Cuts to services for people with disabilities are having a devastating effect on families who are draining savings accounts and selling assets to pay for their children’s care. Adults who have lost assistance are struggling to meet even basic needs. But until state legislators find a way to raise revenues, their challenges will continue. That ...
Features
Families, facing pressure, call for support at capitol
With no change, trains could leave riders behind
When light rail trains begin operations on the Central Corridor or Green Line route in 2014, getting to some stations may be easier said than done. Sidewalks leading to stations are broken, narrow, overgrown with brush and trees, or are poorly lit. And that’s where there are sidewalks.
Many areas have sidewalks on only one side ...
Deadline June 30: Nominations needed for 2013 Charlie Award
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 ...
An argument for change: Raise revenues, protect disability services from cuts
The Arc Minnesota position During this legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature should approve and Gov. Mark Dayton should sign a two-year state budget that increases revenues. Revenue increases raised fairly are necessary to help prevent further cuts to disability services and supports and to increase investments in those services. Why revenues should be raised For a decade, Minnesota ...
Access Press meets guests from Azerbaijan, Czech Republic
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 ...
Accessible to all, community sings were entertainment
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 ...
Reform 2020 aims for easier reporting of suspected maltreatment
Reform 2020 is a bipartisan initiative to reform Medical Assistance—Minnesota’s Medicaid program—to better meet the challenges of rising health care costs and a growing aging population while still providing Minnesotans the services they need to lead fulfilling lives. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has asked the 2013 Legislature to approve several components of the initiative, ...
Regional News in Review – May 2013
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 ...
People and Places – May 2013
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 ...
In Memorium – May 2013
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, ...
Apollo Center closing leaves clients without support
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 ...
Accessible Events – May 2013
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 ...
Radio Talking Book – May 2013
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 ...
May 2013 Issue
Here's a .pdf of the entire issue for May 2013. Please note you may need to create a log-in to read and/or download the file.
Tied to Affordable Care Act: MA earning limits negatively impact disability community
Minnesotans with disabilities and senior citizens are protesting a new state law that limits earnings for those on Minnesota’s Medicaid or Medical Assistance (MA) program. The state law change is tied to the federal Affordable Care Act. The change is being criticized by the state’s disability groups because it specifically leaves out Minnesotans with disabilities, ...
Voters with disabilities want changes
Changes to voting laws are among many issues still in play during the final weeks of Minnesota’s 2013 legislative session. But with no clear agreements and Gov. Mark Dayton insisting that any measures have broad bipartisan support; it’s not clear what if anything will be signed into law this spring. That hasn’t deterred state lawmakers from ...
Assistive technology conference helps farmers be outstanding in their fields
Spring is a busy time for farmers and ranchers. Long days are spent tilling the fields and planting crops, caring for livestock and their offspring, and doing the countless chores.
More than 190 farmers and ranchers with disabilities, speakers and vendors took a break from spring work to attend the National AgrAbility training conference held April ...
Benefit kicks off 50th anniversary for Sister Kenny show
In 1963, fear of polio and its effects was widespread. 26-year-old Margaret Anderson was one of many people who contracted the dreaded disease. Anderson’s polio resulted in quadriplegia and dependence upon a respirator to sustain her life. While in an iron lung, Anderson learned to paint in oils while holding the brush in her mouth to ...
Potential for deep budget cuts concerns Minnesotans
A proposal cut $150 million in state health and human services spending has Minnesotans with disabilities and their advocacy groups converging on the state capitol. Protests erupted after legislators returned from the Easter/Passover break April 2.
People lined the capitol steps and filled space outside the chambers, waving signs and chanting “No more cuts!” Demonstrations, rallies ...
Parents want Medical Assistance fees reduced
Medical Assistance (MA) costs are also a concern this legislative session for parents who pay for coverage of in-home supports and medical services for their children with disabilities. A bill to reduce fees passed Minnesota House and Senate policy committees before state lawmakers went on Easter/Passover recess.
Parents whose incomes would normally be too high to ...
Reform 2020 promotes empowerment
People with disabilities and the challenges they face with employment was the topic when Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner when Lucinda Jesson met with a group of employers and employees in downtown St. Paul to talk about a part of Governor Mark Dayton’s 2013 budget. Among the employees was Scott, a 17-year employee at ...
Competitive bidding program draws scrutiny
Medical supply companies and disability rights advocates are continuing the push for changes in federal competitive bidding regulations for home medical equipment. The changes, which are at the center of a recent lawsuit filed by Minnesota-based Key Medical Supply, are a concern for medical suppliers and consumers around the country. The bidding changes are being rolled ...
Radio Talking Book – April 2013
NLS Conducting Survey The Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) would like to know how to better serve the needs of readers of talking books and braille. To take their survey online or to learn more about it, go to www.LibraryOfCongressSurvey.com. Or, you can call 1-866-545-1618 to schedule a ...
Regional News in Review – April 2013
Pet owners get help during crises Losing a pet is hard enough but surrendering a pet because of hospitalization is even harder. Carver County mental health officials have launched a program to prevent people with severe depression or other mental illness from losing ownership of their pets during times of crisis. In some cases, pet owners ...
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