News at a Glance
Wilderness Inquiry Offers Canoeing
and Kayaking Trips
Kayak Through the Apostle
Islands, Lake Superior
Wilderness Inquiry, a non-profit
organization that integrates people of all ages, backgrounds and
abilities through wilderness adventures, will offer three-and five-day “Apostle
Islands Sea Kayak” adventures
most weekends throughout the summer.
“These trips provide a means for people to safely kayak the
Apostles with a fun group of people,” said Lisa Butler, Wilderness
Inquiry’s sea kayak specialist. “People not only have
a great time but they also gain a new appreciation for what people
are capable of achieving.” Participants will explore sea caves,
sandy beaches, lighthouses and sunken shipwrecks as they paddle this
22-island archipelago on the south shore of Lake Superior. After
a good day’s paddle, participants take in the sweeping views
and sparkling beaches of the lake, while recounting the day’s
adventure with a group of new friends.
No previous kayak experience
is required as professional guides are provided for all of the
trips. “The first time I sat in
a sea kayak was with Wilderness Inquiry on a trip to the Apostle
Islands. It changed my life. I not only learned about kayaking, but
about cooperation and pushing oneself beyond one’s boundaries.
I came home from the trip, immediately bought my own kayak and helped
organize the Inland Sea Kayakers, a twin cities-based kayaking club,” said
Jody Russell, past President of the Inland Sea Kayakers.
Canoe Trips With Jim Fitzpatrick
While floating in a canoe
in the swamps of Arkansas last year, Minnesota naturalist Jim Fitzpatrick
saw a bird thought to be extinct for over 50 years—the fabled Ivory Billed Woodpecker. Fitzpatrick
was helping his brother, John, who happens to be an ornithologist
working for Cornell University. Together, they caught the world’s
attention when they saw what the locals used to call “the
Lord God Bird”.
Fitzpatrick will be
leading several canoe trips this year with Wilderness Inquiry. “Sharing the outdoors with everyone is my passion” says
Fitzpatrick. “What I really like about Wilderness Inquiry is
that they really do make the wilderness accessible to everyone, including
people who use wheelchairs, people who are blind, and just about
everyone under the sun”.
In August, Fitzpatrick
will lead a trip on the remote Big Salmon River, Yukon Territory,
This trip begins on pristine Quiet Lake, high in the Yukon’s Big Salmon Mountains. Along the way, paddlers
will see the remains of several cabins and old mining sites—places
where people dreamed of striking it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush
of ’98. The trip will coincide with the annual migration of
big red Chinook salmon, as they travel up steam on their way from
the Bering Sea to spawn in mountain-rimmed alpine lakes.
In October, Fitzpatrick will lead two canoe trips on the Rio Grand
River of Texas. Located in Big Bend National Park. these trips will
pass through the Mariscal and Boquillas canyons. With sheer rock
cliffs that rise 1400 feet above the water, these canyons provide
some of the most spectacular outdoor scenery in North America. Participants
will also explore slot canyons, witness the desert southwest in full
bloom, soak in natural hot springs and experience desert solitude.
These trips are all part of a series of adventures Wilderness Inquiry
leads in the Americas, Australia and Africa. Wilderness Inquiry specializes
in providing appropriate staff support and adapted equipment so people
who need physical assistance can fully participate. Trip fees vary
depending on the trip, and include meals, equipment, gear, trip planning,
permits and staff. For rates, more information or to sign up for
a trip, visit www.wildernessinquiry.org or call 800-728-0719.
Volunteer Opportunity
Frequent
Filer (Office Assistant)
Duties: provide supplementary
and auxiliary clerical services to agency staff. Being a Frequent Filer might
not be as glamorous as being a frequent flier, but this type of volunteer
service is invaluable to this large social service agency. 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 send e-mail
to volunteerservices@co.ramsey.mn.us.
Candidate Forum for Secretary of State
The Minnesota Disability Law
Center, Courage Center, Merrick, Inc., and ARC Twin Cities are
co-sponsoring a candidate forum for office of Secretary of State
on July 21, 2006 from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Paul and Sheila
Wellstone Center for Community Building in St. Paul. The purpose
of this forum is to provide an opportunity for individuals with
disabilities to connect with the candidates regarding voting
and election issues. Refreshments will be provided. ASL interpreters
provided.
The event is free and open to the public. If you would like more
information, please call Mai Thor at 612-746-3799 or send email to
mthor@midmnlegal.org.
Social Security Web
Site Provides Help and Answers
Social Security’s website,
www.socialsecurity.gov has
a variety of online services that allow people to access information
and conduct business with Social Security from the convenience of
their computers at any time. Medicare beneficiaries with limited
income and limited resources who need assistance paying for their
Medicare prescription drug costs can go to www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp to apply online for extra help. People also can apply online for
Social Security retirement, spouse’s and disability benefits
at www.socialsecurity.gov/applytoretire
In addition, Social
Security offers online benefits planners at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners.
The planner’s three online
calculators also allow individuals to compute estimates of their
future retirement benefits and current disability and survivors benefits.
Fassett-Carmen Returns to
Remembering with Dignity
Advocating Change Together
(ACT) has brought Jim Fassett-Carmen back as lead organizer for Remembering
With Dignity coalition (RWD). Fassett-Carmen and members of the RWD
committee will be developing a time line for the continued restoration
work on the Rochester state hospital cemetery, the St. Peter
treatment center cemetery and the Hastings state hospital cemetery
over the next 15 months.
Fassett-Carmen had been
with ACT/RWD for 7 years prior to being laid-off last August. The
funds for the continuation of this project come from a legislative
grant in the bonding bill of ’05 through
the Department of Human Services.
RWD is the effort by
ACT and other disability organizations to: 1) Bring more public
awareness of persons with developmental disabilities. 2) Keep the
history of persons that were institutionalized in Minnesota. 3)
Seek an apology from the state of Minnesota for the treatment of
individuals while they were institutionalized. 4) Replace anonymous
numbered markers at the former state hospital cemeteries with granite
headstones that show the person’s name, birth date and death
date.
RWD is one of many projects
at ACT. ACT also offers a leadership development program called Common
Vision, as well as an earned income venture called Tools for Change,
through which they distribute products that are mission-driven and
multi-media.
New Fair Housing Web Site
Do
you think you’ve been treated unfairly or been discriminated
against in renting or buying housing? The federal Fair Housing Act
prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex, disability, familial status and national origin in renting or
selling private or public housing.
To encourage residents’ awareness
and support of the law, Hennepin County has a new Fair Housing
section on the county website, www.hennepin.us. The site, created
by the Hennepin Housing, Community Works and Transit Department,
provides facts and resources about fair housing practices and housing
discrimination.
Included on the site are information on fair housing laws and enforcement,
legal resources, examples of housing discrimination, home ownership
rights, tenant resources, links to housing and human rights organizations,
and information on how to file a fair housing complaint. There currently
are more than 200 fair housing complaints on file with the Housing
Discrimination Law Project, a collaborative between Mid-Minnesota
Legal Assistance and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services that
covers the metropolitan area.
The site also includes information
on building inclusive communities, advancing fair housing, multi-language
resources (including home ownership rights in Hmong, Russian, Somali
and Spanish), and links to information on various ethnic cultures
and backgrounds.
Find a Park in Hennepin
County Online!
Spring is sprung, the grass
is riz—wonder where the
closest park is?! Hennepin County has a new park locator feature
on the county Web site, www.hennepin.us. Some 928 parks can be located
on the site, which includes state, Three Rivers (Hennepin County),
city and Minnesota Valley parks. Once you find the map of a park,
you can get an even more accurate view by clicking on “aerial
photo” to see
such details as surrounding streets, parking lots, and the lay of
the land around the park.
”This interactive site is yet another service we are now able
to provide on the Hennepin County website,” says Commissioner
Randy Johnson, chair of the Hennepin County Board and a long-time
proponent of the latest in technology for county services. “The
park locator is just the beginning. We are planning a ‘Hennepin
Mapped’ section of the website on which visitors will be able
to locate the nearest service center, library and recycling center,
as well as highway construction information and other county services.”
Disability/Religion
Resources/Online Community
Faith
communities generally strive to be welcome to anyone who has a
desire to participate. Unfortunately some religious groups proclaim “Welcome
Everyone” while unknowingly excluding persons with disabilities.
Barriers to participating can be both physical and attitudinal.
Fortunately there are organizations that are striving to increase
awareness of the unique contributions and needs that persons
with disabilities bring to their church, mosque or synagogue.
Faith Ability www.faithability.org offers an opportunity for
people with an interest in religion and disability issues to
discuss resources and solutions, and seeks to compile those
resources into one location. At the Faith Ability Web site
you will find a directory of religious disability programs,
a news section and a bulletin board. Please stop by to see
some of the great resources that exist in this area and share
your own life experiences that may be helpful to others.
