News at a Glance
Minnesota Arts Access Awards
to be Presented
Four Minnesota individuals
and two arts organizations have received the annual Arts Access Awards
from VSA arts of Minnesota. The eighth annual awards, which recognize
outstanding accomplishments in making the arts accessible to people
with disabilities, were presented at Minnesota’s
celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), held July 26, 2005 at Earle Brown Heritage Center in
Brooklyn Center.
The 2005 VSA Arts Access
Award recipients are:
Outstanding Individuals
Actively Promoting Access to the Arts for People with Disabilities
James
Hanson, Minneapolis musician and accessibility advocate;
Char Coal, Minneapolis artist, musician and speaker.
Outstanding Arts Educators
of Students with Disabilities
Rilyn Colucy, Faribault, Minnesota
State Academy for the Blind;
Lee Schwanke, St. Paul, art specialist at Dowling Urban Environmental
Learning Center, Minneapolis
Organizations Actively
Promoting Access to the Arts for People with Disabilities
Mixed
Blood Theatre, Minneapolis;
KFAI Radio Without Boundaries, 90.3 FM Minneapolis, 106.7 FM
St. Paul.
The award is called
the “Jaehny” in honor of Jaehn Clare,
one of the founders of VSA arts of Minnesota and an activist in the
Twin Cities’ theater and disability communities before moving
to Georgia. Minneapolis sculptor Pauline Mitchell created this year’s
awards.
An affiliate of VSA arts,
headquartered in Washington, DC, VSA arts of Minnesota is a nonprofit
agency whose mission is to promote quality, accessible arts experiences
for people with all types of disabilities throughout Minnesota. For
more information, call 612-332-3888 (metro) or 1-800-801-3883 (Greater
Minnesota), both voice/TTY); e-mail vsarts@bcmn.com
Mental Health Institutes
Minnesota Social Service Association
(MSSA) is holding a series of eight mental health institutes planned
for the fall. The institutes will be held in September, October,
November and December.
The schedule for the institutes is:
Bipolar & ADHD:Differentiating & Treating - September 8,
2005, 9:00 am to Noon
Borderline Personality
Disorder: Impulse Control & Emotional
Dysregulation - September 8, 2005, 1:00 to 4:15 pm
Disruptive Behavior Spectrum Disorders - October 6, 2005, 9:00 am
to Noon
Antisocial Personality Disorder- October 6, 2005, 1 to 4:15 pm
Child Psychopharmacology - November 3, 2005, 9 am to Noon
Mental Illness & Aging
- November 3, 2005, 1:00 to 4:15 pm. This institute will consist
of two workshops: 1.Mental Illness is Not a Part of Normal Aging;
2. Addiction & Despair vs. Recovery & Freedom
in an Aging Society
Suicide - December 1, 2005,
9:00 am to Noon. This institute will consist of two workshops: 1.Suicide
Education/Voices of Awareness; 2. Beyond the Black Box: Suicide Risk & Antidepressants
Assessment of Imminent Risk for Suicide - November 3, 2005, 1:00
to 4:15 pm
You can register for workshops
on an individual basis or as a series. The brochure is available
online at www.mnsocialserviceassoc.org
For more information contact
Deb Most, Director of Member Services, MSSA, 125 Charles Ave., St.
Paul, MN 55103, Phone: 651-644-0556, www.mnsocialserviceassoc.org
Fifth Annual School Supply Drive
Fall is just around
the corner and it’s back to school! For
the 5th year the Volunteer Services Unit of the Ramsey County Community
Human Services Department will conduct a “School Supply Drive” to
collect and distribute school supplies to needy students in Ramsey
County.
All types of supplies are needed. Supplies appropriate for older
students are especially needed in addition to pencils, pens, erasers,
magic markers, colored pencils, crayons, glue, glue sticks, notebooks,
folders, loose-leaf paper, 3-ring binders, scissors, rulers, lunchboxes,
backpacks, and calculators.
The students who will receive
the supplies range from kindergarteners to high school seniors. Supplies
will be collected July 25th through August 19th. Public collection
sites are located at each Ramsey County Library: Arden Hills-1941
W. Co. Rd. E2, Maplewood-1670 Beam Ave., Moundsview-2576 Co. Rd.
10, North St. Paul-2290 N. 1st St., Roseville-2180 N. Hamline, Shoreview-4570
N. Victoria, and White Bear Lake-4698 Clark Ave.
Contact Ramsey County Community
Human Services-Volunteer Services at 651-266-4090 or by email at:
VolunteerServices@co.ramsey.mn.us for
additional information.
FDA Issues Warning!
On Psychiatric
Drugs: Be aware of worsening depression
and increased suicidal thinking or behavior.
The Food and Drug Administration
has reviewed data for antidepressant use in adults and now advises
that, “Adults being treated with
antidepressant medicines, particularly those being treated for depression,
should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased
suicidal thinking or behavior.”
The FDA is acting in the public interest against harmful psychiatric
drugs. In 1990, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) asked
American psychiatrists and the FDA to issue warnings about the latest
psychiatric drug causing violence and suicide: Prozac. CCHR filed
complaints and provided the evidence. In response, the FDA ordered
an advisory committee to hold a hearing to investigate the safety
and effectiveness of these drugs. A panel of nine psychiatrists,
many with financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, heard the chilling
testimony from the victims of these drugs.
Bonnie Leitsch, head
of The Prozac Survivors Group, provided statistics for the panel, “Five hundred deaths, 33 murder cases, and over
20,000 adverse side effects.” In 1991, FDA panel chairman,
Dr. Daniel Casey, responded that, “I do not find from the evidence
today, that there is credible evidence to support a conclusion that
antidepressant drugs cause the emergence and/or the intensification
of suicidality and/or other violent behaviors.”
The FDA has now concurred
with CCHR’s allegations and testimonies
from 1991. But how many more people have committed suicide or killed
others while influenced by these drugs since then? The blood of these
deceased is on psychiatry’s hands. Antidepressant sales have
soared in recent years, yet there is no blood test, x-ray or other
medical test to diagnose depression. The president of the American
Psychiatric Association, Steven Sharfstein, conceded in an article
in People magazine on July 11, 2005, that, “We do not have
a clean cut lab test” to determine a chemical imbalance in
the brain.
The Citizens Commission
on Human Rights is a nonprofit, public benefit organization dedicated
to investigating and exposing psychiatric violations of human rights.
It also ensures that criminal acts within the psychiatric industry
are reported to the proper authorities and acted upon. If you know
of or suspect psychiatric abuse, immediately call CCHR’s
Psychiatric Crime Hotline: Call 612-623-4600. For documented research
visit www.CCHR.org.
Bethel University
Announces a New B.A. Degree in Communication Studies for Working
Adults
Nationally ranked Bethel
University is proud to announce a new B.A. Degree in Communication
Studies for working adults. This new degree is designed to help
adults develop and refine practical communication skills for today’s
workplace. Courses are convenient for busy schedules. Students
can tailor studies to their interests in areas such as marketing
communications, public relations, advertising and human communication.
Course work allows students to immediately implement what they
learn into their own work environment.
What makes this new
program exciting and unique is the global focus. Each course is
structured to provide students with a worldview and real world
experiences. Find out more at the free information session on Tuesday,
August 16 at 6:00 pm at Bethel’s Office Center
(1306 West County Road F, Arden Hills). Contact Bethel Adult and
Professional Studies at (651) 635-8000 or caps@bethel.edu to
RSVP. Classes begin September 15, 2005!
You Could Own “The Ultimate Twins’ Fan
Vehicle”
Want a custom-designed
2006 Dodge Charger adorned by over 40 Twins’ autographs
from Lew to Carew? Over 40 past and present Twins players and broadcasters
put their “John Hancock” on the hood of a custom designed
2006 Dodge Charger R/T.
The custom-designed Dodge Charger, which was generously donated
by your local Dodge dealers, was unveiled on the Metrodome Plaza
on Friday, July 1, 2005 by Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse.
The Cars for Courage Ultimate
Twins Fan Vehicle is being raffled off through September 29, 2005
on the Twins Plaza prior to each home game, as well as various community
events and Dodge dealerships throughout the summer. For a complete
schedule of raffle ticket sales opportunities go to www.courage.org.
The winner will be chosen on September 30, 2005 at the Twins Fan
Appreciation Day game.
Raffle tickets are just $5.
All proceeds will benefit Courage Center.
Parkway Garden Apartments
Has Openings
Parkway Garden Apartments
in St. Paul recently opened their doors and they want to fill their
apartments. They have 160 units, with an exercise room an enclosed
courtyard and a salon. They are section 42 approved. All units are
accessible. For more information contact Abby at 651-771-0267.
Trisha Meila to Receive 2005
National Courage Award at Medtronic Celebration of Courage
The Medtronic
Celebration of Courage gala is set for Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005 from
6 to 10 pm at Medtronic World Headquarters in Fridley. The gala evening
is Courage Center’s largest fundraiser of
the year.
Highlights of the evening
include the presentation of the Jay and Rose Phillips Awards to
five people from the Minnesota disability community who have excelled
in their chosen careers. In addition, this year’s National
Courage Award will be presented to Trisha Meili, known to millions
as the Central Park Jogger. Meili sustained a chronic brain injury
as a result of that experience and has become a nationally known
speaker on the topics of rehabilitation and chronic brain injury.
Other activities include a silent auction and dinner.
A limited number of tickets
are available free of charge to people with disabilities (maximum
of two tickets per person). Tickets are available on a first come-first
serve basis. To reserve a maximum of two tickets, call Emily Peterson
at 763-520-0365.
New Missouri Bill Gives American
Sign
Language Foreign Language Status at MU
On August 28, 2005 a new law
will go into effect recognizing American Sign Language (ASL) as
a foreign language in Missouri. The American Sign Language Bill states
that all public educational institutions in Missouri, including
the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU), may count ASL toward satisfaction
of foreign language or language arts requirements. Developed in
the 19th century by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, American Sign Language
is the third most commonly used language in the United States,
after English and Spanish. ASL is more than just hand signals corresponding
to spoken words; it has a grammar and syntax distinct from spoken
English.
Stephanie Logan, a doctoral
student in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling
Psychology, is MU’s only ASL instructor,
and she is working to revamp MU’S existing ASL courses in response
to the new law. Logan, who is deaf, testified before the Missouri
House and Senate on behalf of the bill, and said learning ASL is
an important tool for MU students entering the workforce.
“ASL is more applicable in the United States than some other
foreign languages,” Logan said. “Learning ASL makes students
more marketable because of what they can offer an employer—the
cultural and linguistic sensitivity to be able to communicate with
an entire population of people, the deaf community.”
In the fall, the Department
of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology, through its Multicultural
Center, will offer two ASL courses, one beginning class and an intermediate
class. In the spring, Logan said those two levels would be offered
in addition to a third, more advanced, level. The Department offered
ASL classes for three credit hours before Missouri Governor Matt
Blunt signed the ASL bill. Now, since ASL may be taught like other
foreign languages, Logan said ASL will count for five credit hours.
Logan said she hopes the University will eventually fund classes
in deaf culture and expand the program into an area of emphasis or
a minor program.
Freelance Opportunities for
Disabled Latino Writers in the U.S.
Proyecto Visión, the National
Technical Assistance Center for Latinos with Disabilities, is looking
for reporters with first person experience with Latino culture and
disability.
Reporters are needed to write articles documenting:
• Success stories about how Latinos with disabilities living in
the U.S. have found jobs or advanced in their careers
• Experiences and challenges disabled Latinos face in obtaining
education, training, assistive technology, independent living services
and jobs in both urban and rural communities in the U.S.
• Latino organizations reaching out to serve disabled members
of their communities
• Disability organizations reaching out to serve Latinos
• Analyses of the situations of disabled Latinos in areas of the
U.S. that have a high concentration Latinos with disabilities
• Obstacles and failures, especially if something was learned
from the experience
• Interpretation of how new federal initiatives or legislation
impact disabled Latinos
Reporters will be expected to use a variety of techniques to obtain
information including conducting interviews and surveys, attending
meetings, networking, and using local or web-based libraries and
information centers.
Articles will be short, practical, and may be submitted in English
or Spanish. Go to www.projectvision.net to see sample articles. Reporters
will be compensated for their work on a per-article basis.
To apply, send a resume describing yourself and your skills, and
a one-page article you have written about disabled Latinos to Robin
Savinar at robin@wid.org or call (510) 251-4325. Applications will
be accepted through August 31, 2005.
The National Technical Assistance Center for Latinos with Disabilities
is a project of the World Institute on Disability, supported by
the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
New Resources Will Ensure
Safety During Emergencies for Workers with Disabilities
U.S. Assistant
Secretary of Labor Roy Grizzard, who heads the department’s
Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), today announced a
comprehensive guide and related Web site to ensure federal government
workplace emergency plans address the needs of individuals with disabilities.
“In compiling these guidelines, we found that emergency preparedness
plans that include enhanced communications and mobility and disability
awareness actually improve safety for everyone in the workplace,
not just individuals with disabilities” said Dr. Grizzard. “By
implementing effective practices, the federal workplace will serve
as a model workplace—one that ensures a safe and secure environment
for everyone.”
Dr. Grizzard unveiled
the new resources at the first anniversary meeting of the Interagency
Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals
with Disabilities held at the Federal Communications Commission.
ODEP chairs the Council’s Workplace Subcommittee.
In its first year, the
subcommittee developed Preparing the Workplace for Everyone, a
template of guidelines to help federal agencies integrate into
emergency preparedness plans the needs of workers with disabilities.
This comprehensive guide, available on ODEP’s website at www.dol.gov/odep,
addresses employer and employee perspectives, viewpoints of first
responders, successful practices and legal considerations. In connection
with today’s announcement, ODEP is launching a new web page
specially dedicated to workplace emergency preparedness issues and
related resources.
Among the agencies contributing
expertise to this collaborative effort are the Office of Personnel
Management, the General Services Administration, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice. The guidelines
set forth in the template can be used to interest other employment
sectors—state and local
governments, non-profit organizations and the private sector—in
replicating effective practices and policies that can be modified
easily for their use.
Other federal departments
providing leadership to the council also announced their accomplishments
over the past year and their future plans to promote emergency
preparedness policies and procedures to ensure the safety of all
of the nation’s citizens, including
individuals with disabilities.
The Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and
Individuals with Disabilities was established by Executive Order
13347, issued by President George W. Bush on July 22, 2004, to facilitate
cooperation among federal, state, local and tribal governments, private
organizations and individuals in the implementation of emergency
preparedness plans as they relate to individuals with disabilities.
U.S. Labor Department (DOL) releases are accessible on the Internet
at www.dol.gov. The information
in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon
request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST
office. Please specify which news release when placing your request.
Call (202) 693-7765 or TTY (202) 693-7755.
New MN Law Protects Parents
and Children
On July 14, 2005 Governor
Pawlenty signed a law further restricting schools from forcing
parents to medicate their children. This new law prohibits schools
from requiring a child to take any psychotropic medication as a condition
of attendance.
This new provision actually strengthens a law passed in 2001 that
prohibits schools from requiring that a child take methylphenidate,
the generic name for a drug often prescribed for children with so-called
ADHD.
“This is a great victory for parents in Minnesota”,
said Nancy Schumacher, Executive Director of the Citizens Commission
on Human Rights of Minnesota. “Too often parents have felt
coerced into placing their child on medications, even though they
innately knew that these drugs could cause devastating side effects.
We are very grateful for the work of the EdWatch organization for
pushing this legislation through.”
This legislation comes
on the heels of several FDA advisories regarding psychotropic medication
for children. In the fall of 2004, the FDA ordered drug manufacturers
to add a “black box” warning
to the labeling of all antidepressants, warning of a risk of suicidal
thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents. A black box warning
is the most serious warning placed in the labeling of a prescription
drug.
On July 1, 2005, the
FDA announced that it intends to order labeling changes for stimulants
such as Concerta, Ritalin and other ADHD drugs to warn that the
drugs can cause “psychiatric events” described
as: “visual hallucinations, suicidal ideation, psychotic behavior,
as well as aggression or violent behavior.”
Health Canada, the Canadian
drug regulatory agency, has suspended the sale of Adderall and
Adderall XR in Canada. This was based on reports of sudden deaths
in pediatric patients taking the drug. An FDA alert on February
9, 2005 regarding these deaths states, “SUD
[sudden unexplained death] has been associated with amphetamine abuse
and reported in children with underlying cardiac abnormalities taking
recommended doses of amphetamines. In addition, a very small number
of cases of SUD have been reported in children without structural
cardiac abnormalities taking Adderall.”
“As a nation we spend millions educating children about the
dangers of drugs. Yet the psychiatric industry keeps pushing ‘legal’ drugs
on our children. This is an extremely mixed message,” says
Schumacher. “Their bodies don’t know the difference between
a legal and illegal substance. Both are mind altering.”
In addition to prohibiting
schools from forcing children to be medicated, the new law also
prohibits schools from requiring a psychiatric evaluation, screening
or examination of a student. Schools cannot use a parent’s
refusal to submit to mental health services or drugs to charge the
parent with child abuse, child neglect, or medical or educational
neglect. These provisions were a part of the education omnibus bill
passed in the special legislative session that ended last week. This
section of the law became effective on July 15, 2005 the day following
enactment.
For more information, contact: Nancy Schumacher, Executive Director,
Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Minnesota, 651-647-1032.
