News at a Glance
New Web Site for Autism Spectrum
Disorder
Developed by a mother of a
child with autism spectrum, the Canadian Based Web site is for parents,
caregivers, and professionals who are involved in any educational program
for children with
autism spectrum disorder.
There are lots of free
downloads that can be used
for educational programs for children with Autism/Asperger’s
Syndrome. You might consider visiting the Web site www.abaresources.com and
adding it to your list of existing links.
For further information contact Sharon Gabison, ABA Educational Resources
Ltd., 185 Vanguard Rd., Concord, Ontario, L4K 5G9; 905-597-0140.
Web site: www.abaresources.com
Cancurables Foundation 2006
Fair Bear Design Contest
Here’s your chance to make a difference!
Show the world how creative you are by designing the 2006 Fair Bear.
The Cancurables Foundation introduced a new line of collectable bears
at the 2005 Minnesota State Fair and can’t wait to continue
the tradition at this year’s State Fair. Thousands of people
helped raise money for cancer research by purchasing and stuffing
their own Fair Bear. You can be part of this exciting experience
by designing the next one! The winning design will receive a spectacular
prize package and will be honored with recognition at the Cancurables
State Fair booth.
Contest Rules and Regulations:
• Design your own 2006 Fair Bear, using the bear pattern found
on the Access Press Web site
• Choose a fur color for the bear
• Design a bear t-shirt displaying the word “Cancurables” somewhere
on it
• Choose the colors for the t-shirt and print
• You may want to add a hat, or choose a theme (farmer bear, sports
bear, etc.)
• The cancer survivor
ribbon may be embroidered on a foot or paw if you choose.
• Designs will be judged
by the Cancurables Foundation Board.
• Winner will be contacted
by telephone.
The winning design will
be the official Cancurables 2006 Fair Bear! Design drawings may
be submitted by mail or email. The Cancurables Foundation reserves
the right to alter designs to fit with manufacturer standards and
budget. All entries must be received no later than April 15, 2006.
Please include your name, email address, and phone number. You
can email your entries to kstinar@cancurables.org, or send them by
mail to: Cancurables Foundation, 808 Berry Street #409, St. Paul,
MN 55114. Remember to have fun and be creative. Good luck!
FREE Test
Drive of iBOT® Mobility
System
The iBOT® Mobility System
is a powered mobility system for individuals who have mobility impairments.
The iBOT® provides
up to five operating functions, including: 4-Wheel, Balance, Stair,
Standard and Remote. To schedule your Free Test Drive in Bloomington
or receive more information, call toll-free 1-866-643-4267. Dates
for Free Test Drives are: May 8, June 5, July 31, Aug 28, Sept
25, and Oct. 23, 2006.
Special Olympics New Column
features Athletes and Government
Roberta Blomster will have
her own column in Spirit the Quarterly Magazine produced by Special
Olympics, Inc. The column will primarily focus on Athletes and Government.
This is a huge topic for Special Olympics athletes worldwide. It
was one of the four global topics discussed during the 2005 Special
Olympics Global Athlete Congress down in Panama.
Roberta Blomster is
involved in Special Olympics in many ways—as
an athlete, a coach for track and field, a global messenger, a nationally
trained athlete leader, and a trainer. She is also an accomplished
Self-Advocate, including getting involved with the Minnesota Legislature
and now the U.S. Congress. She is also serving her first three-year
term on the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities,
including being on the Public Policy Committee for the Council.
If you are a Special Olympics Minnesota Athlete and would like to
subscribe to Spirit Magazine, you can do it in two ways. One is to
do it on the Special Olympics, Inc. Web site, www.specialolympics.org.
The other way is to do it via mail. Send your subscription to: Special
Olympics, Inc., 1133 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.
If you also would like
to get involved in Government Relations, there are wonderful resources
from the Minnesota Governor’s
Council on Developmental Disabilities. The council Web site has the
Making Your Case book, which yes, you can print off of the Web site,
www.mncdd.org. The Making Your Case E-Learning Course in on the Partners
in Policymaking Web site, www.partnersinpolicymaking.com. These resources
are free.
ADA - Online Comment
Form—Feedback Needed
The national network of ADA & IT
Technical Assistance Centers, also known as The Great Lakes ADA
and Accessible IT Center in collaboration with the network of ADA
and IT Centers, also known as DBTACs, are seeking your comments
on experiences with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Your feedback on experiences in employment, building access, or
access to public services will help the Centers identify training
gaps and issues needing increased technical assistance.
Tell us what has worked for you, what barriers you still encounter
and how the ADA has made a difference in your life.
The form is short and simple. Comment only on topics of interest
or concern to you. Comment as often as you like on any of the several
categories.
There is no identification asked other than the state in which you
live to help assure we are reaching all parts of the country.
Go to www.ADATA.org and select the ONLINE COMMENT FORM.
Help us help the nation -
tell us what you think! We will make our findings public so watch
the www.adata.org Web site for more information. If you have questions
regarding this form or process please contact us at 800-949-4232(V/TTY)
or by e-mail at gldbtac@uic.edu.
The Minnesota Emergency Medical
Services for Children Information System
The MEMSCIS vision is to
develop a culturally sensitive, family-centered methodology in
the emergency planning process for a group of special needs children
with significant heart disease and to measure the effectiveness
of such a process. Our vision is to develop a web-interactive database
which will allow timely access to Emergency Medical Information
for Children with Special Health Care Needs. Implementation of a
statewide system will allow use of the database for public health
planning for Children with Special Health Care needs in the event
of natural disasters or acts of terrorism. The database has been
designed to accommodate other states that wish to develop a statewide
EIS.
Goal of the MEMSCIS Web site: This system is designed to help the
families of children at risk by providing a secure online access
to pertinent information about these children. The fingertip availability
of this can be crucial to the care of this child at any time, but
particularly during an emergency situation.
MEMSCIS for Physicians
and Staff: Strategic to a system which will manage “the gathering and dissemination of information” is
allowing all relevant parties to have editorial review and reporting
access to the information. For any physician of a special needs child,
having that child’s medical history including medication and
allergies, as well as prearranged emergency procedure and guidelines
available in real time, via the Internet to any authorized person,
can mean treatment confidence and be potentially life-saving.
MEMSCIS for Parents:
As a parent of a special needs child you have often been confronted
with providing medical history, medications and clinical procedures
regarding your child. To prevent errors you probably require a
large folder of documentation. At times of emergency the last thing
you might remember is the folder. The MEMSCIS system would only
require that you remember an Internet address and password (this
could even be printed on a person’s medical tag).
The MEMSCIS system allows any authorized person access to all relevant
medical data regarding your child. As a parent you have access to
the same medical data and can provide instructions regarding the
care of your child. When traveling outside of your locality, you
are able to quickly find other physicians and care facilities when
needed.
MEMSCIS is a collaboration
of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics,
the University of Minnesota, and the EMS Regulatory Board. For more
information contact Jehad Adwan, RN, MS, Nurse Coordinator, 612-626-5178,
adwan001@umn.edu
Disability Viewpoints
The April program on
Disability Viewpoints begins
Monday April 10th at 7:30 p.m. on CTV 15 in Roseville and surrounding
communities and repeating throughout the month. The speakers for
April are MN Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MCCD) Co-Chairs: John
Tschida, Courage Center and Joel Ulland, National MS Society
Minnesota Chapter. They will be talking about the legislative
issues for 2006 that affect people with disabilities. For information
about Disability Viewpoints contact Jo Ann Erbes at 651-646-7588
or ucpmn@cpinternet.com
May 8th Disability Viewpoints will begin at 7:30 p.m. on
CTV 15 in Roseville and surrounding communities. The speakers
are Joan Breslin-Larson, MN Department of Education and Dannel Friel,
Dynavox Systems. Ms. Breslin-Larson will be talking about assistive
technology for students with disabilities and Ms. Friel will be
talking about Zippity Zoo Day. For information
about Disability Viewpoints contact Jo Ann Erbes at 651-646-7588
or ucpmn@cpinternet.com
Fish
with a Friend
Share your favorite fishing
stories with a new friend! Become a Fishing Guide volunteer and take
an adult fishing on a metro area lake or river. You may fish from
land, dock or boat. A pair of volunteers could be a guide-team (great
for siblings, spouses, friends, etc)!
Reach out to an angler in the community who may be isolated due
to depression, anxiety or another mental illness. You will be reimbursed
for pre-approved expenses and mileage. Remember, activities and hours
are your choice!
Learn more by contacting the
Volunteer Coordinator at Guild Incorporated: (651) 457-2248 ext.
36 or e-mail at volunteer@guildincorporated.org. Check out our website
for more information at www.guildincorporated.org. Guild Incorporated
is a non-profit agency which helps people with mental illness lead
quality lives.
Social Services Assistant
Make
a difference and impact your community by supplementing agency staff
in the provision of services. Volunteers must be at
least 18 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.
Como Park Cafesjian’s
Carousel Opens May 2
The historic and treasured
merry-go-round that has delighted riders for five seasons at St.
Paul’s Como Park—is
seeking additional volunteers for its seventh season.
Volunteers operate the
carousel, sell tickets, and sell merchandise at the gift shop.
They work 3-or 4-hour shifts, two or more times each month. New
volunteers are encouraged to apply individually, in pairs or as
groups. Training is provided for all positions, and free parking
is available. For information about volunteer opportunities, contact
Cafesjian’s Carousel at 651-489-4628 or volunteer@ourfaircarousel.org,
or visit our Web site at www.ourfaircarousel.org.
Cafesjian’s Carousel
originally operated for 75 years at the Minnesota State Fair. It
is now owned and operated by the nonprofit organization Our Fair
Carousel, Inc. Volunteers have restored the carousel to its 1914
appearance and installed it in its new pavilion next to the Marjorie
McNeely Conservatory at Como Park in 2000. The group pays operational
expenses through ticket and gift sales.
The carousel operates
Tuesdays through Sundays from May 2 through Labor Day, and weekends
from Labor Day until the end of October. These are the hours: May
2–Sept. 4: Tuesday–Friday 11
am–4 pm, and Saturday–Sunday 11 am–6 pm, Sept.
5–Oct. 31: Saturday–Sunday 11 am–4 pm. Infants
under age one ride free; tickets for all other riders are $1.50.
DisabilityVENTURE
Initiative
The Minneapolis Consortium
of Community Developers (MCCD) is partnering with the Minnesota Department
of Employment and Economic Development/Rehabilitation Services (DEED/RS)
to provide business development services for people with disabilities
in the Twin Cities area.
MCCD is an association
of 27 nonprofit community development corporations that provide
affordable housing and business development services. Working with
a number of its members, MCCD’s business development
program assists emerging entrepreneurs who face challenges in accessing
capital from traditional sources. In 2005, MCCD facilitated $1.14
million in financing for 76 small business development projects.
Under the DisabilityVENTURE initiative, MCCD will sponsor group
and one-on-one business development training for RS clients and other
eligible persons with disabilities. MCCD will also assist participants
in obtaining financing to launch their own small businesses.
“We are delighted to establish this new partnership with Rehab
Services,” said MCCD’s Executive Director Jim Roth. “DisabilityVENTURE
is a good fit for MCCD because it helps us further our mission to
move emerging entrepreneurs into the economic mainstream.”
DisabilityVENTURE is
sponsored by “Pathways to Employment,” a
joint effort of DEED, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and
the Minnesota State Council on Disability (MSCOD) to increase competitive
employment of people with disabilities and meet Minnesota’s
workforce needs.
For more information contact
Rob Smolund at MCCD at 612/789-7337, ext 11. E-mail Rsmolund@mccdmn.org
“Destination Anywhere” - A
National Exhibit for Young Artists with Disabilities
VSA arts and
Volkswagon of America are seeking artwork from young artists with
disabilities, ages 16-25 living within the U.S. “Destination
Anywhere” challenges artists to consider the picture plan as
a destination, a place where the viewer might take a trip they never
expected. Fifteen finalists will be awarded a total of $60,000 during
an awards ceremony on Capital Hill and the artwork will be displayed
in a nationwide touring exhibit that will debut at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, DC.
Artwork may illustrate a destination. Abstract work that relates
to feelings or emotions, or an experience of living with a disability
and its role in shaping or transforming the destination is also encouraged.
Art must be an original work that has been completed in the last
three years. Eligible media include: paintings, drawings, fine art
prints, photography, computer generated prints, and mixed media.
Artwork must be presented in two dimensions and should not exceed
60 inches in either direction. There is no fee to apply.
For additional information
visit www.vsarts.org/VWcall or contact Jennifer Colaguori, visual
arts coordinator at jenniferc@vsarts.org, or 800-933-8721 ext. 3885.
Courage
Center Accepting Nominations for Annual Jay and Rose Phillips Awards
Courage
Center is accepting nominations for its annual Jay and Rose Phillips
Awards. The awards are presented each year by Courage Center to
people with disabilities who have achieved outstanding success in
their vocation. Winners receive a $1,500 cash award, a plaque, and
will be recognized at the Medtronic Celebration of Courage set for
Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006 at Medtronic World Headquarters.
Nominees for the award must have a physical disability and be vocationally
and financially independent (Medical Assistance excluded) for a minimum
of three years. Self-employed individuals are also eligible for the
award. Employers are encouraged to nominate their employees who meet
these criteria.
An online application
is available at www.courage.org. If you’d
like a copy mailed to you, please contact Vicki McEvoy, Marketing
Communications, Courage Center at 763-520-0262 or vicki.mcevoy@courage.org.
This year’s nomination deadline is Thursday, June 1, 2006.
Winners will be notified at the end of June.
Courage Center Seeks
Applicants for Two Annual Scholarship Programs
The Empower Scholarship
The EMPOWER (Encourage Minority
Participation in Occupations With Emphasis on Rehabilitation) scholarship
was established in 1995. It is designed to increase diversity in
the medical rehabilitation field by awarding two students of color
$1,500 each, to be used at the college or university of their choice.
It is administered by Courage Center, with funds made possible through
the David M. Hersey Endowment Fund. To be considered for the EMPOWER
Scholarship Award, applicants must be an ethnically diverse student
accepted at or enrolled in a higher learning institution; a Minnesota
resident or has volunteered in a Courage Center program; demonstrate
a career interest in the medical/rehabilitation field by completing
at least 150 hours of career-related volunteer service; have a minimum
GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale; and show a financial need. Selection is
based on an applicant’s career intentions and achievements
rather than graduation rank. The deadline is Monday, May 15, 2006.
The
Scholarship for People with Disabilities
Funded by Melvin and
Sally Mooty, this scholarship assists students with a sensory
impairment or physical disability who want to pursue educational
goals or gain technical expertise beyond high school. The goal of
the scholarship is to increase career options and enrich people’s
lives through education and training. Scholarships are based on individual
need, scholarship and statement of intent, and do not exceed $1,000.
A candidate must be a U.S. citizen, Minnesota resident or have
received Courage Center services. The deadline is Wednesday,
May 31, 2006.
To download an application for either scholarship, visit www.courage.org and click on the Scholarships button. For more information about
the EMPOWER Scholarship, contact Sue Perkey at 763-520-0214 or suep@courage.org.
For more information on the SCHOLARSHIP FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES,
contact Nancy Robinow, Vocational Services, 763-520-0553.
