Children with autism and their families got long-awaited support from the 2013 Minnesota Legislature as the House and Senate passed legislation enacting autism insurance reform. Gov. Mark Dayton signed the measure as part of the omnibus health and human services bill. It takes effect in January 2014. The reform measures are expected to provide financial relief ...

More »

[caption id="attachment_16714" align="alignleft" width="201" caption="Lillian Lampros: a seventh grader at Capitol Hill Magnet School in St. Paul"][/caption] A 1974 legal case that was a turning point in the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities in the United States was a Minnesota History Day project. Lillian Lampros, a 13-year-old seventh grader at Capitol Hill Magnet School in ...

More »

Name change for longtime job service organization Midway Training Services is now Ally People Solutions. The name changed was announced in May. The new name is seen as more reflective of the nonprofit organization’s mission and services. Ally People Solutions is based in St. Paul. It was started in 1965 by parents who wanted to provide more ...

More »

[caption id="attachment_16756" align="alignleft" width="217" caption="Carl Nimis works on food prep at Chipotle. He hopes to be a manager."][/caption] Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota, a leader in state-wide workforce development, presented its Participant of the Year award to three individuals at the Minnesota History Center who displayed tremendous effort and determination while accomplishing their employment goals, spoke with the ...

More »

Need more time to nominate a deserving person or group for the 2013 Access Press Charlie Smith Award? You’re in luck. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Aug. 9. The newspaper’s Board of Directors has decided to give community members more time to submit nominations for the coveted award, which is given in recognition ...

More »

The focus of Access Press’ annual Charlie Smith Awards Banquet is to honor a Minnesota individual or group for outstanding service to the state’s disability community. The banquet also serves as a fundraiser for Access Press, Minnesota’s disability community newspaper. Reservations can now be made for the Nov. 1 banquet, which starts at 5:30 p.m. with ...

More »

Auctioneer is one of a kind Despite a strong dose of nerves and with his notes nearby, Riley Cludy built up the courage to conduct his very first live auction, realizing a goal he’s been thinking about for a year and half. “He would have never picked up a microphone and talked into it in front of ...

More »

The 2013 Minnesota Legislature was good to mental health programs and services, much to the relief of advocacy organizations and families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Minnesota) and other advocates and groups are pleased; citing gains on everything from to stepped up early identification and treatment to help with housing to more restrictions ...

More »

Carl Nimis, a recent winner of the Goodwill/Easter Seals’ Participant of the Year Award, spoke during at a rally recent in support of “ban the box” legislation. The legislation was signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton. The new law will stop employers from asking about a job applicant’s criminal record before reaching the ...

More »

Welcome to the Access Press Accessible Fun listings. Readers looking for additional opportunities to enjoy the arts have these options: For information on galleries and theater performances around the state, join the Access to Performing Arts email list at access@vsamn.org or call VSA Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or statewide 800-801-3883 (voice/TTY). To hear a weekly listing of accessible performances, ...

More »

Make plans now to attend Minnesota’s annual ADA Celebration. The 2013 event is 1-3 p.m. Fri, July 26 at the Elmer L. Andersen Human Services Building. 540 Cedar Street. St. Paul. This free and fun community event includes lively entertainment and informative speakers/ Light refreshments will be served. More details will be announced soon and accommodations ...

More »

Local Newspaper Reading Has 20 Year Anniversary On April 29, volunteers and listeners in Fergus Falls marked the 20th Anniversary of the reading of local newspapers with a luncheon, complete with entertainment, speeches, certificates of appreciation, and cake. The establishment of reading of local newspapers in that area, in 1993, was a project of the local ...

More »

The Arc Greater Twin Cities has presented its Changemaker Awards to eight volunteers who have made a difference for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The recipients were honored at The Arc’s Annual Meeting and Volunteer Celebration on May 4 at Roseville Skating Center. Awards were presented in three categories. “Our Changemaker Award ...

More »

Here's a .pdf of the June 2013 newspaper issue.  Please note you may need to create a log in to view the paper.

More »

Many people provide exceptional service to Minnesota’s disability community. We all know them. We see them working to make change, at the capitol or in our neighborhoods. We may benefit from a law they helped pass or a program they started or a facility they helped to design or build. Honor that exceptional person or group ...

More »

Murad Mammadov’s quest to learn about educating children with disabilities recently took him from his home in Baku, Azerbaijan to Minnesota. Mammadov was fortunate to have been chosen by the United Nations Organization to intern in the United States and learn more about special education programs. Mammadov spent several weeks on the East Coast and with ...

More »

Over the past decade, disability services bore a significant burden when balancing the budget; hundreds of millions of dollars were cut from these services or fees for those services were increased. Here are a few examples from the past five years:   Cuts in 2011 • Funding for disability services was cut by 1.5% in 2012 and another ...

More »

Singing together in a park, under the trees or even under a moonlit sky, may sound quaint today. But during the early to mid-20th century, community sings were a very popular and accessible form of entertainment.  At a time when people with disabilities and senior citizens had very limited access to parks and recreation programs, anyone ...

More »

Families can try out travel Travel can be stressful for anyone, but for children with autism, crowded airports and security screenings can be a difficult experience. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Autism Society of Minnesota have launched a new program to help children and families prepare for air travel. “We were really nervous about how the airport ...

More »

St. Peter Treatment Center time capsule opened after more than 50 years Employees, clients and retirees gathered at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center’s Tomlinson Gym recently to open, with some effort and a cloud of dust, a time capsule. The time capsule was uncovered during a remodeling project. Items inside dated from the 1950s and ...

More »

Ellie Heller cared for children Ellie Heller, who cared for more than 60 foster children, including many with disabilities, died April 18 in Pelican Rapids. She was 89. She was a strong advocate for children and co-founder of the Minnesota Foster Care Association. Daughter-in-law Georgia Heller Duncan, said that many children she cared for had autism, ...

More »

APOLLO Resource Center, Ramsey County’s only drop-in center for people with mental illness, closed May 1 after more than 36 years. Like many other programs it is a victim of funding cuts and shifts in how services are delivered. Clients were told of the closing during a January meeting with center staff. The center was run ...

More »

Welcome to the Access Press Accessible Fun listings. Readers looking for additional opportunities to enjoy the arts have these options: For information on galleries and theater performances around the state, join the Access to Performing Arts email list at access@vsamn.org or call VSA Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or statewide 800-801-3883 (voice/TTY). To hear a weekly listing of accessible ...

More »

More »

New Phone Number for Custom Audio Transcriptions The Communication Center and the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault are making changes to serve you better.  Ultimately, there will be only one phone number for you to call.  While we aren’t there yet, we have taken the first step of changing part of our Communication ...

More »