News At A Glance
VSA Arts and Volkswagen
of America Offer $60,000 in Cash Awards for
Young Artists with Disabilities
Artists between 16-25
years of age are invited to apply for a national juried exhibit “Shifting
Gears”
Volkswagen of America, Inc. and VSA arts are proud to partner together
for the fourth year to present an unprecedented opportunity for young
artists with disabilities. The program, meant to encourage and recognize
emerging talent in the visual arts, is made possible through the
generous financial assistance of Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Young artists with disabilities
are asked to submit artwork in the form of slides for consideration
in a touring exhibit that will debut at the S. Dillon Ripley Center,
Smithsonian Institution. Finalists will be selected on aesthetic
merit alone by a distinguished jury panel to be named in March.
Standing jury member Professor William A. Newman of the Corcoran
College of Art + Design expresses, “It’s
really hard to be an artist, and it’s really hard to be disabled.
It’s even harder to be both.”
As in the past, entries
are encouraged to evoke a particular theme. This year’s theme “Shifting Gears” challenges
artists to reflect on a pivotal moment in life that led to a greater
understanding of themselves in relation to their art and/or their
disability.
Applicants are eligible
for a total of $60,000 in cash awards. Fifteen finalists will be
chosen and the grand prize finalist will receive $20,000—the
largest award presented to a young artist in the United States.
Finalists will be honored at an awards ceremony on Capitol Hill
during late September 2005.
The VSA arts and Volkswagen of America offer $60,000 in Cash Awards
for Young Artists with Disabilities. The postmarked deadline for
entries is Friday, July 15, 2005. All applicants will be notified
by Friday, August 26, 2005. Visit the VSA arts Web site for further
information and to download guidelines and application forms. RFP
link: www. vsarts.org/x267.xml.
Volunteers Sought for Vacancies
on Hennepin County Adult Mental Health Advisory Council
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants
for two vacancies on the Hennepin County Adult Mental Health Advisory
Council. The most recent vacancy is due to the resignation of Donna
Wood, whose term expires Feb 10, 2006.
This 32-member council advises the County Board on adult mental
health issues within Hennepin County and monitors, studies and comments
on mental health issues at federal, state and local levels. Members
serve three-year terms and meet monthly on the third Thursday of
the month from 2 to 4:30 pm. at Plymouth Congregational Church in
downtown Minneapolis.
The deadline for applications is June 1, with interviews of candidates
to be held at a future board committee meeting.
For more information
about these vacancies or other Hennepin County open appointments
or to receive an application, contact LaToya Wilson by phone at
612-348-3257 or by mail at A2400 Government Center, Minneapolis,
MN 55487, or get an application via the Internet on the Hennepin
County website—www.hennepin.us—under “Your
county government/Commissioners/Advisory boards.”
PCA Connect Website
Editor's Note: The PCA
Connect list is not available at this time, Access Press will update
readers of its availability in upcoming issues.
The website, PCA Connect, was developed by the Minnesota Department
of Human Services as a link between consumers needing Personal Care
Assistance (PCA) services and PCA direct care workers. Consumers
can do a search for PCAs, PCAs can list their resumes, and providers
can list their agencies. Check it out at: www.pcaconnect.info/
DNR’s “Open
to the Outdoors” Website Lists Accessible Recreation Opportunities
Minnesota is known for its tremendous outdoor recreational opportunities.
Since 1972, the DNR has been updating its facilities and programs
to meet state and federal accessibility standards, opening the outdoors
to people with disabilities.
Browse the DNR’s
website at www.dnr.state.mn.us/open_outdoors/index.html to
find information on access to state parks, state forest campgrounds,
state trails, public fishing piers, and wildlife management areas.
Learn about opportunities for hunting, fishing and exploring and
enjoying nature.
Please be aware that
there are varying degrees of accessibility to the facilities listed
throughout the website. Standards for what is an accessible facility
have changed over the years; while a facility met accessibility
standards in the 1970s, it may not meet all of today’s standards.
Whether you are a person
with a disability or not, you are the best judge of your own ability.
You have the responsibility and the right to decide what you can
safely manage. The information on the DNR’s
website gives you an idea of what conditions are like at many of
the outdoor recreation facilities.
Hennepin County’s
Parent Aide Volunteer Program
Being a parent is one
of the toughest jobs in the world. As a Parent Aide volunteer,
you can offer your parenting experience to a single mother or father.
Your words of encouragement and reassurance can go a long way.
You can give them hope and change the family’s
life for the better. For more information, call Jackie Connolly,
612-348-2875, at Hennepin County Volunteer and Community Partnership
Program.
Course on Disability Policy
and Services at the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota
is offering a course this summer called “Disability
Policy and Services” at its Minneapolis campus. The course
will run from June 13-24, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. The class looks at current policy, research, and practices
related to services that support individuals with disabilities and
their families across the lifespan. Its focus is interdisciplinary,
with a special emphasis on persons with developmental disabilities
and the issues they face in education, employment, recreation, family
supports, health, and community living. The course is open to people
working in the disability field, as well as to undergrad and grad
students. The university also offers a twelve-credit Certificate
in Disability Policy and Services. For more about the course or the
certificate program, contact Marijo McBride at the University of
Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration at 612-624-6830
or mcbri001@umn.edu.
Roseville Support Group for
Families of Persons with Mental Illness
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Minnesota
(NAMI-MN) sponsors free support groups for Minnesota families who have a relative
with a mental illness. Trained facilitators who also have a family member
with mental illness lead the support groups. Mental illness can be isolating,
and the stigma surrounding mental illness makes it difficult to find other
people going through the same challenges. If you have a family member with
a mental illness, you are welcome to attend the support group held in Roseville
at 6:30 pm on the second Wednesday of the month at Centennial United Methodist
Church, Co. Rd. C-2 & Snelling Ave.
Using support group principles and guidelines, people who attend
support groups develop better coping skills, reject the stigma of
mental illness, and find strength in sharing experiences. Confidentiality
is strictly observed. For more information about a support group
in your community, contact NAMI-MN at 652-645-2948 or 1-888-473-0237.
Ventilator Support Network
My name is Mark Boatman
and I live in Jamestown North Dakota. I’m
29, have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and have been totally ventilator
dependent since 2003.
I have decided to create the Northern Plains Ventilator Support
Network. In the next few paragraphs I would like to explain my goals
in starting this organization. This new and exciting endeavor could
greatly impact fellow ventilator users, their families, and caregivers.
As a ventilator user living in rural North Dakota it has been difficult
to find, communicate, and network with other ventilator users in
the area.
The first thing I want to do is to create a membership directory
for ventilator users and their families in the North Dakota/Minnesota
area and surrounding states. This will allow for an easy way to communicate
by either email, phone, or regular mail. Both invasive and non-invasive
(i.e., Bi-pap, C-pap) ventilator users are welcome to participate.
The second thing I have planned is to start a bi-monthly newsletter.
This newsletter will discuss the issues, topics, and concerns that
affect folks who use ventilators. I also would like to profile ventilator
users and their experiences. I will also publish information on the
latest ventilator related equipment and services.
Lastly, I am looking
to start an email group where members can post messages and also
answer questions posted by fellow members. I’m
also open to any other ideas that anyone has. It is my hope that
this support network will grow and be run by member involvement.
Thanks for the opportunity to discuss the starting of the Northern
Plains Ventilator Support Network and I look forward to serving you.
If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a member,
please contact me by email at nodakwheeler
@yahoo.com, or by mail
at 501-19th Street NE, Jamestown, ND 58401. I will then send out
an enrollment form/survey for interested participants to fill out.
Any information given will be strictly confidential.
MDLC Hosting “Voting
and Policy Issues
Community Forum for People with Disabilities”
The Minnesota Disability
Law Center (MDLC) will be hosting a series of community forums
throughout the summer for the disability community called, “Voting and Policy Issues Community Forum for People
with Disabilities.” The purpose of these forums is to provide
information on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), address how people
with disabilities can access voting, and connect local elected officials
with the disability community. The forum is scheduled for Hennepin
County on June 29, 2005 at 6:00-8:00 pm. Location/Time: Brian Coyle
Community Center, 420-15th Ave South, Minneapolis, MN. The forum
will include a demonstration of the AutoMark, an accessible voting
equipment from Election Systems & Software. The event is free
and open to the public. If you would like more information, please
contact Mai Thor at (612)746-3716, mthor@mid
mnlegal.org.
Interpreter
Assist human services
staff to effectively and efficiently serve non-English speaking
clients by translating and reverse translating Hmong, Somali, Oromo,
or Spanish and English and perform related duties as assigned.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Contact Ramsey County
Community Human Services—Volunteer Services
at 651-266-4090 for additional information or e-mail to volunteerservices@co.ramsey.mn.us.
Access for Success - Computer
Assistive Technology Expands Learning Access
Formidable barriers keep many people with disabilities out of cyberspace,
even though the ability to log on is now essential at many jobs and
schools. Using the computer requires very specific physical abilities:
manual control and dexterity to manipulate the keyboard and mouse,
and the vision to see clearly screens full of buttons, fields, instructions
and labels, and to place the cursor accurately. In addition, the
monitor and printer only work for those who can see the screen or
paper clearly.
The Saint Paul Lexington Outreach Branch Library has advanced its
computer-based assistive technology services, offering a wider world
of learning involvement. Through a grant made possible by the Minnesota
STAR Program and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the
library, located at 1080 West University Avenue, now offers computer
hardware and software for people with vision loss and mobility challenges.
New equipment includes a track-ball mouse and camera mouse for users
with limited hand mobility. Dragon Naturally Speaking software makes
it possible for children, teens and adults with limited mobility
to create documents and send e-mail messages through voice commands.
An adjustable hydraulic table and adjustable chair also make computer
equipment more comfortable and more accessible for users.
Individuals with vision
loss can work independently using JAWS software that reads the
computer screen aloud and provides verbal information about content
and organization of web pages. The library’s
Kurzweil 1000 software program reads printed and electronic text,
converting visual information into audible information. Persons with
low vision can also view text magnified on the screen, using MAGIC
Pro. Other software programs help individuals with reading, writing
and organizing ideas.
“Our intent is to make the Lexington Outreach Branch Library
a place where independence and fuller participation in learning occurs,” reported
Alice Neve, Lexington Outreach Branch Library manager. “Staff
and volunteers can help users access the new computer keyboard, mouse,
screen and voice recognition software. A broader audience can access
the library and use high-speed internet assistive technologies.”
Access for Success assistive technology services are available every
day of the week at the Lexington Outreach Branch Library. For additional
information on hours and technology use, call (651) 642-0359.
Fringe Festival in Need
of Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to staff Fringe box offices, act as ushers
and ticket takers at Fringe venues, work behind-the-scenes with Fringe
staff, and serve at Fringeville, a gathering place for Fringe audiences
and artists located at Suburban World in Uptown.
Interested persons can contact
Max Gries, Fringe Volunteer Director, at volunteer@fringefestival.org or 612-872-1212.
All Fringe volunteers receive free Fringe tickets, discounts at
select local businesses with their Fringe staff button as well as
an invitation to the exclusive post-Fringe volunteer party. Volunteering
is a fun and easy way to support the Fringe.
With more than 800 performances of 150 different shows and projected
attendance of 50,000, the Minnesota Fringe continues as one of the
top summer events in the Twin Cities. Theater companies and individual
performers from across Minnesota, the U.S. and Canada will perform
in 20 different venues throughout the Loring Park, Downtown, Uptown,
Lyn-Lake and West Bank neighborhoods of Minneapolis.
Corps of Engineers Offers
Accessible Recreation
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, offers free
Golden Access Passports at all of its recreational sites to permanently
disabled or legally blind individuals with proof of eligibility.
These passports entitle the holder to a 50 percent discount on most
recreational fees charged at federal parks.
Each park has its own
unique attractions and facilities. In recent years, efforts have
been made to bring these park facilities up-to-speed with the Americans
with Disabilities Act. The following is a list of accessible facilities
offered at the Corps’ Headwaters parks:
Cross
Lake, located in Crosslake, MN - Two comfort stations with
fully accessible entrances and shower/toilet areas for overnight
campers; one day-use comfort station with accessible concrete sidewalk
from parking lot and trail walkway to building area with flush
toilets; one lakeside picnic shelter adjacent to handicapped fishing
pier complete with wheelchair accessible picnic tables, grills,
ground level barbecue pit and electrical outlet; one accessible
fishing pier; two paved campsite areas with a wheelchair-level
picnic table, grill and trash receptacle located directly across
from an accessible comfort station; one beach area with a specially
designed, in-ground, wooden wheelchair walkway that enters onto
a water level dock; and one accessible flush restroom in the park
office. Wheelchairs can easily access both entrances. A paved parking
lot is available for parking within 15 feet. A concrete dam walkway
is open to bicycling, walking and wheelchair traffic.
Gull
Lake, located near Brainerd, MN - One campsite with hard
surface, accessible picnic table and accessible grill; two picnic
sites with hard surface access located near an accessible restroom;
one fishing pier with hard surface access; one beach with access
and ramp into the water; one boat ramp with ramp to dock; one interpretive
display with access; one accessible restroom at the park office.
This summer, the Corps will also be building a barrier-free addition
to its shower building at this site.
Sand
Lake located near McGregor, MN - One campsite with hard
surface, accessible picnic table and accessible grill; one accessible
log picnic shelter; and one accessible restroom in the park office.
This summer, the Corps will also build a new accessible shower
building at this site.
Leech
Lake, located in Federal Dam, MN - One accessible comfort
station with showers and flush toilets; one accessible log picnic
shelter; two accessible campsites with hard surface; accessible
tables and grills, as well as paved walkways leading from the campsite
to the shower building; one paved accessible ramp at the entrance
parking lot leading to the tail water day use area; and one accessible
restroom in the park office.
Pokegama
Lake in Grand Rapids, MN - One accessible hard surface campsite
with accessible table and grill; one accessible fishing pier with
concrete sidewalk and ramp; one accessible picnic shelter with
six accessible picnic tables, and one accessible restroom in the
park office. In the summer of 2005, the Corps will complete one
unisex accessible shower and restroom and two accessible drinking
fountains at this site.
Lake
Winnibieoshish. located near Deer River, MN - One accessible
hard surface campsite with accessible table and grill; one accessible
remodeled campground vault toilet; and one accessible picnic shelter.
For more information
on the Mississippi Headwaters sites, visit www.mvp.usace.army.mil and
click on “Recreation.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the
American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation,
flood damage reduction, wetlands regulation, recreation sites and
disaster response. It contributes around $142 million to the five-state
district economy. The more than 750 employees work at more than 40
sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
Advocating for Teens/Adults
If your child is a transition-ready teen, or you are still actively
advocating for an adult child with special needs, then you face some
unique challenges: self determination, employment, sexuality, futures
planning, and independence.
Subject: The perils of Junior
High
The concept of Junior
High can be scary for any parent. But if you’ve
spent the last 5 years struggling to get one teacher to understand
and include your child, the concept of a new teacher every hour is
even more intimidating. Recently I saw some great ideas for easing
this transition on the KidsTogether Discussion List.
If you aren’t
familiar with this list, I highly recommend it. The moderator keeps
discussion strictly on topic and the group itself is very diverse
so you get lots of different ideas and perspectives when you post
a question. You can check it out at: www.freelists.org/webpage/kidstogether
1. Popcorn and a Movie
This
one came from a mom who wanted to give each member of her son’s
team a gift pack of popcorn and a video or DVD that promoted inclusion.
I like this idea because video is a highly visual medium. It immediately
sets up the expectation that inclusion is possible and gives each
team member a clear vision of what success looks like.
The other thing I like
is that the strategy sets up Mom as an active, positive, informed
partner for all of the planning and work that is to come as her
son’s support plan is developed.
The downside is that this idea could be very expensive. An alternative
might be to present the team leader with a single movie and popcorn
set as a gift for the school and request that the team have a viewing
before your scheduled IEP meeting.
Recommended videos can be found at:
www.inclusion.com/videos.html ;
www.fanlight.com/catalog/films/163_oou.shtml ;
www.projectchoices.org/inclusionVideos.aspx ;
www3.d93.k12.id.us/district/sservice/inclusion/video.html
2. Gift Pack
The second idea
was one that costs less money, but takes more time to prepare. It
came from a teacher. She recommended a “gift
pack” of some photos that showed the student living a “regular
life” with a final “frame” showing him/her off
to middle school with a blank cut-out next to him.....the title
on that frame would be “Middle School with CHILD’s
NAME: What an Opportunity” (your photo here).
Both are creative ideas
that will help you to bring this tough transition period down to
a more personal level and inspire your child’s
team to greater success!
This message is from
the Ideal Lives Advocacy & Inclusion Center
forums.
