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More News and Stories
Letter to the Editor…
Two articles that were published
in the August issue were written by the Citizen’s Commission
on Human Rights (CCHR). The Church of Scientology funds CCHR. Neither
group believes that mental illnesses are biological. They believe
that psychiatry kills and that the pharmaceutical industry has fabricated
this illness in order to get rich ... read
more about the letter >
Access Press Responds
Access Press has a proud history
of printing a great deal of substantive and accurate information
about mental illness. The two “News at a Glance” items
that Ms. Abderholden refers to in our August 2005 issue, presented news facts
with biased and unnecessary commentary. Below you will find two articles
from primary sources on the topics of the FDA’s review of anti-depressant
use among adults and children ... read
the response >
Role of Government is to Level the
Playing Field
by Clarence Schadegg
In June, Minneapolis Mayor
R. T. Rybak was one of four people who spoke on mental health and
homelessness at Wesley United Methodist Church. As Mayor stated, “I
worked with our faith communities and they’ve been great partners.
But I’ve made it very clear that I think you cannot run a just
society on bake sales and passing the plate.” ... read
more about the role >
A Pediatric Psychiatrist
Talks About Ritalin Use
by Terri Ricci
Access Press recently
asked Dr. Steve Genheimer, a Health-Partners pediatric psychiatrist,
some basic questions in response to the articles on psychiatric
drugs printed in the August issue ... read
more about ritalin use >
Classes on Mental Illness Parents & Kids
The National Alliance for the Mentally
111 (NAMI-MN) will hold KidShops this fall to support children
ages 7-18 who have a sibling or parent living with a biological
brain disorder (mental illness). At the same time the Visions for
Tomorrow program will be offered which is an education course for
parents and caregivers of children with brain disorders ... read
more about the classes >
Speech Difference or Disability:
Overlap or Not?
by Marlene Schoenberg and
Marilyn Fairchild
When average
American listeners find a child or an adult from another country
difficult to understand, they often can’t figure out if
they are hearing the sounds and melody of a different language
or the struggles of a speech disability. One employee said that
his new acquaintance sounded British, but the new co-worker was
actually hearing impaired ... read
about speech differences >
Help & Hope for Disabled
of Other Cultures
by Terri Ricci
On August 3, 2005, Access
Press representatives attended a luncheon hosted by the University
of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI). The
luncheon was an opportunity for community leaders and organizations
to learn more about each other. Three dynamic speakers shared their
stories about family members and/or the experiences they have had
in the U.S. related to disabilities ... read
more about help and hope >
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle cell disease is
an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People
with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that contain mostly
hemoglobin* S, an abnormal type of hemoglobin. Sometimes these
red blood cells become sickle-shaped (crescent shaped) and have
difficulty passing through small blood vessel ... read
more about sickle cell >
28 Days in Crisis: A Personal
Story
by Sonia A. Alvarez-Robinson
It was a bitterly cold October
morning when my husband Scott showed the first signs of a major
Sickle Cell crisis. A committed teacher, he went to work despite
how his legs, back and ribs ached. I was home with our beloved
new child, just two weeks after his birth. We were both still
flying high with the elation over the birth of a healthy son. My
cheeks ached from smiling so hard. But when Scott called to announce
that he’d be coming home early, our elation began to dissipate
... read
more about this story >
MN Commission Serving
Deaf/Hard of Hearing has Success in Legislature
by Mary Hartnett
Six out of the seven MN
Commission Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (MCDHH)
approved legislative initiatives passed in the 2005 legislative session.
MCDHH successfully lobbied for $1 million in new funds for
deaf, deaf blind and hard of hearing services and programs and policy
changes were made that strengthen protections for consumers
... read
more about the legislative success >
Superior September:
A Northshore Get-a-way
by Alice Oden
Is
it September already? August is gone. Labor Day’s past.
Oh my cheese curds, the State Fair is history, too! And now
those winter months loom just ahead. Where did this summer
go? All summer I’ve
been longing to get-a-way. But … well … but … you
know the excuses. No time. No money. And give
me a break—those
gas prices! ... read
more about the get-a-way >
Helping Your Contractor:
Ideas for Visually Impaired Homeowners
by Jane Hampton, CID
We are currently building
a home in a Minneapolis suburb. I have MS that is affecting the
use of my legs and arms, as well as my vision. Our builder has
some ideas as to what could be done for future wheelchair access,
but we are at a loss as to what features we can incorporate for
my diminishing eyesight ... read
more about ideas>
New Accessible Senior Living!
by David Hadlich
A new accessible senior
community has opened on the East Side of St. Paul. Parkway Gardens,
located just north of 94 at 1145 Hudson Road, opened in July, and
had an open house on Saturday, August 28. With a total of 160 one
and two bedroom units, all with either walk-in or roll-in showers,
Parkway Gardens is also filled with amenities ... read
more about senior lining >
An Ethical Dilemma
On Friday, September
23, 2005 there will be a conference at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis.
This conference is sponsored by Hennepin County Medical Center
and is entitled, “Ronald Cranford, MD—33 Years of Clinical
Ethics In Minnesota: Ron Cranford’s Stories of Heroes and
Courage.” ... read
more about the dilemma >
“You Walk Pretty”
by LeAnne Nelson
reviewed by Evelyn Anderson
I’m one of the lucky
people who also knows her in person. I met LeAnne more than 20 years
ago, when she and two other women, Polly Edmunds and Rianne Leaf,
walked into our little PACER office in south Minneapolis. I was one
of the original staff of five at PACER, and the three newcomers were
puppeteers in what came to be known as “Count Me In.” ... read
more LeAnne's story >
Human Rights: Time for
Another Historic Step
by Mary Kiffmeyer
This is a summer
of historic human rights anniversaries in America. It was 85
years ago, on August 26,1920 that the 19th Amendment to the
United States Constitution was ratified, granting women the
right to vote ... read
more about human rights >
Headwaters Walk for Justice
Anniversary--Profile of 10 Year Walkers
Advocating Change Together
(ACT) is a grassroots disability rights organization run by and
for people with developmental and other disabilities. ACT’s
mission is to help people across disabilities to see themselves
as part of a larger disability rights movement and make connections
to other civil and human rights struggles ... read
more about the anniversary >
Third Annual Charlie Smith
Award
by Rox Tarrant
On Friday, November 4, 2005
come help me celebrate with Access Press at the third Annual Charlie
Smith Award ... read
more about the award and the festivities >
Access Press Needs a New
Face!
Every month on the front
page in the space that we consider the DOT area, we insert a symbol
highlighting an event of importance for that month. This month you
will notice that we have a school bus in the DOT area. We are urging
the Access Press readers to help us design the DOT area for the upcoming
2006 editions of Access Press ... read
more about dot designs >
The ADA: 15 Years And Counting!
by David Hadlich
The Twin Cities disability
community celebrated the 15th anniversary of the passage of the
Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 2005. Hosted by a passionate
and diverse organizing committee and supported by a number of local
non-profit organizations and businesses, the event attracted over
600 participants and 70 vendors to the Earle Brown Heritage Center
in Brooklyn Center ... read more
about the celebration >
Age and Disability Odyssey
Awards
The 2005 Age & Disabilities
Odyssey awards have been announced, recognizing individuals and organizations
for being leaders and advocates in providing services to older Minnesotans
and people with disabilities ... read
more about the awards >
Twins Break Ground
on Accessible Ball Field
by Corley Goodwin
The Minnesota Twins
Community Fund, in partnership with the Carl and Eloise Pohlad
Family Foundation, Minnesota Utility Contractors Association (MUCA)
and City of Blaine (MN), held a groundbreaking ceremony on August
19, 2005 to kick-off construction of a new synthetic turf baseball
field in Blaine serving youth with physical and developmental disabilities ... read
more about the ground breaking >
Opportunity Partners Names
Employer and Customer of the Year
by Julie Peters
Opportunity Partners, a nonprofit
agency that helps people with disabilities and other special needs
live and work successfully in the community, has announced its Employer
of the Year and Customer of the Year for 2005 ... read
more about these awards >
Minnesota Diabetes EXPO
On October 15, 2005, the American
Diabetes Association (ADA) - Minnesota will host its second annual
Diabetes EXPO, held at the Minneapolis Convention Center, from 10:00
am - 4:00 pm, showcasing the latest products and services for people
with diabetes ... read
more about the expo >
Medtronic Proud to Host MN
Career Development for the 21st Century
Medtronic, Inc., is proud
to be the lead company for the Minnesota Business Leadership Network,
an employer-led endeavor that promotes best employment practices
and enhances competitive employment opportunities for skilled candidates
with disabilities ... read
more about medtronics >
Effective Rehabilitation
Therapy is a Team Approach!
by Mike Cohn, M.Ed
Throughout my life I have
experienced Speech Therapy (ST), Occupational Therapy, (OT), and
Physical Therapy (PT) to help make my overall life and my day-to-day
living a little less difficult. I have had more speech therapy
than OT or PT, yet the way a person looks at their therapy program
can make a big difference if the programs are a benefit ... read
more about rehabilitation >
Fall 2005: Family Institute
for Creative Well Being
You Can’t Pour from
an Empty Vessel - parents, grandparents, adult caregivers - “Taking
care of oneself” can seem selfish. Yet to take care of self,
to fill one’s vessel, is as essential as the air we breathe. There are
many ways to fill a vessel each affecting that which pours forth. Learning
to live with this realization can take time ... read
more about the institute >
Hennepin County News
If you are eligible for Medical
Assistance Home Care and want more control, flexibility and responsibility
for your care, there are free information sessions that explain the
Consumer Support Grant ... read
more news >
Zoo Boo Wants You!
Como Park is seeking 750 volunteers
to help with the annual, non-scary Zoo Boo Halloween event. Volunteers
who can work from 3:30 - 8:30 pm October 22, 23, 28, 29 or 30 are
sought to don costumes, greet and entertain small children, and pass
out treats ... read more about zoo boo >
