News at a Glance
ADA Minnesota Mini-Grant
Program
ADA Minnesota will again be awarding grants from $500 - $2000 per
project that meet their mini-grant criteria. They have recently increased
the number of grants to be awarded and encourage interested non-profit
organizations to review the RFP and contact them with any questions.
The goals of these mini-grants are to increase partnerships between
diverse communities, disability-related organizations, businesses,
government and not-for-profit organizations across Minnesota by funding
multi-organizational projects that increase and encourage involvement
of individuals with disabilities. They should also provide opportunities
to create collaborative partnerships and increase public knowledge,
understanding of Title I (employment), Title II (public services)
and Title III (public accommodations of the ADA).
Proposal information can be
viewed at www.adaminnesota.org or by contacting cindyt@mcil-mn.org.
Please note that all proposals must be submitted by February 15,
2006.
Allina Teams with Hospital
Workers
to Improve Patient Care
Allina Hospitals & Clinics
and SEIU Local 113, represented by a committee of its hospital
workers, today announced plans to develop a strategic alliance
to solve problems and improve the delivery of quality health care
in Minnesota, a vision that management and workers agree is both
possible and desirable.
Specifically, Allina and SEIU agreed to work together over the next
45 days to establish a partnership agreement. During that time, both
parties have agreed to work cooperatively on a number of issues,
including expedited negotiations for metro contracts, maintaining
a positive approach to communications, and joint problem-solving.
During this period, Allina has also agreed to neutrality in union
organizing campaign efforts.
Among Allina’s
specific objectives for exploring a partnership agreement are reducing
employee injuries, reducing use of sick time, securing active participation
in achieving department productivity goals and improving patient
satisfaction, and establishing labor-management committees at each
site.
Additional details of the proposed strategic alliance include providing
paid time off to workers who are involved in the exploration of this
alliance and developing a joint problem-solving committee to deal
with workplace and care delivery issues.
The agreement comes as Twin Cities hospital workers prepare to kickoff
Together for Quality Care, their campaign to build healthy workers,
healthy hospitals, and healthy communities in the Twin Cities and
across the state of Minnesota.
For more information contact Kelly Schwinghammer, SEIU Minnesota
State Council 651-203-0401, ext. 5, 651-260-8593 (cell), kschwinghammer@seiumn.org.
Disability in Politics
On Thursday, January
12th, 2006, from 11:00 am - 1 pm, there will be a meeting to discuss
the importance of being involved in the political process for the
Governor’s race in Minnesota. The meeting will
be held in the Griggs-Midway Building, located at 1821 University
Ave. in St. Paul. We will meet in Room 127. This will be a “Brown
Bag, Bring Your Own” lunch meeting. If you are not able to
stay for the entire meeting, please feel free to attend whatever
time span fits into your busy schedule. Drinks will be provided.
The Agenda is as follows:
1. Introductions
2. Discuss composition of committee members
3. Focus points for the committee
4. How to become a delegate to the Caucus and the importance of having
disabled delegates
5. Group discussion
6. Schedule next meeting
For special needs accommodations, please contact Michael Cohn at
952-544-0407 or e-mail him at cohnm@juno.com or contact Terri Ricci
at Access Press at 651-644-2133.
Humphrey Institute Seeks Nominations
for the 2006 Hubert H. Humphrey
Public Leadership Awards
The University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs in Minneapolis, seeks nominations for the 2006 Hubert H.
Humphrey Public Leadership Awards. This awards program honors individuals
and organizations that have made contributions to the common good
through public leadership and service. Four awards are given annually:
two awards to outstanding leaders (either emerging or established);
one award to celebrate the work of the Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs (to a faculty member, student, center, research project,
etc.); and a Dean’s Award given to a candidate selected by
the Humphrey Institute dean. Past recipients of the Dean’s
Award include former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.
Nominations must be submitted in writing and should indicate how
the nominee has contributed significantly to the common good through
public leadership or service in elected office, the nonprofit/non-governmental
sector, community service, and/or the private sector. Such contributions
could include altering the political landscape through a lifetime
of public leadership, sustaining a major positive influence through
a career of public service, fostering a sense of community, demonstrating
social entrepreneurship, furthering active citizenship, and/or demonstrating
a significant act of courage in the face of opposition, pressure,
or challenging circumstances.
Special consideration will be given to nominees who have blurred
political boundaries-whether working across party lines, crossing
geo-political borders, or bridging other traditional divides. Nominees
need not be from Minnesota.
To nominate an individual, organization, or project, please submit
the following information:
• Name and contact information of nominee, including address,
telephone, fax, and e-mail
• Name and contact information of nominator(s), including address,
telephone, fax, and e-mail
• Resume OR summary of accomplishments of nominee, not to exceed
two pages
• Letter of nomination describing how the nominee satisfies the
above-listed criteria (not to exceed one page)
Letters of recommendation
and resumes must be submitted on 8½ x
11 white paper for ease and quality of reproduction. Please do not
submit clippings, brochures, or other attachments; they will be discarded.
Letters of nomination must be postmarked no later than January 31,
2006. Only letters with all contact information will be considered.
Nominations may be submitted via regular mail, special delivery,
e-mail, or fax. The names of the nominees and nominators will be
held in confidence.
Please send nomination materials to Camille J. Gage/Hubert H. Humphrey
Public Leadership Award, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 301
19th Ave. S., Suite 307, Minneapolis, MN, 55455 or via e-mail at
cgage@hhh.umn.edu or fax at (612) 625-6351. For more information,
contact Gage at (612) 625-5309. www.umn.edu/umnnews
Minneapolis 311 – How
Can We Help?
People who live, work, and visit Minneapolis now only need to know
one phone number, 311, to access city information and services. Minneapolis
311 replaces dozens of City phone numbers; anyone in the Minneapolis
City limits can simply call 311 for assistance.
In most cases, the 311 agent is the only person to which a caller
will need to talk. The call center agents are specially trained to
handle service requests providing the information that the caller
wants. Callers with emergencies should continue to call 911, but
311 is ready to handle non-emergency phone calls. People can call
to report a broken street light, have graffiti removed, report a
stray dog, or ask for any City service. The new 311 number will help
reduce the number of non-emergency calls that are currently made
to 911. This will help those operators better respond to emergencies.
Cell phone users within the
City limits will have access to 311. People who do not speak English
will be helped by a call center agent who speaks their language or
a translation service will be contacted to help the caller. 311 calls
will be answered from 7 am to 11 pm, Monday through Friday.
Home Accessibility
Universal
Design Publications Now Available
Need to make changes
in your home so it’s more “senior
friendly” or better fits the needs of a resident with a disability?
Building a new home and want to find out what “universal design” features
you can install for “aging in place” safely and comfortably?
A group of libraries around the state now have expanded collections
on these subjects. Materials were obtained with federal Family Caregiver
Support grant funds administered by the Minnesota Board on Aging.
For a list of the libraries, their contact information, and a description
of the materials in collection, go to www.mhfa.state.mn.us/accessibility.
For more info, contact the
Minnesota Housing Finance Agency at 651-296-7608, 1-800-657-3769,
or www.mhfa.state.mn.us.
Rochester Minnesota Buses are All Accessible
The City of Rochester has announced that every bus on the regular
route system operated by Rochester City Limits is wheelchair accessible.
The fleet has 38 active buses; 35 are low floor design equipped with
ramps and 3 are lift equipped buses. Each bus has two wheelchair
tie-down positions.
Ride the bus! For routes and other information call 507-288-4353
or www.rochesterbus.com. For other info in the Rochester area contact
Southeastern MN Center for Independent Living at 507-285-1815, 1-888-460-1815
or www.semcil.uhhc.org.
Free Tax Preparation
You are eligible for assistance if you are:
A senior citizen
A disabled citizen
An individual with limited or non-English speaking language
An individual with an income of $26,000 or less, or
A family with an income of $36,000 or less
Most volunteer preparation sites are open only from Feb. 1 through
April 15. For a list of sites, please search for free tax preparation
sites on the State of MN Revenue site at www.taxes.state.mn.us.
Emergency Health Care Services Join
Together to Provide Sign Language Interpreters
Hospitals and urgent care facilities in the Twin Cities Metropolitan
Area have banned together to provide sign language interpreters for
deaf and hard of hearing people receiving emergency care.
The consortium of hospitals has contracted with Communication Service
for the Deaf, a non-profit agency to provide sign language interpreters
for each of the medical facilities in the consortium. The agency
has responded to more than 30 requests for interpreter services.
The goal is to be a model for the whole country.
Canoe Adventures in
Florida’s 10,000 Islands for People of
All Abilities
Wilderness Inquiry, a non-profit organization that
brings people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities together for
wilderness adventures, is offering six-day canoe trips to the 10,000
Islands of SW Florida. The 10,000 Islands area is actually the saltwater
ecosystem of the Everglades and features pristine white beaches,
spectacular sunsets and excellent bird watching. Canoe trip dates
are February 13-18, February 21-26, March 4-9, and March 13-18. The
cost is $745 per person. Trip fees include all meals, equipment,
gear, trip planning, permits and staff. For more information contact
Wilderness Inquiry at 612-676-9413, or www.wildernessinquiry.org.
