Upcoming Events
Minnesota State Fair
August 24 - September
4
The MN State Fair is committed
to providing equal access and a pleasant experience for all its guests.
The fair’s
Accessibility Guide provides detailed info on a range of accessibility
options including parking, park and ride, metro transit, wheelchair
battery recharging, entertainment venues, sign language interpreters,
TTYs and ALDs. To receive a copy, send your name/address to: Access
Mail List, MN State Fair, 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108;
or call 651-288-4448, 651-642-2372 (TTY).
Hennepin County AutoMARK
demonstrations
August 2006
Voters get a chance to try
out AutoMARK, the new ballot-marking device, from 1 to 4p.m. at the
following Hennepin County facilities: Mon, Aug. 14—Eden Prairie
Library, 565 Prairie Center Drive; Thurs, Aug. 17 and Aug. 31—Hennepin
County Government Center, Public Service Level, 300 S. Sixth St.,
downtown Minneapolis; Wed, Aug. 16—Southdale Library, 7001
York Ave. S., Edina; Mon, Aug. 21—Ridgedale Library, 12601
Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka; Mon, Aug. 28—Maple Grove Library,
8351 Elm Creek Blvd.; Wed, Aug. 30—Brookdale Service Center,
6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center.
UMBIDA Support Group
Starting
in September 2006
UMBIDA (Upper Midwest
Branch of the International Dyslexia Association) is sponsoring
an 8 week adult support group for persons with dyslexia. Facilitated
by adult dyslexics for adult dyslexics. Starting in September in
Saint Paul. For further details: UMBIDA 651-450-7589 or RunLrnMchn@aol.com
Family to Family Course on
Mental Illness
Starting September 5, 2006
Families of persons with a
mental illness are invited to attend a free educational course that
provides a greater understanding of mental illness, helps them cope
better, worry less and feel empowered to advocate for better treatment
for their relative. The 12-week Family-to-Family course, sponsored
by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota, will
be held in St. Paul starting Tuesday, Sept. 5. FFI or to register,
call Anna Mae Hogan, 651-730-8434.
Kaposia's Walk
for Wheels
September 23, 2006
Join Kaposia on Saturday,
September 23rd at Como Park for its first annual "Walk for Wheels," and
help raise money for the purchase of a wheelchair-accessible van.
Kaposia is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the
inclusion of people with disabilities and other challenges in working
and participating in their communities. For information regarding
Walk for Wheels registration and donations, please visit www.kaposia.com
Creative Options Conference
September 25, 2006
Creative Options, a one-day
energizing conference for people with disabilities and the families
and staff who support them, will be held on Monday, Sept 25 from
8a.m. to 4p.m. at the Eagan Community Center. This year’s conference
will be kicked off by Kathie Snow, a nationally-known advocate for
people with disabilities and the publisher of the Disability is Natural
Free Press. Registration/more info, please contact Susal Hilden at
651-365-3731 or shilden@lifeworks.org.
St. Louis County Health
and Human Service Conference
October 12 - 13, 2006
Thurs - Fri., Oct 12-13, 2006,
in Duluth, MN at the DECC, the St.
Louis County Health and Human Service Conference will draw together
more than 1,400 health and human service practitioners from the public
and private sectors for two days of training and networking. The
conference provides a forum in which to share innovative ideas and
programs, stretch our perspectives, strengthen community health and
human services, and address common issues and concerns. The
keynote, “What’s Happening To Our Village,” will
be presented by Paul Rogat Loeb. To view/print our brochure online
go to www.co.st-louis.mn.us. Look under the “what’s
new” column to view the “2006 Health & Human Service
Conference.” Registration: $40 [students & srs $30]. 100
workshops, 100 exhibits. MN Board of Social Work CEHs will be available.
Some CEHs may also fulfill MN Board of Nursing requirements. FFI:
Mary Bridget Lawson, lawsonm@co.st-louis.mn.us, 218-726-2140.
Living with Dying
November 16 - 19, 2006
With Baby Boomers turning
60 this year, more and more people are beginning to look at the big
questions, such as “What
is death?” and “What
happens after I die?”
The Benedictine Center is offering
a four-day opportunity in November that is back by popular demand.
The leaders, a social worker-hospice volunteer, chaplain-spiritual
director and nurse-psychologist, describe themselves as “women interested in exploring consciousness,
especially as it relates to death.” This retreat is geared
to professionals who care for the dying, those who care for a terminally
ill loved one and those who are just plain curious about death itself.
Participants will explore their ideas and feelings about death and
learn new skills that will help them live a more peaceful life, thus
experiencing a more peaceful death. As one of the leaders says, “With
Lamaze, we’ve mastered the natural birthing process; now we’re
ready to find a natural deathing process.”
Incidentally, the nurse-psychologist
leading the event co-edited a book called “Kiss Me Goodnight,” which
was nominated for this year’s Minnesota Book Award and includes
poems and stories of women who lost their mothers at a young age.
FFI: Kathleen Lindstrom; 952-829-1386.
2007 Minnesota Self-Advocacy
Conference
May 18 and 19, 2007
Mark your calendars now for
the 2007 MN Self-Advocacy Conference. The two-day event, “Lead.
Change. Empower.” will be held at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul
Riverfront Hotel (formerly Radisson Riverfront Hotel) on May 18 and
19, 2007. For more info, or for future mailings, contact Kathy Sanders
at 651-641-0297, or e-mail act@self
advocacy.org
