year, volun-teer drivers traveled more than 1.2 million miles andprovided 18,000 rides. This donation will augment theexisting transportation fleet.

“Too often age, disability, or geography act as bar-riers that prevent veterans from accessing care theyhave earned through service to our nation. This trans-portation network is a way to make sure that the vet-erans who need it most can get to their appointments,”said Foundation Director Martin Ludden.

The DAV of Minnesota raised the funds through agolf benefit and other activities. ■

Members named to advisory councilThe Metropolitan Council has appointed nine

members to the Transportation Accessibility Advi-sory Committee (TAAC) to serve four-year terms.The TAAC was created by the Minnesota Legislatureas a committee of users and advocates for the disabil-ity community that advises the Metropolitan Councilon short and long-rang management plans and poli-cies for special transportation services.

TAAC membership includes a chair and eight citi-zen district representatives appointed by the Metro-politan Council, two members appointed by the Min-nesota State Council on Disabilities, two by Minne-sota Senior Federation, two by the Minnesota Con-sortium for Citizens with Disabilities, and one by theMinnesota Chapter of AARP.

The appointments include:• Ron Biss, Bloomington –Chair• John Lund, Greenfield –District A• Kim Kang, Orono–District B• John Schatzlein, Bloomington –District C

• Chad McGuire, Minneapolis –District D• James Williams, Shoreview –District E• Bruce Lattu, Centerville –District F• Nichole Villavicencio, St. Paul –District G• Darrell Paulsen, South St. Paul–District H.

The TAAC members provide input during the plan-ning stages of transportation services in the metroarea.

“The TAAC is playing an increasingly importantrole in offering guidance and recommendations aboutincorporating pedestrian amenities and design consis-tency for fixed-route bus and light-rail service,” saidAndy Streasick, Metro Mobility customer servicemanager. “They were involved with making sure theHiawatha LRT line was not only accessible but alsostandardized, especially at station platforms, in orderto meet the needs of all persons with disabilities.That process has really been beneficial with theimplementation of the Marquette and 2nd Avenue re-design in downtown Minneapolis and now on theCentral Corridor.”

At least half of the TAAC must be certified asAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit-eligible and be active users of ground transportationin the metro area. ■

A driver who had the right of way hita man in a wheelchair who was in asouth Minneapolis intersection Aug. 2.The man, 34, was crossing HiawathaAvenue at E. 32nd Street when the“Don’t walk” light was on. He wastaken to Hennepin County MedicalCenter and was listed in critical condi-tion after the accident. His name wasnot been released.

Regional news - from p. 6

1 in Ramsey County District Court. Sheis currently restricted from contact withher child.

“She became angry and stressed be-cause she wanted her daughter to lookpretty,” the complaint stated. “Shestated that she used the comb andstruck (her daughter) on her face... (andused) a blanket around her daughter’sneck to keep her from moving whileshe combed her hair.”

Fox is to make a court appearanceSept. 6. Until then, she is barred fromcontact with her daughter or any childyounger than 16. A school socialworker previously reported two othercases of possible child abuse involvingthe girl, one Oct. 8 and the other Feb.17. The child is a student at RondoLearning Center. ■[Source: Pioneer Press]

Man in wheelchair injured in accidentA 20-year-old Apple Valley woman

was driving a 2001 Saturn car east-bound on Hiawatha about 1:50 a.m.Aug. 2, according to the MinnesotaState Highway Patrol. She had thegreen light and hit the man in the cross-walk. The driver of the Saturn sufferedminor injuries. No charges have beenfiled yet. ■[Source: Star Tribune, Pioneer Press]

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Welcome to the new Access Press Accessible Fun list-ings. Get further information on things to do around Min-nesota at www.exploreminnesota.com and click on thecalendar. For information on galleries and theater per-formances around the state, visit www.vsamn.org or call612-332-3888 or 1-800-801-3883 (voice/tty). Or checkc2 (caption coalition) inc., which does most of the cap-tioned shows in Minnesota, also captions shows acrossthe country: http://c2net.org

ACCESSIBLE FUN

Sing it!Minnesota CommunitySing presents an acces-sible community sing,6:30-8 p.m. Tue, Aug. 16at Martin Luther King Park,4055 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.The event is free and willbe held rain or shine. Ev-eryone can sing. Theevent will have ASL inter-pretation and Braille songsheets available. It iswheelchair-accessible.Song leaders are Bret Heslaand Mary Preus. This sing

also features a 15-minutelook at the history of com-munity singing in Minne-apolis parks from 1919-1956. The event is fundedby the Minnesota StateArts Board. FFI: 612-729-7304, mnsings.com,[email protected]

The Country WifeNorthfield Arts Guild pre-sents The Country Wifethrough Aug. 13 outdoorsin Central Park, corner of

Winona & Third St., North-field. The AD performanceis 7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 13,Tickets are $15, $10 stu-dent/senior. FFI: 507-645-8877, www.northfieldartsguild.org.

Bowl for fun and exerciseDo you live in MowerCounty? Do you like tobowl? The 2011-2012Mower County SpecialOlympics Program wantseveryone to go bowling.Bowlers must be 6 yearsof age or older, have anintellectual or develop-mental disability andhave a completed appli-cation on file with theSpecial Olympics Minne-sota state office beforepracticing or competingin any sport. This formdoes require a doctor’ssignature and can some-times take a long time tocomplete. The state formexpires every three yearsand does need to be up-dated before participat-ing. Bowling will beWednesdays at EchoLanes in Austin andstarts Sept. 14. Partici-pants pay fees for weeklybowling, the season ortournaments. Tourna-ment registration is dueSept. 21. Register forweekly bowling at anytime. Transportation willbe provided to those thatdo not have transporta-tion. FFI: 507-433-8994

or email [email protected]

Walk/Run for WheelsKaposia, inc. host its fifthannual Run/Walk forWheels, Saturday, Aug.20 at Fort Snelling StatePark, just south of theHighway 5 Bridge in St.Paul. The gates open at 8a.m. with the run and walkat 9:15 a.m. Musician BillyJohnson and a pancakefeed follow at 10 a.m. Thisyear’s goal for Walk forWheels is to raise $35,000to help support our trans-portation services thattransport individualsserved by Kaposia to andfrom their jobs, volunteeractivities, and other com-munity opportunities.Kaposia is a Twin Citiesbased nonprofit organiza-tion that provides job de-velopment and retirementservices for individualswith disabilities. Individu-als and teams can bothparticipate. Individuals canrun the official UST timedcourse, walk, jog, in-lineskate or walk a pet as partof the event. FFI:www.kaposia.com/runwalk.

Hmong arts and musicThe Center for HmongArts and Talent hosts its10th Annual Hmong Artsand Music Festival 11a.m.- 7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 20at Western SculpturePark on Marion Street inSt. Paul. The park isacross from Sears. Thefestival is free and thepark has accessiblepaths. Highlights includethe Visual Art Tent, show-casing a collection of art-work created by Hmongartists, including the Mas-ter Gallery, an exhibit offive juried art pieces se-lected by professionalsfrom the local arts scene.There will also be a com-munity art exhibit and amain stage with a fullschedule of perfor-mances. The perfor-mances include IN SES-SION: Singer/ SongwriterCompetition, in which fivefinalists compete withoriginal songs to receivecareer enhancingprizes.”The LOUNGE”Youth Tent will be aspace for youth to gathertogether, support creativ-ity and showcase theirtalents. Games, familyarts activities, communityresources and food ven-dors will be available.

Alcinas Island:A Picnic Operetta

Mixed Precipitation The-ater presents Alcinas Is-land: A Picnic Operetta,weekends Aug. 20through Oct. 1 at 16 TwinCities community gardenspaces. This unique per-formance event does re-quire some movement ofthe audience. It’s alsosuggested that visuallyimpaired patrons be ac-companied by a sightedguide. Call ahead for sug-gestions on parking andaccess. An ASL perfor-mance is 4 p.m. Sun.,Aug. 21 at the Eat StreetCommunity Garden inWhittier neighborhood,Mpls. An ASL performanceis 4 p.m. Sun., Sept. 11, atParadise Community Gar-den in Powderhorn Parkneighborhood, Mpls. AnAD performance is 4 p.m.Sat., Sept. 24 at the BronxPark Community Garden,2500 Georgia Ave. & Ce-dar Lake Trail, St. LouisPark. Tickets are by vol-untary donations ($10-20).Advance reservations re-quested: FFI: 612-619-2112, www.mixedprecipitation.org

Minnesota RenaissanceFestival

Plan now to attend theMinnesota RenaissanceFestival, Aug 20-Oct. 2 atthe festival grounds sevenmiles south of Shakopeeon Hwy 169. The festivalis open weekends and La-bor Day, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. rainor shine.Parking is free, includinghandicapped accessibleparking. The festival isheld in a natural outdoorsetting where wheelchairsand motorized wheelchairsare allowed. Watch for thecan Do Canines assis-tance volunteers at thefestival gates, where theywill check in pet dogs.ASL performances are onSign Language Sat, Sept.10. Tickets are $20.95with additional charges forsome attractions. FFI:952-445-7361, www.renaissancefest.com/MRF/

RumorsUrban Samurai Produc-tions presents Rumors atSabes Jewish CommunityCenter, 4330 S. CedarLake Rd., St. Louis Park.ASL performance is 7:30p.m. Sat., Sept. 17. Anadvance reservation isrequired. Tickets are $16,student/senior/Fringe but-

ton $12; online $2 dis-count; FFI:612-396-2025;to reserve ASL, E-mail:[email protected] noon the day beforethe show.

See a movie tonightSeveral theaters aroundthe state offer accommo-dations for movie-goers,such as captioning or de-scriptive services. www.captionfish.com lists cin-emas with access (AD/CC) features. Find the-aters in your area by typ-ing in your zip code. MoPix-equipped Rear Win-dow Captioned Films arelisted at cam.wgbh.org /mopix/nowshowing.html#mn.

Run, Walk,Roll Against Bullying

PACER’s National Bully-ing Prevention Centerhosts the Second AnnualRun, Walk, Roll AgainstBullying Sat., Oct. 1 atNormandale Lake, Bloom-ington. It kicks offPACER’s National Bully-ing Prevention Month ofOctober. Registration andrace packet pick-up beginat 9 a.m., followed by afour-mile run or 1.5-milefun walk/roll at 10 a.m. atNormandale Lake,Normandale Blvd. and 84th

St., Bloomington. Entryfee is $20 per person, andeach participant will re-ceive a free T-shirt.Snacks and additional funwill also be provided at theNormandale LakeBandshell. Preregistrationis strongly encouraged. Allproceeds from PACER’sRun, Walk, Roll AgainstBullying will go toPACER’s National Bully-ing Prevention Center.FFI: 952-838-9000,PACER.org/bullying

The Fetching Ball

The Fetching Ball, a fund-raiser for Can Do Canines,is 6 p.m. Sat., Nov. 5 atEarle Brown HeritageCenter, Brooklyn Center.Tickets are going fast forthis event, which includesa Pups and People Fash-ion Show, music anddancing with a partypoodle, a silent and liveauction, wine toss, dogtinibar and much more. Spon-sorship opportunities arealso available. Individualtickets or table reserva-tions are available. FFI:763-331-3000, ext. 153;www.fetchingball.com ■

Minnesota Community Sings is looking for more voices. Join thisfun group at an accessible community sing.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Easthagen

Your best friend would wantyou to go to the Fetching Ball.

Photo courtesy ofCan do Canines


UPCOMING EVENTS

Creative OptionsCreative Options is a one-day energizing conferencefor people with disabilitiesand the staff who supportthem, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon,Sept. 26 at Eagan Com-munity Center. This year’sfeatured speaker is BethMount, a national consult-ant working with programsthroughout the UnitedStates to support others tosee capacities in peoplewith disabilities. She is thecreator of the PersonalFutures Planning process.Her keynote address istitled Make a Difference:Co-creating CommunityMembership and Contribu-tion. She will also do twobreakout sessions.Breakout sessions for self-advocates include: TurnOff Your TV presented byToni O’Brien from Dakota

Communities; Rock Starsof Respect presented byself-advocates fromLifeworks; and Living YourPassion presented by self-advocates Lisa Poppe,Nathan Bauer, and DebraWilensky.Breakout sessions for di-rect care staff include:Assistive Technology pre-sented by Kim Mocciafrom Minnesota STARProgram and Debbie Har-ris; Be Connected. BeWell. presented by ToniO’Brien from Dakota Com-munities; and Housing Ac-cess Services: Are YouReady to Move? pre-sented by Scott Schifskyfrom The Arc of Minne-sota. FFI: Susan Hilden,651-365-3731,www.lifeworks.org, [email protected].

Gain control, flexibilityDisabled and want morecontrol, flexibility and re-sponsibility for your care?Come to a free informationsession about the “Con-sumer Support Grant,” 11a.m.-1 p.m. Mon, Aug. 15,at Hennepin CountyLibrary – Maple GroveLibrary, 8001 Main St. N.,Maple Grove. To be eli-gible for the CSG, youcannot be on a MedicalAssistance waiver. Spon-sored by HennepinCounty’s Human Servicesand Public Health Depart-ment, the session will an-swer questions such as“How do I receive fundingthrough this grant?” “Whattypes of services may Ibuy?” “How do I receivethis grant?” and “What ismy responsibility?” Prereg-istration required. FFI:612-596-6631,www.hennepin.us/adsinfo.

Adaptive technologyclasses

Free adaptive technologyclasses are offered byHennepin County Library,at the downtown Mpls li-brary, 300 Nicollet Mall.Classes are free but youmust pre-register for theseclasses for persons whoare blind or have low vi-sion. In addition to classesthere are often volunteersavailable to introduce pa-trons to the equipmentand software available.Volunteer hours vary, soit’s best to call ahead.Funding for AdaptiveTechnology classes is pro-vided by a generous grantfrom the Hudson FamilyFoundation. FFI: 612-630-6469, www.hclib.org

Learn about guardianshipWhen children who aredisabled become adults,their parents or legal rep-resentatives may want toconsider filing a petitionfor guardianship or limitedguardianship. HennepinCounty is offering a freesession, “Guardianship,Limited Guardianship andConservatorship,” to help

families learn about thisprocess. Guardianship is alegal process used when aperson cannot make orcommunicate safe orsound decisions about hisor her person or propertyor has become suscep-tible to fraud or undue in-fluence. Because estab-lishing a guardianship mayremove considerablerights from an individual, itshould only be consideredafter alternatives to guard-ianship have proven inef-fective or are unavailable.Sponsored by HennepinCounty’s Human Servicesand Public Health Depart-ment, the session is 6-8p.m. Tue, Aug. 23Hennepin County Library –Maple Grove, 8001 MainSt. N., Maple Grove. FFI:612-596-6631,www.hennepin.us/adsinfo.

Youth andfamilies

Information availableParents searching for childcare for their baby, a sonconcerned about hismother’s adult day careprogram, family membersevaluating services fortheir sibling with develop-mental disabilities — all ofthese consumers nowhave 24/7 access to im-portant information aboutlicensed programs withthe expansion of informa-tion available on the Min-nesota Department of Hu-man Services (DHS)website. Members of thepublic can subscribe toemail alerts when newdocuments are posted.Consumers now havequick access to importanthealth and safety informa-tion about child care cen-ters, group homes forpeople with disabilities,and a range of other ser-vices for children and vul-nerable adults. Six typesof public documents— in-cluding compliance re-ports and public summa-ries of maltreatment inves-tigations—are now avail-able through the DHSLicensing InformationLookup: FFI: http://licensingookup.dhs.state.mn.us

PACER offers servicesPACER Center offers use-ful free and low-cost work-shops for families of chil-dren with disabilities. Reg-ister in advance for work-shops. All workshops areat PACER Center, 8161Normandale Blvd., Bloom-ington, unless specified.Some workshops are inGreater Minnesota. FFI:PACER at 952-838-9000or 800-537-2237 (toll free),or visit the PACERwebsite atwww.PACER.org

Fall Family CourseDo you have a familymember living with a men-tal illness? The NationalAlliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) of Minnesota of-fers a free educationalcourse that helps familiesgain a greater understand-ing of mental illnesses,discuss resources, buildcommunication skills, re-duce stress and find sup-port. More than 3,000Minnesota families havebenefited from this freecourse. Join others for thisseries taught by familymembers who havewalked the walk. TheFamily-to-Family coursemeets weekly for 12weeks and will meet inRoseville on 6:30-9 p.m.Tuesdays, starting Sept.13 at North HeightsLutheran Church, 2701Rice St. Preregistrationrequired. FFI: Anne, 651-653-5116 or Kay, 612-821-0412

Nominations

Awards to be givenMinnesota State Councilon Disability is seekingnominations for its annualawards. Awards will bepresented at the statecouncil’s banquet onSept. 26. The statecouncil, PATHWAYS TOEMPLOYMENT, the Min-nesota Department of Em-ployment and EconomicDevelopment, State Reha-bilitation Council, Depart-ment of Human Servicesand State IndependentLiving Council host theawards luncheon. Awardswill be given to employer

of the year (large andsmall). mentorship, Minne-sota, friend of the council,media and above and be-yond veterans’ employ-ment. Find a description ofeach award category atwww.disability.state.mn.us.FFI: 651-361-8700, 1-800-945-8913, www.disability.state.mn.us

Support groups,meetings

St. Joan of Arc MentalHealth/Mental Illness

MinistrySt. Joan of Arc Churchhosts mental health men-tal illness ministry eventsthis fall. Both events arefree and open to the pub-lic. No preregistration isneeded. Enjoy a light mealand learn about mentalhealth issues. The eventsare free and open to all,no RSVP needed and alight meal is provided.At 5:45-8:15 p.m. Mon,Sept 12, the topic is Sur-viving Complex Trauma inChildhood. Speaker isKrista Nelson, MA,LICSW, LMFT; WilderCenter for Children withReactive Attachment Dis-order. At 5:45-8:15 p.m.Mon, Oct. 10, the topic isRecovery Story. Speakeris Diedrich Weiss. Bothsessions are in the churchHospitality Hall, Door 1,4537 3rd Av S, Mpls. FFI:Roseann 612.823.8205,[email protected];www.stjoan.com

UCare meetingsUCare hosts informationalmeetings about its UCarefor Seniors Medicare Ad-vantage plan. Meetingsare held all over the re-gion. UCare for Seniorshas more than 75,000members across Minne-sota and western Wiscon-sin. UCare is an indepen-dent, nonprofit health planproviding health care andadministrative services tomore than 185,000 mem-bers. UCare serves Medi-care-eligible individualsthroughout Minnesota andin western Wisconsin; in-dividuals and families en-rolled in income-basedEvents - p. 15

Twin Cities ADAPT members, shown here at the capitol, areraising funds for a trip to Washington, D.C.

Photo courtesy of ADAPT

AdvocacySupport ADAPT trip

ADAPT Minnesota mem-bers will be traveling toWashington, DC in Sep-tember to participate in theFall ADAPT national ac-tion. The trip includes par-ticipating in the DemandResponsible Medicaid Re-form rally being held Wed,Sept. 21. During the rally,ADAPT will join other dis-ability, aging and civilrights groups as they de-mand responsible Medic-

aid reform that supportsour civil right to live in themost integrated setting.They will lobby for Medic-aid reform that not onlycontains costs, but alsoprotects the civil rights ofseniors and people withdisabilities. In order tomake the trip, the groupneeds to raise $6,000. Do-nations are still needed.FFI: Lance, 763-218-1433,[email protected]

Workshops,conferences


Abbreviations: V—violence, L—offensive language, S—sexual situations.

Radio Talking Book

Radio Talking Book is very glad to be backafter the shutdown, and glad that its listening family

has stayed with it.Observant Radio Talking Book listeners may have notedthat many of the books offered in July are actually airingin August. They could not air in July because they werescheduled during that three-week period when RadioTalking Book was off the air.

Books Available Through FaribaultBooks broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking

Book Network are available through the MinnesotaBraille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. Phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon.through Fri. The catalog is also online, and can be ac-cessed by going to the main website, http://education.state.mn.us, and then clicking on the link. Per-sons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies ofbooks by contacting their home state’s Network Libraryfor the National Library Service.

Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book, eitherlive or archived programs from the last week, on theInternet at www.mnssb.org/rtb. Call the staff at the Radiofor a password to the site. See more information aboutRTB events on the Facebook site for the Minnesota Ra-dio Talking Book Network.

Access Press is one of the publications featured at 9p.m. Sundays on the program It Makes a Difference.

Chautauqua • Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.Wide Awake, Nonfiction by Patricia Morrisroe, 2010. Afourth-generation insomniac, Morrisroe decided the onlyway she’d conquer her lifelong sleep disorder was bybecoming an expert on the subject. Read by DianeLadenson. Nine broadcasts. Begins Aug. 24.

Past is Prologue • Monday – Friday 9 a.m.Empire of the Summer Moon, Nonfiction by S.C.Gwynne, 2010. The Comanches were the most powerfulIndian tribe in American history and their most powerfulchief was Quanah. Read by Leila Poullada. 14 broad-casts. Begins Aug. 23.

Bookworm • Monday – Friday 11 a.m.My Name Is Memory, Fiction by Ann Brashares, 2010.Lucy Broward is an ordinary teenage girl. But she has acrush on Daniel Grey who is not ordinary. Daniel has thememory, the ability to recall past lives and recognizesouls of those he’s previously known. Read by JohnBeal. 12 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 23.

The Writer’s Voice • Monday – Friday 2 p.m.How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, Nonfictionby Mike Brown, 2010. When astronomer Mike Browndiscovered a planet beyond Pluto, Pluto was downgradedto “dwarf” planet. As a result, Brown became a villain toschoolchildren and was launched into the public eye.Read by Dan Sadoff. 10 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 22.

Choice Reading • Monday – Friday 4 p.m.Third and Long, Fiction by Bob Katz, 2010. A dying fac-tory town finds new life when a former Notre Dame foot-ball star is hired as the plant manager of Made RightClothing. Then he is handed the job of saving the town.L - Read by Jim Gregorich. Nine broadcasts. Begins Aug. 23.

PM Report • Monday – Friday 8 p.m.Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?, Nonfiction byThomas Geoghegan, 2010. Thomas Geoghegan asks

what our lives would be like if we lived them as Europe-ans. Social democracy may let us live nicer lives and tobe globally competitive. Read by Marylyn Burridge. 11broadcasts. Begins Aug. 17.

Night Journey • Monday – Friday 9 p.m.The Janus Stone, Fiction by Elly Griffiths, 2011. RuthGalloway investigates a child’s death that happenedmore than 40 years before. The question is: is it ritualsacrifice or just murder? L - Read by Esmé Evans. Ninebroadcasts. Begins Aug. 23.

Off the Shelf • Monday – Friday 10 p.m.Long Time Coming, Fiction by Robert Goddard, 2010.Stephen finds that his uncle, whom he thought had beenkilled in the Blitz, has been in an Irish prison for four de-cades. L - Read by Dave Schliep. 13 broadcasts. Be-gins Aug. 24.

Potpourri • Monday – Friday 11 p.m.Charlie Finley, Nonfiction by Green & Launius, 2010.The 1970’s Oakland Athletics was one of the most suc-cessful, most colorful, and most chaotic teams of alltimes. L - Read by D. Laufenburger. 14 broadcasts. Be-gins Aug. 30.

Good Night Owl • Monday – Friday midnightThe Revenge of the Radioactive Lady, Fiction by Eliza-beth Stuckey-French, 2010. Marylou Ahearn is going tokill Dr. Wilson Spriggs. In 1953, he gave her a radioac-tive cocktail without her consent as part of a governmentstudy. Fifty years later, she is still ticked off. L,S - Readby Kristi Sullivan. 12 broadcasts. Begins Aug. 11.

After Midnight • Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.Veil of Night, Fiction by Linda Howard, 2010. Jaclynloves her job as wedding planner but Carrie was abridezilla. When Carrie is killed, Jaclyn becomes a sus-pect. L,S - Read by Lynda Kayser. 12 broadcasts. Be-gins Aug. 16.

The future - from p. 4decline; Payments forany services provided tocomplex clients whohave Medicare and MAcoverage will drop sig-nificantly; While mostrehab services (PT, OT,Speech) were preserved,specialized maintenancetherapy for adults waseliminated; additional

prior authorization re-quirements will be re-quired before most rehabtherapies can begin; de-spite being passed by thestate House and Senateearlier this year, a changesought by Courage Cen-ter to give more flexibil-ity to manage its MApopulation was not in-cluded in the final deal.Are reform and policychanges addressed inthis deal?

Both Gov. Mark Day-ton and legislators wantsignificant health reform,and will be seeking per-mission from the federalgovernment to adjust theway health care works in

Minnesota. The goodnews is that CourageCenter is very much onthe front foot with its Pri-mary Care Clinic (ahealth care home), sup-ported by its strong mea-surement and data effortsperfectly positioned tocapitalize on the reformsbelow: assessing theneeds of people with dis-abilities more often tobetter target (and limit)services; pay specialistsand hospitals less and pri-mary care providersmore; focus on time-lim-ited, low-cost services toavoid more expensivelong-term care services;and pay more to providers

who achieve better healthfor their clients, and payless to those who don’t.What other changeswill impact the disabil-ity community?

A big change will seepeople with disabilitiesautomatically enrolled inmanaged care plans un-less they “opt out.” Thisis a very big policychange that makes theconversations CourageCenter and other serviceproviders are having nowwith the health planseven more important.

This is a rapidly evolv-ing situation so questionscan be emailed to [email protected]


an impact of $26.3 mil-lion over two years, isthe mandatory enroll-ment of children andadults with disabilitiesinto managed care, tech-nically called SpecialNeeds Basic Care(SNBC), with an optionto opt out. While the dis-ability advocacy commu-nity supports increasedcare coordination for in-dividuals with disabili-ties, one concern advo-cates have raised is thatthere was little to no dis-cussion of this very sig-nificant policy changeduring the legislative ses-sion.

It will be more diffi-cult for some low-in-come, ill or disabledadults to receive GeneralAssistance, the state’scash assistance programfor people who cannotwork, under the approvedstate budget. More than7,000 adults will bemoved off of the statehealth insurance programMinnesotaCare and in-stead given vouchers tobuy private insurance.While some Republicanleaders contend this willprovide better servicesand more choices, dis-ability community advo-cates are skeptical.

One bright spot wasthat the Family SupportGrant was not cut, de-spite a threat to cut $4million during the regu-lar legislative session.Families who receivethese grants can pay foradded expenses that aredirectly related to theirchild’s disability. Thegrant covers expenses formedications, respite care,specialized diets, special-ized clothing, and spe-cialized equipment.Physical therapy, occu-pational therapy, speechtherapy, eyeglasses, den-tures, and prostheticswere also spared, despiteearlier threats to be cut.One service that did losefunding is “specializedmaintenance therapies.”Instead these therapieswill be studied for costeffectiveness.

At a press conferenceprior to the specialsession’s start Rep. JimAbeler, R-Anoka, saidthe agreed-upon budgetrepresented a compro-mise. He chairs theHouse Health and Hu-man Services Financecommittee. While con-ceding that the budgetwill have impacts, Abeler

Budget has mixed impacts - from p. 1

also cited the challengesof trying to provide ser-vices in the face of grow-ing demand.

Abeler also empha-sized that the adoptedbudget does minimizecuts to services for Min-nesotans with disabili-ties. But advocates, in-cluding leaders of theMinnesota Consortiumfor Citizens with Dis-abilities (MN-CCD) dis-agree.

During the regular ses-sion, Republican law-makers said the budgetneeded to be cut by $1.6billion. But the dealstruck last month raisesanother $1.4 billion inrevenue, of which $559million went to DHS pro-grams. Abeler said themoney staved off moredrastic reductions to pro-grams. Much of it wentto fund thestate’s on-going en-rollmentinto the ex-pandedMedicalAssistanceprogram.However,this fundingwas criti-cized be-cause it re-lies on bor-rowing againstfuture payments from alegal settlement with to-bacco companies and de-laying payments toschools.

Many service provid-ers have already warnedclients and families aboutthe challenges ahead.

“There are so manycuts to people with dis-abilities in the health andhuman services bill thatyou don’t know whichbad news to deliverfirst,” Steve Larson, TheArc Minnesota publicpolicy director, said in astatement. “People withdisabilities get hit fromall sides. If they are wait-ing for essential services,that wait will likely con-tinue. If they are receiv-ing services, they willsee a funding cut. If theirfamily member is paid toprovide support to them,that family member willget his/her wages cut.”

Pat Mellenthin, chiefexecutive officer for TheArc Minnesota, called ita “bad news budget forpeople with disabilities.”Mellenthin said “Thebudget that was just ap-proved cuts services that

make life possible forpeople with disabilitiesand their families, makesreforms in some areasbut goes backwards inothers, and puts much ofthe cost on the statecredit card,”

Association of Resi-dential Resources inMinnesota ARRM CEO,Bruce Nelson called thebudget package “deplor-able.” He said that whileprovider cuts were antici-pated, some were deeperthan anticipated. ARRMis especially unhappythat budget negotiationstook place behind closeddoors. While ARRM be-lieves the disability sys-tem must be reformed,the association was hop-ing to work coopera-tively instead of beingcoerced. “This doesnothing to reform regula-tions,” Nelson said.

Here is a by topicoverview of key healthand human services bud-get changes adopted dur-ing the special session:

Personal CareAttendant (PCA)services:

Personal care atten-dant (PCA) services willbe greatly impacted, iffamily members providecare for a relative. TheHHS budget contains a20% wage cut for thesePCAs. For example, thiswould apply to someonewho provides PCA ser-vices to a child with dis-abilities that he or she isrelated to and is not thatchild’s parent. Theadopted legislation lan-guage defines who wouldbe affected: “…relativemeans the parent oradoptive parent of anadult child, a siblingaged 16 years or older,an adult child, a grand-parent, or agrandchild.” This provi-sion amounts to a $24.1million cut over twoyears. The 20 percentwage cut will create fi-

nancial hardships forfamilies, as well as a dis-incentive for familymembers to continue towork as PCAs, accordingto MN-CCD.

The 20% wage cutwould be especially hardon rural Minnesotans,according to MN-CCD,the Arc Minnesota andother advocacy groups.That’s because in ruralareas, where agencychoices can be very lim-ited, having a relativeprovide PCA services issometimes the only op-tion for families. Non-relative PCAs can travelmany uncompensatedmiles to reach the indi-vidual or family, andmany individuals need-ing PCAs require assis-tance off and on through-out the day, not during anextended block of time.

For some Minnesotans,

the 2011 budget restoreda PCA hours cut that wasto take effect July 1, as aresult of service eligibil-ity changes adopted lastyear. These serviceshave been restored.

Waivered services:Initial versions of

health and human ser-vices legislation adoptedby state lawmakers inMay contained a freezeand rollback of waiveredservices. This was in thebill vetoed by Dayton.The freeze and rollbackweren’t in the adoptedlegislation. It does reducethe number of new waiv-ers that would have beenavailable under previouslaw.

The number of newwaivers available will be:six per month for the de-velopmental disabilities(DD) waiver; three permonth for the traumaticbrain injury (TBI)waiver; and 60 per monthfor the Community Alter-natives for Disabled Indi-viduals (CADI) waiver.In terms of dollars thisadds up to a $48.1 mil-

lion cut over two years.The limits won’t take ef-fect in situations wherean ICF/MR (IntermediateCare Facility/MentallyRetarded) program closesor nursing home beds areeliminated.

Medicaid/MedicalAssistance:

Medicaid or MedicalAssistance will be ex-panded to include adultswith very low incomes.This expansion improvesaccess to health care to100,000 Minnesotans,many of whom have dis-abilities. Reviving theprevious program, Gen-eral Assistance MedicalCare (GAMC) program,as the legislature pro-posed, would have re-sulted in few hospitalsproviding health care tothis population, as well

as less generous healthcare benefits thanwhat would beavailable underthe Medicaid ex-pansion. Butthere is also a cutin rates for a va-riety of commu-nity-based ser-vices funded byMedical Assis-tance. The cutswork out to be a1.5% cut for2012 and a1.67% cut for

2013. This provisionamounts to a $36 millioncut over two years, withICF/MRs receiving alower rate cut of $2.23million over two years.

Counties:Minnesota’s counties,

which provide services tostate residents with dis-abilities are continuing tosort out the HHS budgetimpacts. Most countiesare releasing their bud-gets this month, with aneye toward trying to pre-serve mandated serviceswithout increasing resi-dents’ property taxes.Counties could be in theposition of cutting oreven eliminating grantsto some service providersfor people with disabili-ties.

One two-year, $4.48million cut in funding tocounties will affect pro-grams that that normallycovers expenses for un-expected increases inneeds for their residentswith disabilities. Thisaffects persons who re-ceive waivered services.This means that if aclient’s needs for service

increase counties willhave to find other waysto pay for those needs.

A $22 million cut overtwo years will affectcounties ability to helppay for, among other ser-vices, supports to peoplewith disabilities and theirfamilies like respite care.That will also have aripple effect on somecounty budgets.

Minnesota countiesare just starting their2012 budget hearingsthis month, so more oncounty-by-county im-pacts will be seen in theweeks ahead.

Group homes andfoster homes:

Not long after the spe-cial session ended, advo-cates said they wereblindsided to see newpolicies for group homestucked into the healthand human services bud-get bill. Those policies,like many others, hadn’tbeen aired prior to thespecial session.

Group home operatorsand families whose lovedones live in group homeswere surprised to findnew policies for grouphomes included in thestate budget. Theadopted budget was seenas cutting the number oflicensed beds at pri-vately-owned grouphomes for adults withdisabilities across Min-nesota. Providers and ad-vocates assumed the newprovision applied to alladult group homes. Somefamilies received letterswarning that grouphomes could be forced toclose down.

Providers were inter-preting the legislation tomean that once someonemoved out of a grouphome, licensure for thatspot would be lost and anew person couldn’tmove in to take that spot.But DHS has since clari-fied the language. It ap-plies only to about 2 per-cent of people who areapproved to live in grouphomes due to a disabilityor a traumatic brain in-jury. For those individu-als, if they are able tolive independently, thegroup home would losethe license for the vacantbed. ■

Information from MN-CCD, The Arc Minnesotaand ARRM was used inthis article.


stopped so there werefew materials for produc-ing new programs.

“If people turned ontheir radios on Thursday,July 21, they may havenoticed that most of theprogramming soundedlike it did not come fromMinnesota. We hadphone calls asking whywe were broadcasting thefarm report from Kansas.We had made the deci-sion that it might take acouple days for us to getthe Radio Talking Bookrunning at 100% and thatanother radio readingservice (Kansas AudioReader) wasbetter than hav-ing nothing atall on the air,”Radio TalkingBook said in astatement.

“Observant people willalso notice that many ofthe books that we listedin July are actually airingin August. They couldnot air in July; they hadbeen scheduled duringthat three week periodwhen we were off the air.We are very glad to beback and we’re glad thatyou have stayed with usas our listening family.”

For state private non-profits and state agenciesthere was mixed news.State funding has beenpreserved or maintainedat some level, althoughfuture allocations may bemade on a competitivebasis. For others, plan-ning has had to start withcuts. Clients statewide

are being notified ofhigher drug and servicecosts, of cutbacks andsome services being dis-continued.

One organization thatwas saved with the legis-lative special session isAdvocating Change To-gether (ACT) and its Re-membering With Dignityprogram. ACT, whichprovides self-advocatesstatewide with a varietyof services, had had all itsoperating funds threat-ened during the regularsession. ACT has alreadydownsized in a tougheconomy and more cuts

in service were feared.Not only was ACT’sfunding preserved duringthe special session, its Re-membering With Dignity(RWD) project had a$330,000 allocation putinto the bonding bill.

The bonding bill willhelp Remembering withDignity continue its mis-sion of placing gravemarkers, with names anddates, on the 13,000-plusgraves of Minnesotanswho died while in stateinstitutions. At hospitalsand residential facilities,headstones were tinymarkers with numbers –if there were headstonesat all. RememberingWith Dignity’s missionis to make sure those

graves have propernames as well as years ofbirth and death. ACT’sCo-Director RickCardenas said “the orga-nization is pleased thatits funding was sparedand that RememberingWith Dignity can con-tinue its mission”.

Another agency thatwas pleased with the spe-cial session’s outcomewas the Region 10 Qual-ity Assurance Program.The program will receive$200,000 over the nexttwo years. A statewidequality council will re-ceive $130,000 over that

period. Thequality assur-ance effortsare focusedon developingand imple-menting pro-

cesses that significantlyenhance the quality oflife for persons with de-velopmental disabilities.

Centers for indepen-dent living around thestate also were spared.They had faced a$222,000 cut over thenext two years.

Employment programsalso fared better than ex-pected. Vocational reha-bilitation had its fundingincreased by $4 million,which is welcome news.Programs that helppeople with disabilitiesfind work were sparedgreater cuts than pro-jected initially. TheCommissioner of Em-ployment and EconomicDevelopment and

Governor’sWorkforce De-velopment Coun-cil were asked todevelop a com-petitive grantprogram forworkforce devel-opment programsserving peoplewith disabilitiesand peopletransitioningfrom public as-sistance to theworkforce.

Other agencies tooksignificant cuts. One cutadvocates will watchclosely is the MinnesotaDepartment of HumanRights, which will take acut of $340,000 over thenext two years. Whilethat is far less than a pro-posed $4.3 million cut itstill will have an impacton services.

Here is how other ar-eas fared.

Education:The education legisla-

tion is varying on chil-dren with disabilities.One key change elimi-nates the set aside underthe “safe school” levy topay for licensed schoolcounselors, licensedschool nurses, licensedschool social workers,licensed school psy-chologists, and licensedalcohol and chemical de-pendency counselors.Special education fund-ing is left at the currentlevel, with a 4% growthfactor, rather than the 2%proposed.

Another change cen-ters on use of restraints,as well as providing stateleaders with more infor-mation on use of re-straints. Until August 1,2012, a school districtmay use prone restraintsunder certain conditions.Districts must providestate officials with a listof staff members whohave been specificallytrained to use such re-straints, as well as specificinformation on training.Only those staff mem-bers will be allowed touse the restraints. Dis-tricts must also followspecific reporting crite-ria.

Mental health:Numerous changes

will affect people whohave a mentally illnessand rely on state ser-vices. NAMI Minnesotahas analyzed the legisla-tion and did find somebright spots. For ex-ample, several grants thathad been threatened dur-ing the regularly sessionwith cuts were spared.This includes adult men-tal health crisis grantsand culturally specificservices grants.

Some cuts were madebut were less than origi-nally propose. For ex-ample, grants for adultpsychiatric hospital con-tract beds were cut by$400,000. A previous billmade a $1.33 million cut.Children’s mental healthscreening grants were cutby $200,000, less thanthe $3.81, million previ-ously proposed. Adultmental health grantswere cut by $13.54 mil-lion (10%) but only forthe next two years. A pre-vious bill had proposedthe same cut but ex-tended it into the future.

Children and Commu-nity Services Act(CCSA) grants were cutby $22 million, the sameas in the previous bill.The act is renamed the“Vulnerable Children

and Adults Act” and allthe funding will go topay for child protectionand to protect vulnerableadults. Previously, 16%of CCSA funds had goneto children’s mentalhealth and 6% had goneto adult mental healthwhich will no longer bethe case. The money willbe distributed to indi-vidual counties based ona new formula.

Chemical dependencyand adult mental; healthfacilities face varyinglevels of licenses in-creases, as do mentalhealth centers and clin-ics.

The legislation thatwas passed called for anumber of reports andstudies over the next sev-eral months. The Com-missioner of Human Ser-vices will have to reportto the legislature on howthe Community Behav-ioral Health Hospitals(CBHH) are being fullyutilized to meet the needsof their particular region.This effort must addresshow to use CBHH’s withless than 65% occupancythat are not Medicaid eli-gible and how these fa-cilities can be used for adifferent purpose to meetthe mental health needsof their region.Legislation prevents thecommissioner from clos-ing the Willmar CBHHbefore March 31, 2012.

Another report statelawmakers requested re-quires the commissionerto issue a report aboutthe number of manage-ment-level employees aswell as the ratio of man-agement to direct-carestaff at Anoka Metro Re-gional Treatment Centerand the Minnesota Secu-rity Hospital at St. Peter.

The commissionermust also develop a planto provide care coordina-tion for children withmental illnesses who re-quired more than$100,000 in care duringthe past year. ■

Historic shutdown - from p. 1

Gov. Mark Dayton signs documents ending the state shutdown.Photo courtesy of the State of Minnesota

For agencies that had to shut downand then start up, the complicationshave been many and varied.


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Events - from p. 11Minnesota Health CarePrograms, such as Minne-sotaCare and PrepaidMedical Assistance Pro-gram; adults with disabili-ties and Medicare benefi-ciaries with chronic healthconditions, and Minneso-tans dually eligible forMedical Assistance andMedicare FFI: 1-877-523-1518 (toll free),www.ucare.org

Mental Illness supportgroups

The National Alliance onMental Illness of Minne-sota (NAMI-MN) sponsorsfree support groups forfamilies who have a rela-tive with a mental illness.NAMI has 23 family sup-port groups, over 20 sup-port groups for people liv-ing with a mental illness,anxiety support groups,and Vet Connectiongroups for returning sol-diers. Led by trained facili-tators who also have afamily member with mentalillness, the support groupshelp families develop bet-ter coping skills and findstrength through sharingtheir experiences. AnOpen Door Anxiety andPanic support groupmeets in St. Paul at 6:30p.m., on the first and thirdThursday of the month, atGloria Dei Church, 700Snelling Ave. S. St. Paul.FFI: NAMI, 651-645-2948or www. namihelps.org Anew Vet Connection Sup-port Group meets every 6-7:30 p.m. Wed at St.

Joseph’s Hospital, 45West 10th St., room G-752,St. Paul. FFI: Molly, 651-645-2948 ext: 112, orBrian, 651-261-1185.

Volunteer,Donate

Give away that carAutos for Arc can take oldvehicles off your hands,give you a tax deductionand say “Thank you!” forhelping change the lives ofpeople with disabilities.Autos for Arc accepts carsand trucks of any modeland condition and othervehicles including boats(with trailers), RVs, ATVs,golf carts, personal water-craft, motorcycles andsnowmobiles. Within theseven-county metro area,Autos for Arc can arrangeto have a vehicle towedfree of charge. Call thetoll-free Autos for Archotline, 1-877-778-7709,to arrange a pickup. Ordrop off vehicles at aValue Village location.FFI: 1-877-778-7709,www.autosforarc.org

Volunteer with RSVPVolunteers age 55 andolder are eligible to re-ceive free supplementalinsurance, mileage reim-bursement and other ben-efits through the Retiredand Senior Volunteer Pro-gram (RSVP) sponsoredby Volunteers of Americaof Minnesota. RSVP/Vol-unteers of America of Min-nesota and AARP Foun-

dation need volunteerswith good budgeting andorganizational skills tohelp manage finances ofolder or disabled low-in-come individuals. Have afew hours a month to vol-unteer? Money Manage-ment Program staff willtrain and match you withsomeone in the commu-nity. FFI: Money Manage-ment Program Coordina-tor, 612-617-7821

Be a reading tutorEncouraging, enthusiasticvolunteers needed to helpadults learn to read! Sparka love of literature andpartner with someone newby tutoring at one of themany convenient locationsthroughout the metro area.Ongoing training and sup-port is provided by theMinnesota Literacy Coun-cil. FFI: Allison, 651-645-2277 x219 or [email protected], orvisit www.themlc.org ■

cluded plane tickets, gar-den supplies, jars of cos-tume jewelry, restaurantgift certificates, originalartwork, vintage items,theater and sports ticketsand much more! Biddingcan be spirited for someof the more popularitems and friends canhave fun bidding againstone another.

But the silent auctionand raffle cannot succeedwithout the support ofdedicated Access Presssupporters. That’s whereyou come in. Do youhave access to a pair ofsingle-game sports tick-ets? Are you a skilledartist or crafter? Do youbuild wonderful bird-houses or make prettyquilts?

Do you own a businessthat serves people withdisabilities, and can offera gift certificate forgoods or services?

Access Press BusinessManager Dawn Frederickwould like to hear youridea for a silent auction orraffle donation. Contacther at 651-644-2133 ordawn@accesspress. org

Banquet sponsorshipscontinue to come in.Courage Center, Land O’Lakes, National Handi-cap Housing Institute,Rise and Tamarack ha-bilitation have signed up.

Access Press uses his-toric newsroom terms todelineate sponsors.

Keyliners put thenewspaper together,proofreaders check fortypos and the editor-in-chief is in charge of ev-erything.

Here is information onbanquet sponsorship levels:Keyliners Level – $150• Sponsor logo will be

displayed at a table• Sponsor organization/

company name will belisted in the 2011Charlie Award Ban-quet program

• Sponsor organization/company will be recog-nized in our November& December 2011newspapers

• Sponsor will have afree website ad (Spon-sor month of choice), avalue of $100

Proofreaders Level – $250• Sponsor logo will be

displayed at a table• Sponsor organization/

company name will belisted in the 2011Charlie Award Ban-quet program

• Sponsor organization/company will be recog-

Banquet - from p. 1nized in our November& December 2011newspapersSponsor will have 2free rotating websiteads (Sponsor month ofchoice), a value of $200

• Sponsor organization/company will be listedon a special banner (ondisplay) during the2011 Charlie AwardBanquet

Editor-in-Chief Level – $350• Sponsor logo will be

displayed at a table.• Sponsor organization/

company name will belisted in 2011 CharlieAward Banquet pro-gram

• Sponsor organization/company will be recog-nized in our November& December 2011newspapers

• You will have 2 freerotating website ads(Sponsor month ofchoice), a value of $200

• Sponsor organization/company will be listedon a special banner, ondisplay during the2011 Charlie AwardBanquet

• Sponsor organization/company will be recog-nized by our emcee dur-ing the 2011 CharlieAward Banquet

• A table will be namedin Sponsor organiza-tion/company’s honorthe evening of the event

Contact Dawn at 651-644-2133 or [email protected] if yourcompany is interested inbeing a sponsor for thebanquet, or if you wouldlike information on at-tending the banquet.

Nominations for the2011 Charlie SmithAward are prior to theAugust 30 due date.While there is still time tonominate someone whohas provided outstandingservice to Minnesota’sdisability community, thenewspaper board of direc-tors reminds everyonethat the deadline is ap-proaching.

Do you know someonewho is an effective self-advocate? Do you knowsomeone who doesn’t getthe recognition for his orher efforts on behalf ofpeople with disabilities?Nominees can be anyonefrom anywhere in Minne-sota. Access Press wouldlike to see nominationsfrom Greater Minnesota aswell as the Twin Cities.

Go to the newspaperwebsite at www.accesspress.org or call the officeat 651-644-2133 for a form.


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UCare (www.ucare.org) is an inde-pendent, nonprofit health plan pro-viding health care coverage plansand administrative services to morethan 230,000 members.

UCare was created in 1984 by theDepartment of Family Practice andCommunity Health at the Universityof Minnesota Medical School.

Today, UCare partners with healthcare providers, counties, and com-munity organizations to create anddeliver innovative health coveragefor:• Individuals and families enrolled in

income-based Minnesota HealthCare Programs, such asMinnesotaCare and Prepaid Medi-cal Assistance Program.

• Adults with disabilities and Medi-care beneficiaries with chronichealth conditions.

• Minnesotans dually eligible forMedical Assistance and Medicare.

• Medicare-eligible individualsthroughout Minnesota and in west-ern Wisconsin.UCare addresses health care dis-

parities and care access issuesthrough its UCare Fund grants and abroad array of community and out-reach initiatives.

Delivering health care value isUCare’s top priority. UCare works to:• Improve access to needed services

by all members and the commu-nity-at-large.

• Bring high-quality care to everymember.

• Demonstrate cost-effectiveness.• Reinvest in the communities it

serves.• Enhance the health care infrastruc-

ture of the providers who care forUCare members.Members of UCare’s UCare for

Seniors Medicare Advantage plangave it a 8.79 out of 10 for OverallRating of Health Plan. This 2010Consumer Assessment of HealthCare Providers and Systems (CAHPS)score is higher than the national andstate averages.

Moreover, UCare’s summary rat-ing of health plan quality is 4.5 outof 5 stars, as reported by the Centersfor Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS). This rating places UCareamong the highest-rated health plansin Minnesota and the nation.

The health plan recently receiveda Top Workplaces 2011 honor fromthe Star Tribune. ■