This Month’s Issue Sponsor
Minnesota State Council on Disability
Your technical assistance and training resource
The Minnesota State Council on Disabilities (MSCOD) has been serving
Minnesota since 1973; it is one of five minority councils that serve
the residents of Minnesota. Minnesota statutes charge the council with
giving attention to the needs of persons who have a disability and
with advocating plans, programs and policies which serve the needs
of people with disabilities. Within this broad mandate, the council
has focused its purpose by identifying four strategies that span all
council activities: information and referral services; advisory recommendations;
customer focus and quality improvement; and research and data collection.
Mission
The Minnesota State Council
on Disabilities is an agency that collaborates, advocates, advises
and provides information to expand opportunities, increase the quality
of life and empower all persons with disabilities.
Core Functions
The MSCOD links
people with disabilities to those who are statutorily responsible
for planning and delivering services to them, and supplements the efforts
of disability advocacy groups in the private sector. Its core functions
are:
• providing advisory services on disability-related public policy;
• providing information and referral services on all disability-related
services and programs;
• providing technical assistance on laws, regulations and codes;
• researching, formulating and advocating plans, programs, and policies
serving the needs of people with disabilities.
Operations
People with disabilities
and their families are the primary customers and benefactors of the
council’s services. The MSCOD also provides services to public
officials, state agency personnel, local governments, employers, community
organizations, disability-related organizations, institutions, architects,
builders, neighborhood groups and the broader public.
Advisory services are
provided formally, and informally, to public officials and state
agency personnel. Direct disability-related information and referral
services are provided via telephone, e-mail, fax and participation
in public and private events to approximately 9,000 contacts each year.
Disability-related information, such as MSCOD’s publications,
frequently asked questions and answers (FAQs), fact sheets, and links
are also available through MSCOD’s Web site. Approximately 45
customized trainings are provided each year on disability issues to
a wide array of audiences. MSCOD also provides information services,
via two e-mail distribution lists, to approximately 200 disability-related
organizations throughout the state.
Fall 2007 Events from the
Minnesota State Council on Disability
Town Hall Meeting: October 23rd
A
town hall meeting on youth and transition will be held
on Tuesday, October, 23, 2007, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30
p.m. at the MN Dept of Human Services (444 Lafayette Rd,
St. Paul) and also throughout MN via Web streaming and
video conference. The meeting will focus around Project
C3 (Connecting Youth with Communities and Careers), which
aligns state youth development resources to better serve
youth with disabilities, and demonstrates how innovative
partnerships with community intermediary organizations
can use evidence-based best practices to improve local
transition services.
Annual Awards Luncheon: October
25th
We will be holding our Annual
Awards Luncheon on Thursday, October 25, 2007 from 11:30
a.m. to 1:30 p.m (RiverCentre in St. Paul). The keynote
speaker, Bridget Cantrell, Ph.D, has done extensive work
with our returning veterans and the psychological issues
that face our soldiers when they reintegrate to civilian
life. Dr. Cantrell will showcase her new book, “Once a Warrior: Wired for Life.”
Session on Returning Vets: October
25th
In response to interest of the
community, we have added a special session the morning
of the Annual Awards Luncheon on October 25, 2007 from
8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (also at RiverCentre in St. Paul).
The topic will be, REINTEGRATION: From Warrior to Citizen-Soldier.
Local speakers will discuss the reintegration issues that
Minnesota employers and veterans are experiencing now that
we have soldiers returning from Iraq.
Transportation and
Employment Forum:
November 7th
MSCOD will
host “The
Long Road to Work: A Transportation and Employment Dialogue” at
the Minnesota Department of Health Building (1645 Energy Park Drive,
St. Paul). The day-long event will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm.
The focus of this open forum will be to discuss the transportation
and employment needs of people with disabilities.
The Minnesota State Council on Disability (MSCOD) is working
hard at providing the information to legislators and the governor
on issues that are important to the disability community. MSCOD
will continue to focus on the issues that are at the forefront
of the minds of people with disabilities, such as transportation,
poverty, education, housing, access and employment.
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For
more information about the Minnesota State Council on Disability, call
651-361-7804 V/TTY or 1-800-945-8913 V/TTY, e-mail council.disability@state.mn.us or
visit our Web site at www.disability.state.mn.us
