News At A Glance
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about designating their United Way gifts to Access Press please see
the designation policy on their website at www.unitedwaytwincities.org.
Child Care/Nursery Assistant
One,
two, we’re ready for you. Three, four open the door…assist
agency staff in providing supervision and care for the children who
must wait while their parents complete interviews, or attend support
groups or counseling sessions. 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.
Judd Jacobson Memorial Award
Courage
Center, a rehabilitation and resource center for people with disabilities,
is seeking applications for its annual Judd Jacobson Memorial Award.
Established in 1992, the Jacobson Award recognizes the pursuit or
achievement of a business entrepreneurial endeavor by a person with
a physical disability or sensory impairment. The award recipient
will be honored at a luncheon in October and receive a $5,000 cash
award to advance their business endeavor.
To be considered for the Jacobson Award, applicants must be 18 years
of age and reside in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or North or South
Dakota. Applicants must also demonstrate entrepreneurial skill, financial
need, exceptional personal commitment, and have received little or
no public recognition for their business endeavor.
Applications are available
online at www.courage.org. This year’s
application deadline is Friday, August 5, 2005. For more information
about the Judd Jacobson Memorial Award, contact Tom Kelley, research
and policy assistant at 763-520-0675 or at TTY 763-520-0245.
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 remaining forums will be scheduled for:
• The Ramsey County area-St. Paul, July 25, 2005 from 6:00-8:00
PM. Location: Hamline-Midway Public Library, 1558 West Minnehaha Avenue,
St. Paul, MN.
• The North Central area-St. Cloud, August 10, 2005 from 6:00-8:00
PM. Location: TBA.
• The Southwest area-Marshall, August 31, 2005 from 6:00-8:00
PM. Location: TBA.
Scheduled for the forums
will be demonstrations 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@midmnlegal.org.
New Project to Assist Northside
Residents with Developmental Disabilities
Jordan New Life Community
Church will host an open house for its new One Stop Family Service
Center on Saturday, July 16, 2005 from 2-5 p.m. The church has received
a contract from the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental
Disabilities to provide navigation services to families in the Jordan
community and North Minneapolis who have children or young adults
with developmental disabilities. The site will be a single location
where families will be assisted in developing personal family plans
for accessing and receiving services for their children.
The Jordan neighborhood has been identified by the state actuary
as having a disproportionately high percentage of residents who are
developmentally disabled, while remaining the most underserved neighborhood
in the city of Minneapolis. The purpose of the project is to empower
Northside families to understand what services are available and
to be able to access those services.
The project is the result of extensive research performed by the
State demographer and the INTER-RACE Institute which showed families
of color, and low-income families that have a person with a developmental
disability often feel they are treated with contempt and disrespect
when trying to access services for their children. Jordan New Life
will provide a welcoming and supportive environment for families
to carry out their plans.
Jordan New Life Community
Church lives to transform and empower individuals to do God’s
mission in North Minneapolis. Jordan New Life is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). 1922
- 25th Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN, Phone: (612) 522-8624, email:
PrLha@aol.com, www.jordannewlife.org.
Activities and Adventures
For Youth & Families
The Places You'll Go!
Explore
the places you’ve been and the places you hope to go.
We will use creative activities such as sculpting, painting and carving
to stimulate skills in flexibility and building a better understanding
of self, leading to improved self-identity. This is for transition
age youth and young adults (ages 14+ including siblings/best friend
and other family members). WHEN: Fridays: June 24, July 8 & 22,
Aug. 5 & 19: 10–12:30. WHERE: 2131 Fairview Ave. N., Roseville
in the former school attached to Corpus Christi. COST: $90/Family.
The Stories You'll Tell!
Stories are a great way to
make connections. Through stories we can ask questions, try on new
roles, or even re-order life situations. Stories are a way to explore
and give clarity to life’s muddier
moments. Join us in weaving tales using a variety of creative expressive
techniques and storytelling around a campfire. This is for school
age youth (ages 6-21 including siblings/best friend and other
family members). WHEN: Thursday Evenings: June 30, July 14 & 28,
Aug.11: 6:00-8:00
PM. WHERE: 1745 Birmingham St. in Maplewood COST: $72/Family.
Family Art in the Park
Barbecue,
treasures, games, music. Stimulate your health and creativity with
an awesome family activity! Through the use of music, we will create
a song to explain the unexplainable to those who will never walk
in our shoes. WHEN: July 19 and August 16: 6:00–8:30 PM. WHERE:
Como Park in the shelter off Hamline and Midway Parkway across from
the zoo. COST: $36/Family per night.
Rafting a River of Change
For Adults (parents, grandparents,
adult caregivers). For our children with special needs there are
transitions, developmental changes, new diagnoses, change in caregivers,
doctors and teachers, different programs, alternative therapies or
techniques – a
never-ending river of change. In this series we will explore through
the written word and other forms of creative expression the ways
we must adjust and adapt to changing circumstances while remaining
afloat and learning to embrace the beauty of the ever-changing scenery.
WHEN: The 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month: June 13 & 27, July
11 & 25, August 8 & 22: 7:00–9:00 pm. WHERE: Falcon
Heights United Church of Christ, 1795 Holton St., Falcon Heights.
COST: $96.
Pre-Registration is required! To register for the above events,
contact the Family Institute at 651.779.8199 or register online at:
www.familyinstitute-cwb.org.
*Scholarships are available for all programs. Please pay what you
can afford. Ask Diane for details. These programs are therapeutic
and designed to meet individual disability needs and are in most
cases eligible to be included in waiver budgets.
Discussion Boards for Assistive Technology Users
Closing The Gap Forums is
a discussion board exploring the many ways that technology is being
used to enhance the lives of people with special needs. Please feel
free to participate in the discussions listed below and share this
valuable resource with friends and colleagues. There is no fee to
participate. Visit: www.closingthegap.org/forums/ and
check out the “Featured
Discussions.”
Sponsored Forums:
Do you have
questions, comments or concerns regarding a product you already own
or are planning to purchase? Ask the producer! Check out the “Sponsored
Forums.”
Gus Communications:
Discuss
Gus! Communicator devices and “Overboard” design
software. www.closingthegap.org
/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=132
New Featured Discussion:
Using
PDAs to aid memory and organization in persons with cognitive challenges.
Moderators: Yvonne Gillette, Ph.D. School of Speech-Language Pathology
and Audiology, University of Akron, Roberta DePompei, Ph.D. School
of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Akron,
Diane Bryen, Ph.D. Institute on Disabilities, Mark Friedman, Ph.D.,
Murdo Dowds, Ph.D. Spaulding Rehabilitation Center. Discussion
will center on results of in vivo trials using PDAs with children
and adults with MR/DD or TBI to enhance memory and organization
in daily activities. www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=134
Current Open Discussions:
Using
Technology With Children With Cerebral Visual Impairment www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=129
Increasing Student Outcomes
in Braille Literacy and Assistive Technology Skills Through the Application
of ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=128
Developing Switch Skills - Using One and Two Switches
www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=127
Activities and Camp for Families:
www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=126
Electronic Mentoring for Students with Disabilities:
www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=125
Video Magnification: The Good, the Bad, and the Future:
www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=123
OS X Perspectives
www.closingthegap.org
/forums/ultimatebb.php?ubb=
forum;f=64
To participate in these discussions visit:
www.closingthegap.org/forums/ and
check out the “Featured Discussions.
Artists with Disabilities at Powderhorn
Art Fair
The Artists With Disabilities Alliance (AWDA) will
have a tent in the Powderhorn Art Fair Aug. 6-7 (Sat. 10-6, Sun.
10-5) in South Minneapolis.
Artists with disabilities will display and sell paintings, photographs,
jewelry, greeting cards, other visual art, writings and CDs. Musicians,
storytellers and poets will perform nearby. The AWDA tent will be
in the southeast part of Powderhorn Park off 35th Street and 13th
Avenue. (The park is between Chicago and Bloomington Avenues, south
of Lake Street and two blocks south of bus line 21A.) For more info,
contact
www.angelfire.com/mn3/awda/ or www.powderhornartfair.org or
612-332-3888 ext. 4.
