When the 2012 Minnesota Legislature gavels into session Jan. 24, the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD) will have its legislative agenda set. Despite cautious optimism about a recently announced $876 million state surplus, members expect a difficult legislative session.
Member organizations’ representative will meet Dec. 14 to set the agenda and choose the organization’s ...
News
Legislative priorities are being chosen
Area colleges face an accessible housing crunch
Colleges and universities must provide accessible housing for students with disabilities, both in long-term and short-term situations. Sometimes the demand for accessible housing exceeds the supply.
The crunch for accessible living space is truly being felt this year at Macalester College in St. Paul as student demands for accessible housing rise. According to Residential Life Operational ...
Explore, prepare for Special Needs Basic Care changes
Beginning Jan. 1 through July 2012 Minnesota adults and children with disabilities receiving Medical Assistance (MA) will be asked to join a Special Needs Basic Care (SNBC) health plan by Department of Human Services (DHS). This is a result of state legislation passed in 2011. The new law provides that people may choose to opt out ...
20 percent cut – Relatives who provide care are focus
Cuts to medical assistance reimbursement rates, made behind closed doors during the 2011 Minnesota Legislature’s July special session are at the center of a lawsuit against the State of Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed Oct. 25 in Ramsey County District Court on behalf of eight home health care agencies, employees and their clients with various ...
Courage Center’s Mundl is honored for achievements
Jennifer Mundl was 17 when a 1982 gymnastics accident resulted in a severe spinal cord injury. She was paralyzed from the neck down and was left a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Despite a lengthy hospitalization and recovery, Mundl completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She went on to help develop the assistive technology practice at Courage Center.
Although ...
Federal survey standards will better measure health care disparities
Federal efforts to collect health care data, including data on people with disabilities, are changing. These changes could ultimately bring improvements in how health care is delivered. The federal Department of Health and Human Services released final standards Oct. 31 to measure race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status more consistently. This will improve the ...
The little girl and the Great Communicator, years later
Thirty years ago, on Nov. 10, 1981, President Ronald Reagan told a story about an Iowa girl story at a press conference. “We just recently received word of a little girl who has spent most of her life in a hospital. The doctors are of the opinion that if she could be sent home and ...
Editor’s Column – November 2011
By the time you read this, Access Press’s annual banquet will once again have taken place, but we’ll have gone to press a couple days before. I’m very excited to share all that happened with you, but it will have to wait until next month. At last count, we were looking forward to about 200 ...
Sidewalk access ordinance is celebrated
With one outdoor dining season on the books and new penalties in place for any violations, an ordinance meant to keep sidewalks accessible was celebrated Oct. 19 in St. Paul. The St. Paul City Council declared the date to be Full Mobility Day in St. Paul.
Ward Two Council Member Dave Thune, who authored the ordinance, ...
Lawmakers must support Medicare Part D as it is
AARP recently collected more than 48 pages of signatures from Minnesotans worried that debt concerns and budget cuts will jeopardize Medicare. The petition, urging Congress “to leave Medicare and social security alone,” has now been signed by 1.6 million Americans nationwide. The signatories are right to be concerned. Consider Medicare’s prescription drug benefit, known as Part ...
VSA’s Arts Access Awards are presented
The arts in Minnesota are more accessible to people with disabilities today—thanks in part to three individuals and one organization that value the arts. The 14th annual Arts Access Awards are nominated by the public and presented by VSA Minnesota, to recognize outstanding accomplishments by artists, arts organizations, advocates and educators that help create a ...
Disability is missing from the debate
It has been more than 20 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act took effect, but while the law has changed some things in higher education, it hasn’t changed the way academic culture regards people with disabilities. While our current interest in diversity is laudable, colleges rarely think of disability when they tout diversity. College ...
Regional News in Review – November 2011
Caregivers stage protests Caregivers from Dellwood Place and Bethesda Care Center, two Cerenity nursing homes slated for closure in November, rallied Oct. 12 at Dellwood Place with community supporters from across the Twin Cities to stand up for seniors, the disabled, and long-term care workers. During a week that the Congressional “Super Committee” was expected to discuss ...
People and Places – November 2011
Johnson named to MS Society post
Daniel S. Johnson has joined the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Upper Midwest Chapter as Vice President of Public Policy and Mission Advancement. In this role, he leads advocacy and political engagement, client programs and services, and professional outreach and education. The chapter represents more than 17,000 people living with MS ...
Open season change is here for Medicare Part D plans
Medicare beneficiaries who are considering changes to their Medicare Part D plan should mark their calendars for Oct. 15. The “open season” will run from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. This is a change from 2010 open season, when it was Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. The Medicare Part D prescription drug program is available to ...
Electronic medical records practical for many reasons
The current administration has done its job incentivizing physicians and hospitals to transition from a paper-based system to electronic health records through meaningful use. However, patients have yet to claim their role as the new focus of healthcare and suggest—or even demand—that their physicians adopt electronic technology and offer them greater ownership of their care ...
In Memoriam
Susan Daniels According to people who know Susan Daniels and had worked with,her, said everything that Daniels has done throughout her life has been with the goal of improving the lives of people with disabilities. That life ended Oct. 28 at age 62. An extraordinary longtime national and international disability rights advocate, Daniels’ many accomplishments on behalf ...
November 2011 Issue
Do you prefer to read the .pdf on your computer or e-reader? Here's the .pdf copy of the November 2011 issue. Enjoy!
Accomplishments celebrated by state council
National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the accomplishments of Minnesotans with disabilities were celebrated Sept. 26 at the Minnesota State Council on Disability (MSCOD) annual luncheon and awards ceremony. MSCOD is a state agency that provides leadership to empower and strengthen the rights of Minnesotans with disabilities.
The luncheon featured keynote speaker Richard Devylder. In July ...
Thompson Hall seeks national status
Supporters of Thompson Hall, the nation’s oldest and largest social hall for the deaf, have taken a key step in getting their building named to the National Register of Historic Places. The St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) unanimously voted Sept. 15 to support the nomination. A letter of support for designation will go to ...
2011 Award Winner – Bangsberg embodies spirit of service
Jeff Bangsberg is a man who gets things done for Minnesota’s disability community. His long record of service, dedication and commitment earned his multiple nominations for the 2011 Access Press Charlie Smith Award. The Access Press Board of Directors chose Bangsberg from a very crowded field of nominees.
“I recall asking Charlie Smith once, years ago ...
James S. Krause, Ph.D: Award winner’s story is about the people in his life
2011 Medtronic National Courage Award winner James S. Krause, Ph.D., has long and distinguished resume of academic accomplishments. Kraus is a professor and associate dean for Research in the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. He is a leading national expert and researcher who specializes in health ...
Editor’s Column – October 2011
It’s been a very active month for us at Access Press. After 15 years in the Griggs Midway Building, Access Press has signed a lease to move to a new location. We will be occupying an office space on the 9th floor of the Kelly Inn, overlooking the Department of Transportation, the State Office Building, ...
Pink Deafies provide support during cancer battles
Fresh off of its showing at the Twin Cities Film Festival, Signing On: Stories of Deaf Breast Cancer Survivors, Their Families and the Deaf Community will be shown on Twin Cities Public Television this month. Director Barbara Allen’s documentary shares the store of a group of deaf breast cancer survivors who are known as the ...
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