More News and Stories
Where Can You Get a Good Disability
Advocate?
A Response to Wendy Brower’s “People
Being Duped”
by Katheryn J. Ware, RN
I have followed Terri Schiavo’s
situation for several years. I have delved into many aspects of her
life as a woman with disabilities. I have been bewildered by a single
question since Terri’s death. Why did some disability advocates
abandon Terri?... read
more about advocates >
NDSC Joint Statement
by Kathy
Editor’s
note: This article was written before Terri Schiavo’s death
In October 2003, the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) joined 25 other
national disability groups in a statement regarding the Terri Schiavo
case. The statement is listed below ... read
more about the statement >
Swallowing and the Last Gulp of Air
by Marlene Schoenberg
It was Thursday evening, March
30th. The NBC News commentator just announced that Terri died. I
changed the channel to CBS, and heard the Pope had just received
a feeding tube. It seemed that “feeding tube” was the
new media buzz word ... read
more about the buzz >
Changes Planned to Erase Budget Shortfall in Transit
System
by Peter Bell
During the seven hearings
on proposed changes in transit fares and service, the Metropolitan
Council heard from many distressed customers who rely on the transit
system to get to work, school and other vital destinations ... read
more on the changes >
Saving the MTS from the Governor’s
Budget Cuts
by Clarence Schadegg
I am blind, I am a guide
dog user, and I am a bus rider. I’ve often wondered why,
as I age, I must fight harder: 1) to become and stay employed;
2) to rely on public transportation systems to take me to work
and other appointments; and, 3) to exercise my civil rights as
a human being ... learn about
budget cuts >
Speech Style Doesn’t Reflect Intelligence
by Michael Cohn
After living with a speech
impediment for many years, I concluded that the people I meet equate
my speech impairment with having an intellectual barrier to conducting
an intelligent conversation ... read
more about speech styles >
Returning to Work After Aphasia: Reframing Work
Re-entry
by Marlene Schoenberg
This is the first in a series
of articles on speech issues in the workplace. Future articles will
expand upon hidden speech disabilities, as well as differential diagnosis
between a speech disability and ESL (English as a second language)
... read
more about aphasia and work >
May is Mental Health
Month
Mental illnesses are disorders of the brain that disrupt a person’s
thinking, feelings, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily
functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental
illnesses are disorders of the brain that may impact a person’s
ability to cope with the ordinary demands life ... read
more about mental health month >
A Family’s Struggle with Schizophrenia
by Chuck Krueger
Room
for J, a new book on one family’s struggle with
schizophrenia, started out as a way for Dan S. Hanson of Maple
Grove to work through his thoughts and feelings on his son’s
mental illness. Journaling, he says, was “my way to cope"
... read more about the
struggle >
Mobile Outreach Clinic Celebrate
20 Years
Staff Logs More Than 40,000 Miles a Year Providing Care to Patients and Families
When the Gillette Children’s
Specialty Healthcare Mobile Outreach Clinic rolls into Mankato on
May 10, they will be celebrating 20 years of bringing specialty healthcare
services to patients throughout Minnesota ... read
more about the mobile clinic >
Duluth’s Gentle Hikes: Shorter,
Less Demanding
by Lance H. Hegland
An overview of the “Gentle
Hikes: Minnesota’s Most Scenic North Shore Hikes Under 3
Miles” guidebook
Some of the most incredible
Lake Superior views, dramatic waterfalls, breathtaking vistas,
rushing rivers, lush wooded paths, and scenic trails in Minnesota
lie within its North Shore, a region often defined as the area
along Highway 61 between Duluth and the Canadian border. Since
the landscape is quite diverse, hiking in the North Shore typically
involves inclines, declines, rocks, roots, and uneven terrain.
Therefore, some may hesitate to explore its wonders ... read
more about the north shore >
Four Phases of Mental Health Recovery
by Karen Hoveland
Spectrum Community Mental
Health believes that people with psychiatric disabilities can—and
do—lead purposeful and satisfying lives. Spectrum has faith
in the hopeful process of recovery from mental illness ... read
more about recovery >
Metro Housing Still Subpar for the Disabled
by Kenneth Brown
First of a two-part story
Efficient housing for person
with disabilities is a huge concern in our community. It’s
an issue because housing designed and built years ago, and still
being built today, did not and does not consider the disabled
... read
more about housing >
ADA
Celebration
In honor of the 15th anniversary
of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a coalition of 13 local
disability organizations will hold a free celebration at the Earle
Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
on Tuesday, July 26 ... read
more on the celebration >
Letter To the Editor
Dear Friends,
The Consortium for Citizens
with Disabilities (CCD) Education Task Force (of which NACDD
is a Member) and individual national disability organizations
are responding to this extremely disturbing online article in
which the author, Bob Lonsberry, urges the government to eliminate
the Special Education program in the public school system and
to remove “handicapped children” from the classroom
... read
more about the letter >
Instant Searchable Access to Expert
Advocates
Over 6.5 million children in the United States receive special education
services. However, of these children, 43% FAIL to successfully complete
high school by receiving either a diploma, modified diploma, or certificate
of completion ... read
more on access >
AP
Survey Results
We here at Access Press would like to send out a huge thank you to all who
participated in our readership survey. We had almost 200 responses! ... read
more about the results >
600 Attend 2005 MN Self-Advocacy Conference
Ordean Rosaasen Receives Irving Martin
Advocacy Award
by Lance H. Hegland
The 2005 Minnesota Self-Advocacy
Conerence held at the St. Paul Radisson Riverfront Hotel on April
15th and 16th was attended by 600 advocates with disabilities,
and their families, friends, and colleagues ... read
more about the conference >
Thanks to Those Who Serve
by David Hadlich
Two or three rocket-propelled
grenades (RPGs) hitting the Humvee you are driving can really ruin
your day. Victor Rojas, Specialist E-4 knows this firsthand. Even
though his job with his guard unit was to repair power generators,
he regularly volunteered for convoy duty ... read
more about giving thanks >
Local
Athletes Host Upcoming 2005 Wheelchair Games
Minnesota disabled athletes, Charlie Wittwer and Ric Jost are excited to have
the upcoming 2005 National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) in their home
state ... read more about the games >
Eureka! Freedom - A New Camping Tent!
by Lance Hegland
Outdoor recreation, including
camping, have become a popular escape from work, cell phones, cable
TV, and the Internet. Yet, according to BlueSky Designs, the 1994
Forest Service-sponsored National Survey on Recreation and the
Environment (NSRE) found that people with disabilities have cited
physical barriers and a lack of accessible facilities as two of
the most frequently encountered barriers to their participation
in outdoor recreation ... read
more about the tent >
Garden of Remembrance Cemetery
Name Official
It’s official! With
the Governor’s approval on April 26th, 2005 the cemetery
at the former Cambridge State Hospital was officially named
the Garden Of Remembrance ... read
more about the garden >
15 Years and Still Going: Access Press, May 1990
to May 2005
by Terri Ricci
For 15 years, Access Press
has been bringing Minnesotans news that affect the disability community.
When Charlie Smith and his father, Bill, started the venture of researching
the feasibility of a disability newspaper, I don’t know if
they knew how important it would become, even after 15 years ... read
more about access press >
The
Medtronic Celebration of Courage Kicks Off with the 2nd Annual
Walk-N-Roll
Medtronic is gearing up for the “2005 Celebration of Courage,” a
major fundraiser for the Courage Center. The Courage Center is Minnesota’s
largest non-profit rehabilitation center for people with disabilities and offers
many programs created to empower them to reach their full potential in every
aspect of life ... read more about the
walk-n-roll >
Program
for People with Disabilities
People who are disabled, their families and service providers may want to attend
free information sessions that explain Consumer Directed Community Supports
(CDCS). CDCS allows clients to hire, train and supervise their own staff
and write their own plan ... read more about
the program >
When Being Disabled Just Isn’t
Enough! Wisconsin Ms. Wheelchair Pageant Winner Loses Crown
by Lance Hegland
It appears that organizational
and societal perception of disabilities are being challenged again,
this time a little bit closer to home. Perhaps, as in any social
movement, a few organizations’ and individuals’ views
do not change as societies grow; they remain “frozen” in
the past. Yet, it is always surprising to find such an organization
or individual whose intention is to be part of the movement ... read
more about the issue >
Allstar
Transportation Ready to Serve
Thousands of Metro Mobility riders are scrambling to find alternative ways
to get around the Twin Cities, amid fears of service cuts. Allstar Transportation
wants them to know, we are ready to serve all their transportation needs
... read more about transportation >
Singing in Sign
by Terri Ricci
Three hours of pure enjoyment
and wonder. This is what I experienced at The O’Shaughnessy
Auditorium on April 23, 2005. I always buy tickets for a concert
or play for my mother around her birthday and Christmas. This year,
Sweet Honey in the Rock was making their Twin Cities appearance the
day before my mother’s 87th birthday
... read more about the concert >
New Service May Benefit Families
with Disabled Members
If you are the parent of a disabled child or the spouse of a disabled person,
you may want to attend free information sessions that explain Consumer Directed
Community Supports (CDCS) Since Oct. 1, 2004, CDCS allows parents of disabled
children and spouses of disabled adults to be paid to provide care ... read
more about the service >
