The number of students enrolled at the University of Minnesota who experience significant mental illness seems to be increasing, according to Dr. Gary Christenson, the Director of the Mental Health Clinic at the University’s Boynton Health Service. He provided the information as part of an article written by Charlene Dick and published in the September 8th edition of The Minnesota Daily, the independent student-produced newspaper originating from the U’s Twin Cities campus. The article states that the number of students registered for the 2003-2004 school year who experience a psychiatric disability is up 22% over 1998-1999. Does that mean people get mental illness by going to college?!? Although college does cause some to feel a lot of stress and anxiety, the answer is “NO! College does not cause mental illness!”
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), with the support of Abbott Laboratories, hopes to debunk this and other myths about mental illness during Mental Illness Awareness Week. The Week, which began October 3, will be marked by various activities held throughout the country. According to the NAMI website, “This year’s theme, ‘Unity through Diversity’, reflects the hope and real possibility of reclaimed lives in all communities across the country and encapsulates the true spirit and essence of NAMI while reflecting all forms of difference.”
What is mental illness anyway? How can someone tell if they have one? NAMI considers mental illness to include such things as bipolar, major depressive, obsessivecompulsive, panic and anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity, and other severe and persistent disorders that affect the brain. The symptoms of such disorders vary widely, from tiredness, loss of interest, difficulty concentrating, long-lasting sadness, extreme pessimism, increased hostility, paranoia, to the most extreme: suicide.
Because these illnesses are generally biologically-based brain disorders, they are nearly impossible to detect when looking at someone; they’re often considered “invisible” or “hidden” disabilities. They affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. They are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, lack of intelligence, or poor upbringing. Furthermore, they cannot be overcome through “willpower.” Still, mental illnesses are treatable! Most people with mental illness can control their symptoms through the use of medication, just like other disorders such as diabetes. Some people may also use supportive counseling, self-help groups, assistance with housing, vocational rehabilitation, income assistance, and other community services in order to achieve their highest level of recovery. But until a person is
diagnosed and receives treatment, these illnesses can profoundly disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, moods, ability to relate to others, and capacity for coping with the demands of life, such as college.
So, if college does not cause mental illness, why is the number of people who are attending college and experiencing such illnesses increasing?
NAMI points out that depression and other major illnesses first become apparent during a person’s college years. Students must contend with new surroundings, people, classes, and other various stresses.
The pressures of college life, combined with biological factors, have made mental illness on college campuses an increasingly common concern. An estimated 27% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have a diagnosable mental illness. Every year thousands of college students struggle alone with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder.
Because awareness of mental illnesses has increased in recent years, more people have been diagnosed and treated, which has allowed them to more effectively deal with their symptoms and lead a more active life — including going to college. The following are ways those experiencing mental illness can make the most of educational experiences:
“Success
— Dr. Roy Grizzard
FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS
by Sharon Rolenc
Ted Bittle didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. He didn’t see the suicide bomber sneak up on him. On April 10, 2003, on his first day in Baghdad, Navy Corpsman Ted Bittle and the Marine unit he was working with were clearing a bunker across the street from the stadium where authorities suspected Saddam Hussein was hiding.
Ted bore the brunt of the suicide bomb. The shrapnel broke the corpsman’s right eye socket, collapsed his sinus cavity, and he sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result. However, his TBI wasn’t discovered until several months later.
After rebuilding his face and caring for his physical injuries, the military sent Ted home on convalescent leave. Thankful to be alive, Ted was happy to be home with his wife Denise and his son Ari, who was seven months old at the time. His symptoms never went away, Ted experienced ongoing pain, chronic fatigue, depression, syncope and seizure-like ac tivity, imbalance, problems with his right leg, and violent mood swings.
As a combat medic, Ted was well-versed in medicine, but didn’t put together that he had a brain injury. He struggled to find answers to his ongoing challenges. His anger often got in the way of getting medical personnel to attend to his needs. “I wasn’t communicating right or effectively. Every crack that
was available to slip through, I slipped through,” said Ted.
“We traveled several times from New York to [Bethesda Naval Hospital] to see the doctors. They were trying to figure out what could possibly be bothersome to the point where Ted was having seizures. He was forgetful and was having facial pain.
After seeing a number of doctors, it wasn’t until November or December that we received the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury,” said Denise.
Because of the delay in diagnosis and Ted’s struggles with military paperwork, the couple is currently fighting to rework his disability status. He is unable to work, and gets easily frustrated with day-to-day tasks.
“I would have rather lost my hand than the stuff from my brain. Things I used to do with ease, now I go at and go at, but I can’t make it happen. It’s like solving a puzzle I’ve solved a hundred times before, but now I can’t figure out where the pieces go. That’s my life,” said Ted.
One of the toughest transitions for Ted has been going from the person who provides help, to the one who needs help. He has a long military history, serving with the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. He saw active duty at the Pentagon during Desert Storm, and his service to the community didn’t end between wars. In the mid nineties, he obtained a degree in Psychology, and worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). His last
Ted Bittle and family
Tim Benjamin, Editor
The elections will be over soon and plenty of new officials will take their places alongside incumbents. We can hope for enough new ideas and enough old experience to make positive things happen within our state and country. At this point, it’s hard to see any resolution in Iraq anytime soon. We can only support our soldiers and push to stabilize that part of the world. Whoever the president is, we must encourage him to find a quick way to stop the killing—and the creation of thousands of
lifetime disabilities.
But before you go to your voting location, make sure you read pages 4-7 for the statements on disability issues from Bush and Kerry. They give an enlightening look at both candidates and how they view the needs of people with disabilities. We thank the American Association for People with Disabilities for allowing us to reprint this
questionnaire. We also thank all the Minnesota congressional candidates (starting on page 10) who responded to our Access Press questionnaire. We know that many of you have been burning the candle at both ends to keep up with the demands of your campaigns to inform constituents and potential voters.
Some candidates were apparently unable to find time to respond to our questionnaire and inform the community of their stand on disability issues. We hope they realize that the disability community constitutes 15 percent of the voters in Minnesota and may significantly affect the outcome of the election. We also hope that by the next election, all candidates will recognize the disability community as
one that can change the outcome of an election. We can and we do.
Many thanks to Lance Hegland for his hard work this month in helping us with several articles. Lance has been a big contributor we hope he will stick around and keep up the excellent reporting. As always, Jeni Mundl is here this month with thoughtful news and advice about new technologies. Thank you, Jeni.
Dorothy Anderson shares a brief glimpse into her life in Minnesota institutions. We are grateful for the perseverance and tenacity that allowed her to survive to tell us the stories of a very difficult time for her and other people with disabilities. We have come a
long way, but sure have a lot further to go to correct the wrongs done to Minnesotans in institutions.
Bruce Stevenson started a universal design business called Ability Solutions to put his skills and knowledge to work for you and me. Through growing up with a father with a disability, and applying his own ingenuity, Bruce knows what works and what doesn’t. Give him a try for your next adaptation project. Tell him that you saw the article in Access Press and he will give you a free estimate and a discount.
The Charlie Smith Awards banquet is around the corner, and we’d like more award nominations. On page 18, you’ll find the nomination
criteria. And while you’re filling that out, you can complete your registration for the event. Both forms are also on the Web at ww.accesspress.org . It will be even more fun this year— guaranteed! Hope you all can come.
A big thanks goes out to Alice Oden for taking over the responsibility of updating our Web page. Check it out if you haven’t visited lately. Alice has given it a whole new layout. Along with the new “look”, we will be adding new bulletin boards and blogs at our site www.accesspress.org!
Fall is upon us and a chill is in the air. Get out and enjoy nature before the bitter cold is here! ■
Local Kerry/Edwards Team “Getting Out The Vote”
by Lance H. Hegland
The political conventions are behind us, ad campaigns abound, the debates have begun — this year’s presidential election is drawing near. Have you chosen your preferred candidate? How did you arrive at your decision? Were you able to find accurate and reliable campaign material? In this day and age of attack ads, overwhelming information, and numerous complex issues, making an informed voting decision is a challenge. Figuring out which are the most important issues and identifying the candidate who most closely reflects your views can be a difficult task. As we gather information from news coverage, rallies, and debates, some of us may be doing a little of our own “flip-flopping” between candidates. But for many in the disability community, the choice is clear: the John Kerry and John Edwards team.
For Deborah Whitman and Bob Freeman, two unwavering Kerry/Edwards support-
ers, the choice was so clear that they spearheaded the Minnesota Disability Community for Kerry/Edwards and began talking with like-minded community members over the summer. Whitman is the mother of a child with disabilities and Freeman has been a member of the disability community for the past several years.
“Our two main objectives are to ensure that Kerry/Edwards events are accessible and to get out the disability vote,” says Whitman. In addition to providing a vehicle for people to get involved in raising awareness of campaign issues and candidate positions, the group also informs the Kerry/ Edwards campaign team about disability community issues. When Senator Kerry, Senator Edwards, or their representatives have visited the Twin Cities, they have met with members of the group to get a feel for local disability community needs.
As Minnesota is a “swing state” (i.e., a state whose
Access Press
population’s support is nearly equally divided among candidates), every vote counts. Therefore, the Minnesota disability community vote could have a big impact on the state’s election results. If a significant portion of the disability community voted for a particular candidate, say, Kerry, they could “swing” his share of the vote from 49 percent to 51 percent, helping him win our state’s electoral votes. In order to “get out the disability vote”, the Minnesota Disability Community for Kerry/ Edwards has held several informational meetings in recent months to give information about the Kerry/Edwards platform as well as opening doors for us to get involved.
The Kerry/Edwards team has done an excellent job of helping people understand their position in more personal terms: their website is broken down not only by specific political issue, but also by demographic group. So whether you’re a mom, teacher, nurse, senior, member of a particular
Co-Founder/Publisher (1990-1996).............................................................Wm. A. Smith, Jr.
Co-Founder/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief (1990-2001)..................................Charles F. Smith
Board of Directors....................................... JoAnn Cardenas Enos, Mike Chevrette, Mary Kay Kennedy, Kelly Matter, Tom Squire, Peg Thomas, & Kay Willshire
Editor ....................................................................................................................Tim Benjamin
Production .................................................................Ellen Houghton at Presentation Images
Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons with disabilities by Access Press, Ltd. Circulation is 11,000, distributed the 10th of each month through more than 200 locations statewide. Approximately 650 copies are mailed directly to political, business, institutional and civic leaders. Subscriptions are available for $25/yr.
Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed.
Paid advertising is available at rates ranging from $16 to $20.70/column inch, depending on size and frequency of run. Classified ads are $10, plus 45¢ per word over 12 words.
Advertising and editorial deadlines are the last day of the month preceding publication, except for employment ads which are due by the 25th Access Press is available on disk. Call MN State Services for the Blind, 651-642-0500 or 800-652-9000.
Inquiries should be directed to: Access Press • 1821 University Ave. W. • Suite 104S • St. Paul, Minnesota 55104 • (651) 644-2133 • Fax (651) 644-2136 • E-mail: access@mninter.net
ethnic group, or an individual experiencing a disability, you can discover “what’s in it for you.”
The campaign website states, “John Kerry and John Edwards
believe that all Americans, including those with disabilities, have an inherent right to be treated as first class citizens of our nation.” John Kerry plans to strengthen Medicaid and Medicare, fully
fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and construct creative solutions for the transportation, technology, and housing needs of individuals with disKerry Team - cont. on p. 17
Disability Mentoring Day
The Minnesota Business Leadership Network, in partnership with the Institute on Community Inclusion and the University of Minnesota, is pleased to host Disability Mentoring Day on October 20.
This event is open to people with disabilities currently enrolled in post secondary training including college, university, or technical school, and to those who have recently graduated from such programs.
Disability Mentoring Day is a national program designed to provide students with disabilities a first hand experience in learning about career opportunities in a variety of fields.
Disability Mentoring Day encourages students and employers to work together to promote the necessary skills and experiences to compete in today’s workforce as well as anticipate the future needs in education and employment.
Please join us in exploring career development activities Wednesday October 20, 2004 from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm at the Medtronic World Headquarters in the Auditorium & Conservatory located at 710 Medtronic Parkway, Fridley, MN. Our special guest will be Governor Tim Pawle ntyand our Medtronic host will be State Senator Debbie Johnson.
Participating Employers: 3M; American Express Finan-
cial; Cargill; MN Dept of Employment and Economic Development; Federal Executive Council of Agencies; Medtronic; Northwest Airlines; and the State of Minnesota.
Registration is required for this event. There is no cost for participation but space is lim-
ited. You must complete all five sections of the registration form as part of the registration process. The registration form is located at www. mnbln.org/career
For questions, contact career@ mnbln.org. ■
Accessible Design Pioneer: Bruce Stevenson
Disability Technology Community Living Reality
by Jeni Mundl
by Lance H. Hegland
When he was 12 years old, Bruce Stevenson’s life took on fuel that would be ignited many years later. His mother had recently passed away, his father was mobility impaired and used a wheelchair, and their home was not accessible. His dad struggled to get in and out of the bathtub and on and off the toilet. It was the 70s—the independent living movement was just taking shape and products enhancing independence were rare. With his mom gone, unless his dad could become more independent and take on the responsibility of raising the family, they would likely be split up to live among relatives or in foster homes. Bruce and his family pulled together and began to improvise.
Bruce’s first invention was a ceiling lift. When the family could not find anyone to install a lift in their bathroom to help his father more easily access the bathtub and toilet, Bruce designed and installed a lift of his own. First, he found a piece of I-beam steel in a scrap yard and bought a chain hoist, some screws, and a can of white paint from a hardware store. Next, he assembled the materials to create and install a lift system in their bathroom. It wasn’t exactly “pretty,” but it worked. In fact, it worked well! His invention greatly increased the chances that his dad and family would be able to stay together in their home. His dad was amazed and encouraged him to explore his knack for designing and installing adaptive equipment. For the next 30 years, however, his talent remained a hobby that benefited his family and neighbors instead of a career opportunity.
TAfter high school Bruce served in the Air Force for 12 years. He learned about aircraft-related systems, including hydraulics, mechanics, and electrical systems. After leaving the service, his skills allowed him to land a job with Northwest Airlines, where he worked for another 12 years. While Bruce enjoyed the work, he knew it wasn’t his calling.
His passion was reignited in 1999 while on a mission trip with his church in Jamaica. The group was helping to put a roof on an orphanage hospital that served children with disabilities. As he looked around, he began to think about how a few simple modifications could make a huge difference for many of the patients. He realized that his experiences and skills were gifts that could help improve the lives of many individuals experiencing mobility challenges.
POOF! The fuel was ignited and Ability Solutions was launched in December 2001.
Bruce understood that it wasn’t sufficient to just have a solution that worked. He wanted to offer “great” products
and services meeting the many other various needs and desires of consumers. For example, as transportation can be difficult for individuals with disabilities, having a product showroom for prospective customers wasn’t enough. So, Bruce built a portable model of a stair lift system that could be transported to consumers’ homes. Other aspects of his design and construction that set him apart include the way his products blend into the surroundings. Almost invisible, they allow visitors to see the beauty of the architecture and the person instead of directing attention to a need for assistance, incorporating the principles of universal design.
According to the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, “the intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the built environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities.”
Bruce’s vision is that his company will become “a single point of contact for people with accessibility needs — the accessibility experts within our community”. With that goal in mind, he has built his company into a one-stop shop for universal design. Ability Solutions is a licensed residential building contractor as
he statistics according to Rita Mae Brown show one in four Americans are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Mental illness is a large category ranging from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, multiple personalities and much more. The undiagnosed population is substantial, since many individuals with mental illness do not seek out medical care due to stigma associated with the disease. Recently, a friend of mine went through a horrific event where her brother committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness. The devastation caused by this event affected all members of the family in their own way and will continue for some time. Suicide rates are rising in American society. The statistics are troubling but with increases in better medical services and different types of assistive technology, there is new hope on the horizon.
This article begins to explore technology beneficial to individuals, and caregivers of persons, with mental illness. To achieve the promise of community living for everyone, new service delivery patterns and incentives must ensure that every American has easy and continuous access to the most current treatments and best support. Advances in research, technology, and our understanding of how to treat mental illness provide powerful means to transform the system. In a transformed society, consumers and family members will have access to timely and accurate information, promoting learning, self monitoring and accountability to allow for maximum independence.
Technology to Access Mental Health Care
& Information
The delivery of services is crucial to someone with mental illness. Continuity of care and monitoring of the current status of a person provides independence and healthy living. In a transformed medical health system, advanced communication and information technology will empower consumers and family members and will be a tool for providers to deliver the best care. Information regarding illness, effective treatments, and services in the community will be readily available to consumers and families. Already, the Internet is providing extensive data on a variety of topics. One particular website to investigate is NAMI. This website is massive, providing information regarding different diagnoses, updates on mental illness and support systems, along with many other areas to explore. For medication information, try MayoClinic.com, as understanding the side affects of medicine is important.
Electronic records can improve health quality by promoting adherence to evidence -based service delivery through inclusion of clinical reminders, clinical practice guidelines, tool for clinical decision support, computer order entry, and patient safety alert systems. For example, prescription medications being taken or specific drug allergies would be known. This could prevent serious injury or death resulting from an interaction, excessive dosage, or allergic reactions. Many individuals with mental illness are on multiple medications, which potentially are harmful when used in combination. Some clinics and hospitals have started to
computerize an enormous amount of data on patients. This trend will continue in the years to come, improving medical services to all individuals.
The privacy of personal health information, especially in a case of mental illness, will be strongly protected and controlled. Already HIPPA is making information more private. The privacy act allows individuals to specify who can and who cannot gain access to essential information on someone. Again, computers in the health system are making this easier to track and keep out of prying eyes.
Technology & Medication Medications are prescribed to maintain or improve symptoms. Many individuals are not compliant with the dosing schedule. The challenge for some individuals is keeping the time schedule and medications straight. There are medical reminders such as the CompuMed, which will dispense setup medications at the correct time and sound an alarm for the individual to hear as a reminder to take the medication. If the medication is not picked up on the scale after a certain amount of time, a second alarm will sound. Finally, if the individual still is not picking up their medications from the device, an emergency number will be called.
For the individual who is out and about during the day, there are medicine pillboxes that will sound an alarm when medications are to be taken. Another simple adaptation for medical reminders is a programmable watch with multiple alarms. These watches can be purchased at local stores without having to go
Tech. - cont. on p. 17
Diamond Hill Townhomes
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We have two and three bedroom townhomes that are HUD subsidized and rent is 30% of the total household's adjusted gross income.
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Kerry’s Response to AAPD Questionnaire
The following response to AAPD’s questionnaire is provided by the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
AAPD is non-partisan and shares information about candidates’ disability-related policy positions for educational purposes.
Jonathan Young JFA Moderator, AAPD
Disability Issue Questions
From The American Association Of People With Disabilities
What are your top three accomplishments on behalf of people with disabilities in your career to date as an elected official?
One of my things I am most proud of is having cosponsored the Americans with Disabilities Act, the most comprehensive nondiscrimination legislation enacted since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 1987, I drafted the Technology to Educate Children with Handicaps (TECH) Act, which created assistive device centers across the country to ensure all children with special needs have access to the assistive devices necessary to get an education. These centers train specialists, teachers, and therapists to identify students who could benefit from such technologies. These centers also inform parents, educators and therapists on how to support and incorporate these devices into children’s educational experiences. I fought hard to enact this legislation so that children with disabilities could gain independence in the classroom and throughout their lives. The goals of my legislative proposal were later incorporated into the Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988.
I have had a long-time
commitment to protecting the rights of individuals disabled by mental illness. I was an original cosponsor of the landmark Mental Health Parity Act passed by Congress in 1996, which requires parity for annual and lifetime dollar limit coverage for mental health treatment. While its enactment marked an important step in the fight for providing greater mental health treatment benefits, it is time now to take another step toward the goal of mental health parity. Consequently, I strongly support the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003. This legislation will provide for equal coverage of mental health benefits with respect to health insurance coverage unless comparable limitations are imposed on medical and surgical benefits.
In my work on the Small Business Committee, I was involved in achieving the landmark goal of assuring that veterans with disabilities have an opportunity to receive a three percent share of Federal Contracts. With federal contracts today worth $250 billion, small businesses owned by veterans with disabilities have access to $7.5 billion in business opportunities.
If you are elected/re-elected what will be your top three priorities during your first 100 days in office to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities living in the U.S.?
I will offer Americans with disabilities freedom, independence, and choices. I will appoint a national bipartisan Community First Commission made up of distinguished Americans, including people with disabilities who will identify short and long term policy reforms that could and should be pursued to:
•Guarantee that all Americans with disabilities who
can live in their community with affordable supports have equal opportunity to do so regardless of age, disability, state of residence, employment status, or necessary form of assistance.
•Create a greater federal role in equitably financing and enhancing the quality and appropriateness of long-term services.
•Eliminate the institutional bias in Medicaid and Medicare that robs millions of Americans of their most basic freedoms, dignity, and daily independence.
To make our system work and to offer real choices, we must ensure equal access to quality home and community services throughout our nation. I will work with the Community First Commission to determine how we can move MiCASSA forward. And I will work with states to fully implement the Olmstead Decision, as well as push Congress to finally pass the Family Opportunity Act.
I believe we need full mental health parity once and for allnot just mental health parity for certain benefits or certain mental health conditions or with unnecessary loopholes that allow insurers to skirt their responsibility. I will fight to pass full mental health parity legislation
I will utilize the skills and wisdom of the disability community in shaping policy and programs that will benefit the entire country, and I will seek out qualified people with disabilities to serve throughout my administration.
Americans with disabilities deserve independence and the opportunity to be economically self-sufficient. I will reinstate the executive order by President Bill Clinton to hire 100,000 qualified individuals with disabilities as
federal employees over five years. I will crack down on employment discrimination and nominate an Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice and a Chair to the EEOC who will make enforcement of the ADA a top priority. And I will promote creative solutions to address the transportation, technology, and housing needs for individuals with disabilities.
To ensure that children with disabilities get the free, high quality education they deserve, I am committed to fully funding IDEA and working for strong enforcement and real compliance with the law. And to expand access to higher education, I will improve transitional planning, promote access and awareness in disability services, provide work-study alternatives, and collect data on students with disabilities to provide a true scientific understanding of the realities on the ground.
What ideas do you have for bringing our four largest federal programs (Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security Disability Insurance) in line with the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency)?
We must strengthen and protect Medicaid, not tear it apart. I am firmly opposed to the Bush administration’s proposal to turn Medicaid into a block grant program. By investing in Medicaid, we can improve the health and independence of more than 10 million children, adults, and older Americans with disabilities throughout our country. No one should be forced to be in a nursing home or have their most basic needs go unmet because they live in a state that chooses not to offer necessary community living
services. That is why I believe that we need to relieve pressures on state budgets; I have proposed spending $25 billion to help states struggling to bridge their deficits.
I support strengthening and improving Medicaid in several key ways. First, I believe that we must pass the Family Opportunity Act. Currently, low-income families with severely disabled children receive federal disability benefits under Supplemental Security Income. However, if parents seek a better job or earn higher wages, their disabled children lose Medicaid coverage, which is essential to providing comprehensive coverage for children who require complex and often costly care. No parent should have to turn down a job or give up custody of a child to ensure that he or she gets health care.
We need to fully implement the Olmstead decision. People with disabilities and older Americans must receive the support they need to live in their own homes and communities. States must be given increased resources and tools to carry out the Olmstead decision and must be held accountable for doing so. Americans with disabilities must be assured equal access to quality home and community living services.
I will work with the Community First Commission to determine how we can best implement MiCASSA and the Money Follows the Person Act. We need to end the institutional bias that makes it impossible for millions of Americans to exercise the most basic of human liberties: freedom, choice, and independence.
I will work toward eliminating the two-year waiting period to become eligible for Medicare. The federal government has a critical role to
play to assure that workers with disabilities have the insurance coverage they need to be as independent and productive as possible. And I will direct HHS to fund a series of demonstrations aimed at identifying cost effective ways that best promote the health, independence and productivity of people with disabilities and to promote better health care.
I will also work to provide real prescription drug relief through the Medicare program. My health care plan will lower prescription drug costs, and ensure that seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare can choose their doctors instead of forcing them to join an HMO.
Another important program to millions of Americans with disabilities is the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA). TWWIIA seeks to guarantee continued access to vital Medicare and Medicaid coverage to enable individuals with significant disabilities to become competitively employed under certain conditions.
As a result of this law, about half of the states today allow employed individuals with disabilities to buy into Medicaid if their incomes and assets do not exceed certain limits and meet other criteria set by each state. These Medicaid buy-in programs vary widely from one state to another, however, both in regard to the eligibility requirements they set and the benefits and services they make available. Moreover, if the current economic downturn continues, states that currently have these plans in place may have to cut back or eliminate them all together. In addition, few other states will be in a position to create new buy-in programs.
Kerry - cont. on p. 5
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Accessible Space, Inc. (ASI) offers subsidized one and two bedroom apartments for individuals with physical disabilities. We have housing in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, St. Cloud, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, Hibbing, Austin, Marshall, Willmar, and Duluth.
The apartments are fully wheelchair accessible and each building has a central laundry room, large community room, secured entry and an on-site caretaker.
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For more information call (651) 645-7271 or (800) 466-7722. For services or housing call Cami, for employment as a personal care attendant call Al or Angie.
KERRY - Cont. from p. 4
The federal government must play a far greater role in ensuring that workers with disabilities have the insurance coverage they need to be as independent and productive as possible. Regardless of where these individuals live or how much they are able to earn, they should be able to buy in to a uniform, national set of benefits designed to do just this. To help achieve these ends, the Medicare program should provide for enhanced coverage for employed individuals with disabilities.
What do you see as the most appropriate role for the federal government to play in the lives of people with disabilities and their families and what is your reaction to recent trends limiting the federal role in disability policy?
Now more than ever people with disabilities of all ages can live fuller, more productive lives if afforded the right opportunities and supports. The federal government has a strong obligation and role to play in ensuring that these Americans have the same chance to succeed in life as all other citizens. The government must meet its commitment to enforce laws that protect the disability community. The moral imperative is clear.
The federal government must help provide high quality, accessible and affordable health care and community living services to people with disabilities. That’s why my Administration will modernize Medicaid and Medicare and work with states to implement home and community based services.
My administration also will play a role in enforcing civil rights laws for people with disabilities. The Department of Justice and the EEOC will make enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act a top priority. And I will ensure that the Offices of Civil Rights at the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services provide people with disabilities the protections they deserve.
We need to have a more focused effort on recruiting and employing people with disabilities in America. One place we can start is with a targeted effort in the federal government. The federal government has massive spending powers that can and should be used to promote the employment of individuals with disabilities. I will promote increasing the goal for small business contracting
and ensuring that business owners with disabilities have equal status to other minority business owners.
The federal government must meet its obligation to provide a high quality education to all children with disabilities. My administration will put us on a path to fully fund IDEA. But funding must be accompanied by effective enforcement. As president, I will fight for strong enforcement that includes measurement and protecting procedural safeguards.
The federal government can also improve the lives of people with disabilities in the areas of transportation and technology. Many of the technological advances made through the work of the Defense Department and NASA are transferable to people with disabilities, and could enhance their capacity to work. This technology should be made available when appropriate for use by people with disabilities. And the federal government should use its considerable economic power to encourage and lead private enterprise in building a more accessible society through technology. My administration will also ensure that transportation options are accessible to people with disabilities.
What concrete steps will you take to ensure your administration and your appointments to the federal bench and other entities include a representative group of qualified people with disabilities?
People with disabilities will always have a seat front and center in my administration. When I am president, Americans with disabilities will play active roles not only in policymaking which impacts the disability community, but also in other areas of domestic policy. I will seek out the best and brightest to serve in multiple capacities throughout the government, including
in the White House and on my Community First Commission.
Also, I will reinstate the Executive Order by President Clinton to hire 100,000 qualified individuals with disabilities as federal employees over five years. And in a Kerry administration, the Office of Federal Contracts and Compliance Programs at the Department of Labor will be held accountable in ensuring that federal contractors are not just reaching out to people with disabilities, but hiring them as well. Goals will be set for the hiring of people with disabilities similar to the ones set for women and veterans. The federal government will leverage its considerable economic power to ensure that private industry provides employment opportunities to people with disabilities.
What will you do as President to dramatically increase the percentage of children with disabilities who graduate from high school and go on to postsecondary education?
If the goal of the disabilityrights movement is to create opportunities for Americans with disabilities equal to those of their peers without disabilities, then education is the key that opens those doors. Empowering Americans with disabilities to be productive, job-holding, tax-paying citizens is both a moral obligation and an economic win.
First of all, we need mandatory full funding of IDEA. In 1975, Congress made a deal with our state and local school boards: give children with special learning needs the education they deserve, and the federal government would pay 40 percent of the additional cost, no matter what it takes. Nearly thirty years later, the federal government has broken that promise. Because of that broken promise, schools across the country have had to pit special
You’re Invited to Metropolitan Center for Independent Living’s
Annual Meeting and Celebration
October 27, 2004 • The St. Paul Travelers
Social: 6:00 pm • Dinner: 6:30 pm
Awards: 7:00 pm • Presentation: 7:30 pm
Cost: $10.00 per person
Sponsor: The St. Paul Travelers
Metro Mobility Drop-off or Parking in the Visitor Lot
The Mission of MCIL is to work with people with disabilities in fulfilling their desire to lead productive self-determined lives.
RSVP by October 15
651-646-8342 – Voice
651-603-2001 – TTY
mcil@mcil-mn.org - email
MCIL events are drug, fragrance, and smoke free
education programs against one another. Class sizes increase, after-school activities are cut, and kids with special learning needs still aren’t getting the services they need.
Regardless of funding, a law will only be as good as its enforcement. Across the country - in school districts large and small - this law is not being followed. In many cases, the good intentions of teachers and principals are undermined by a lack of understanding of the law. The same is true for many parents, who often do not know the rights to which they are entitled. In some cases, school officials need to be taught that IDEA isn’t just a guideline, it’s the law. Exhausted parents cannot and should not bear that burden. That is why strengthening IDEA enforcement will be a priority in my administration.
A college education is now a near-universal requirement for professional employment. Unfortunately, that level of independence is still but a dream for many of our youth with disabilities who continue to face significant barriers to higher education. I am committed to equipping the next
generation of students with disabilities with the tools to succeed.
First, I will improve transitional planning. As with other at-risk youth, early outreach programs can be enormously successful in affecting positive change. Yet despite the mandate for such services under IDEA, transitional-planning programs seem to be an early casualty of non-compliance. I will further leverage Department of Education resources to create and advertise a single national resource for transitional planning assistance.
Making sense of the web of college financial assistance programs is a difficult task. When disability-assistance services are added to the mix, the task becomes overwhelming. We must better coordinate vocational rehabilitation, SSI, and federal student aid services in a way that is meaningful for students, not bureaucrats.
We need to provide workstudy alternatives. Lacking neither in work ethic nor financial need, many students with disabilities are physically incapable of utilizing work-study programs. Such
assistance can mean the difference between attending college and staying home. It is in all of our best interests to ensure fair alternatives.
Finally, even today, we rely primarily on anecdotal information when discussing disability issues in higher education. We lack a true scientific understanding of the realities on the ground. That must change if we are to adequately plan for the future. Policies can only be effective so long as they are practical. As president, I will direct the Secretary of Education to solicit disability status and accommodation-cost data so we can arm ourselves with the tools to take meaningful action.
What will your administration do to improve the accessibility of mainstream technologies and access to assistive technologies for people with disabilities?
Technology must be harnessed effectively to empower people, particularly those who are often the least empowered in our society. I will work to make electronic information and technology truly accessible. Kerry - cont. on p. 7
Bush’s Response to AAPD Questionnaire
Disability Issue Questions
From The American Association Of People With Disabilities
What are your top three accomplishments on behalf of people with disabilities in your career to date as an elected official?
BUSH-My New Freedom Initiative builds on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to enhance opportunities for the 54 million Americans with disabilities. Many specific programs in the New Freedom Initiative benefit Americans with disabilities, including three that I believe are particularly noteworthy: the transportation, community life, and health care provisions.
I have proposed $884 million over six years to remove transportation barriers still faced by individuals with disabilities. Further, my Administration has completed the regulation process for installing platform lifts on public transportation and worked with the States to sponsor “United We Ride,” a five-part initiative to help States and communities coordinate human service transportation for older Americans, and people with disabilities.
To enhance community life for people with disabilities, I issued an Executive Order calling for swift implementation of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision to expand community-based services and community living choices for individuals with disabilities regardless of age. Ten agencies submitted the first report agency efforts to meet the order, identifying barriers to full community integration that exist in Federal programs and proposing more than 400 solutions for removing these barriers. The report sets forth a summary of the actions that Federal agencies propose to take in several key areas such as health care structure and
financing, employment, housing, education, and personal assistance services. As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded nearly $158 million for the “Real Choice Systems Change Grants for Community Living”—a program that will help states and territories enable people with disabilities to reside in their homes if they wish.
My budget proposes an increase of $2.2 billion over the next five years for the Department of Health and Human Services to fund demonstration projects that promote community-based services for people with disabilities. The Help America Vote Act includes $10 million to improve access to voting for people with disabilities and $5 million for protection and advocacy programs on behalf of people with disabilities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has funded grants to enable older individuals and individuals with disabilities to remain in their homes.
Of course, access to highquality health care is vital to people with disabilities, and I have taken action to make health care more accessible and affordable. I have allocated $1.75 billion for a fiveyear initiative that would fund Medicaid services for individuals transitioning from institutions to the community. And I proposed strengthening Medicaid by allowing spouses of individuals with disabilities who return to work to keep their Medicaid coverage. I have allocated $102 million through fiscal year 2009 for this project.
My New Freedom Initiative represents a clear and ongoing commitment to ensure that Americans with disabilities have every chance to enjoy all the opportunities our Nation has to offer. A caring and compassionate society can offer no less.
If you are elected/re-elected what will be your top three priorities during your first 100 days in office to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities living in the U.S.?
I will continue to pursue the policies I proposed in the New Freedom Initiative—the most comprehensive proposal since the ADA that is focused on removing barriers faced by people with disabilities—and I will remain open to new ideas to assist people with disabilities as technologies develop or new needs arise.
What ideas do you have for bringing our four largest federal programs (Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security Disability Insurance) in line with the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency)?
The ADA is an excellent start in affording everyone an equal chance at success, but more must be done. My commitment to the 20% of Americans with disabilities is demonstrated in my New Freedom Initiative. I secured funding for a number of projects aimed at removing disincentives to work that currently exist in the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefit system. And in June 2001, I signed an Executive Order to create “Community-Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities,” directing agencies to require States to place qualified individuals with mental disabilities in community settings, rather than in institutions. The “Ticket to Work” law extends Medicare coverage for SSDI beneficiaries so employees can return to work without the fear of losing health benefits. It also expands Medicaid eligibility
categories for certain working people with severe disabilities so that they can continue to receive benefits after their income or condition improves.
I also created the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which is responsible for conducting a comprehensive study of the Nation’s mental health service delivery system. The Commission recommended improvements to enable adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. My Administration is working to address the improvements recommended in the report.
What do you see as the most appropriate role for the federal government to play in the lives of people with disabilities and their families and what is your reaction to recent trends limiting the federal role in disability policy?
I believe that the Federal government should not only provide an outstanding example of equality and fairness in its own employment policies, but should facilitate efforts that will help to establish an environment of opportunity that gives every American a chance to succeed and thrive. It is the government’s duty to enforce the laws that protect the rights of Americans with disabilities and to invest in the projects that will further expand their opportunities. In keeping with this philosophy, the Justice Department is aggressively enforcing the ADA, which has been critical in tearing down the barriers once faced by Americans with disabilities. There is still more we can do, and my New Freedom Initiative is building on this progress. The swift implementation of the Olmstead
decision is resulting in expanded community-based services and better assistive technologies for more Americans with disabilities. We are supporting these efforts with funding that will enable more individuals with disabilities to access new technologies, own their own homes, and fully participate in their communities. And by providing funding through grant funds and demonstrations, we are equipping States and localities— which are better able to address the needs of their communities—with the resources to provide the programs that will benefit their specific populations.
What concrete steps will you take to ensure your administration and your appointments to the federal bench and other entities include a representative group of qualified people with disabilities?
I have worked to appoint qualified individuals of minority populations to the Federal bench and I will continue to appoint the most capable people of all backgrounds and abilities to top positions within my Administration. I believe that the best way to ensure that qualified people with disabilities receive Federal appointments is to ensure that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field and fully demonstrate their abilities, without the fear of being discriminated against or overlooked. My Administration will continue to fight to ensure that all opportunities remain open to persons with disabilities by vigorously enforcing the ADA, aggressively resolving disability-related complaints, and continuing to implement my New Freedom Initiative.
What will you do as President to dramatically increase the percentage of children with disabilities who graduate from high school and go on to post-
secondary education?
The first step in increasing graduation rates is providing equal opportunities for success at every stage of the education system. I have proposed to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by $1 billion in 2005, which would represent a 75% increase since 2001, and the Department of Education recently funded a number of grants to determine what strategies help students with disabilities access the general education curriculum and what kinds of early interventions promote the best results for students with disabilities. Through these focused efforts, I aim to see every student achieve academic success and graduate with the tools to succeed in the future.
In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act is based on the belief that every child can learn. Under this law, schools are being held accountable for the education results of subgroups of students, including students with disabilities. This Act includes the Reading First program, which has already provided approximately $2.5 billion in funding to ensure that every child is reading on grade level by the end of the third grade. I have also proposed $100 million for the Striving Readers program and a $120 million increase for the Math and Science Partnerships program to help catch up middle and high school students who have fallen behind in reading and math. This funding will significantly benefit students with disabilities who may not have received proper instruction in the early grades.
What will your administration do to improve the accessibility of mainstream technologies and access to assistive technologies for people with disabilities? Bush - cont. on p. 7
BUSH -
Cont. from p. 6
Since technology has the potential to aid everyone in our society, especially Americans with disabilities, increasing access to technology is a main priority of my Administration. I have secured $20 million for a fund to help individuals with disabilities purchase the technology they need to work from home. I promoted full implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, requiring that electronic and information technology purchased, maintained, and used by the Federal government is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
How will you work with disability advocates and Congress to draft and promote legislation to restore civil rights protections for qualified disabled individuals who have been left out by U.S. Supreme Court decisions interpreting the ADA, especially in the area of employment?
As part of a nationwide effort to build on the successes of ADA, I announced the New Freedom Initiative in 2001 to help level the playing field for Americans with disabilities. Men and women with disabilities deserve equal employment opportunities and my Administration has created programs that help expand workforce options for employees with disabilities. Tax benefits are now serving as incentives for employers to provide computer equipment and Internet access to their employees with special needs. This flexibility will expand the universe of accessible employment and will allow employees to take advantage of this flexibility for teleworking.
My Administration is also ensuring the swift implementation of the “Ticket to Work” law, which provides incentives for people with disabilities to return to work. The law provides Americans with disabilities a voucher-like “ticket” that allows them to
choose their own support services, including vocational education programs and rehabilitation services. It also extends Medicare coverage for some SSDI beneficiaries so employees can return to work without the fear of losing health benefits. To further encourage employees to return to work, the law also expands Medicaid eligibility categories so that individuals working with disabilities will receive benefits even after their income or condition improves.
I secured $36.6 million in 2002 to fund State loan programs to help people with disabilities purchase assistive technologies, such as computers with special adaptive equipment. I have also mandated full implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, requiring electronic and information technology purchased, maintained, and used by the Federal government to be readily accessible to people with disabilities.
In addition, the New Freedom Initiative will provide resources for technical assistance to help small businesses comply with the ADA so that they can better serve customers and hire more people with disabilities.
And I will continue to work closely with the Department of Justice to ensure full enforcement of the ADA. Since 2001, the Civil Rights Division has resolved over 1,000 disability-related complaints, over 500 of those through mediation. ■
KERRY -
Cont. from p. 5
Many of the technological advances made through the work of the Defense Department and NASA are transferable to people with disabilities, and could enhance their capacity to work. This technology should and will be made available when appropriate for use by people with disabilities.
New technology is often costly, as the first people to use the technology are underwriting a large proportion of the development costs. The problem is that the persons most in need of the liberation that technology provides are often the least able to afford it. I will direct federal agencies to assess how their resources have been allocated to assist people with disabilities, and work on promoting a goal to increase targets across the board. I want our government to help cultivate new, cuttingedge technology.
People who need assistive technology are often confronted with a bewildering array of potential funding sources that are difficult to sort out. I will assemble an intergovernmental team to review current programs which pay for assistive technology and direct them to develop a plan of cooperation. The plan would investigate the potential of pooling various federal funds to create a single funding mechanism.
How will you work with disability advocates and Congress to draft and promote legislation to restore civil rights protections for qualified disabled individuals who have been left out by U.S. Supreme Court decisions interpreting the ADA, especially in the area of employment?
The Americans with Disabilities Act is the most important civil rights law for persons with disabilities. It is vital that we enforce the law and that we fight recent judicial and legislative actions to weaken it. First of all, I will nominate judges whom I believe will enforce and uphold our civil rights laws to ensure the protections promised under its enactment. I will work with Congress and the disability community to pass legislation that restores civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities who have been harmed by court decisions restricting the scope of the protected class under ADA. I will also nominate an attorney general and an EEOC chair who will make enforcement of the ADA a top priority. ■
•learn about symptoms, treatments, and general coping strategies •become acquainted with mental health resources on campus •practice time management and set limits — don’t try to do too much •try various learning styles (e.g., hearing, watching, reading, and doing) to find the one, or combination, that works best for you
Personally, I experience the effects of general anxiety and major depression. During my high school and undergraduate years, I didn’t realize I had a mental illness, let alone ever think I would have one! I occassionally experiencing class and test anxiety, then day, moments before entering a morning class, a major panic attack (i.e., chest pain, vomiting, hot and cold sweats), I wanted answers. My doctor asked if I thought I experienced anxiety or depression. I laughed and said, “Of course not!” I demanded a thorough physical checkup and received treatment for the physical ailments my doctor discovered. However, I still experienced the same symptoms afterward. I began feeling tired all the time. My doctor again asked the question: “Do you think
you are depressed or anxious?” I again answered, “No way!” This time I underwent a sleep study and used a sleep aid, but still the symptoms remained. Eventually, a time came where I had many changes occur all at once, and over four months I fell apart. I spent one week in the hospital, followed by four weeks of intensive classes covering mental illness and recovery. I realized my “breakdown” was related to all the changes in my life, and I moved on. Three years later, I experienced another group of changes and another week in the hospital. The bottom line: mental illness can happen to anyone, even you: be open to its possibility.
Early identification and treatment is vitally important. Getting treatment as soon as possible will result in an easier and shorter recovery, and it will protect you from further harm related to the illness. If you think that you or someone you know has symptoms of mental illness, please see your campus’s counseling center, health center, disability services office or doctor.
“NAMI on Campus” provides resources and community at http://www.nami.org/ ■
Thank you to The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) for suppling the Kerry/Bush responses.
AAPD is the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes the economic and political empowerment of the more than 56 million people with disabilities in the U.S. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For additional information, visit www.aapd-dc.org
News At A Glance . . .
DLH, Inc. Introduces New Talkin’ First Aid™ Kit
Innovative Product Advances First Aid care to Homes & Businesses
The Talkin’ First Aid™ kit, designed in partnership with the NSC, sets itself apart from all other kits being sold today by including step-by-step /verbal/ /care/ instructions to help treat common household injuries and manage more serious ones if professional medical attention is not immediately available.
Easy to use in even the most stressful of situations, the Talkin’ First Aid™ kit organizes supplies with instructions into individually labeled and color-coded packs for each type of injury. Audio instructions are delivered via a chip affixed to each of the injury instruction cards. A press of a button starts, stops, and pauses the audio instructions.
“Our research has found that very few individuals retain firstaid training when faced with a medical emergency and most are unable to adequately provide assistance to an injured person.
Talking consumer kits will be available in early 2005. More information on the entire line of Intelligent First Aid Systems is available through DLH Inc.’s website (www.talkinfirstaid. com <http://www.futureoffirstaid.com/>) or by calling 888388-4854.
Frequent Filer (Office Assistant)
Provide supplementary and auxiliary clerical services to agency staff. Being a Frequent Filer might not be as glamorous as being a frequent flier, but this type of volunteer service is invaluable to this large social service agency. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Contact Ramsey County Community Human Services—Volunteer Services at 651-2664090 for additional information or e-mail to volunteer services@co.ramsey.mn.us.
Bequest Makes More Assistance Dogs Possible On September 11, 2004, a check for $111,414.63 was presented to Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota (HSDM) by the Estate Lion Dean Julifs through the Adams Lions Club of Adams, MN. Mr. Julifs learned of HSDM, a state-wide Lions project, through his association with the Adams Lions Club
Julifs was raised on a small diary farm near Adams. He was a very quiet individual and stayed close to home. He was a bachelor with no immediate family living near by. Julifs had a strong faith and his church, Little Cedar Lutheran Church, was very important to him.
In 2002, Julifs was invited to join the Adams Lions Club and immediately did so. In the spring of 2003, however, he became ill and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He learned that he did not have long to live.
Roger Weness, president of the Adams Lions Club, said, “He made the decision to leave each of his siblings, nieces and nephews a nice gift, his church a gift to be used for youth and education, the local high school a generous gift for scholarships and to the Lions, two generous gifts to support Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota and Leader Dogs for the Blind. On August 18, 2003, Julifs passed away at the age of 62. Julifs was a true Lion. He served while an active Lion and continues to serve after his death.”
Lion Alan Peters, Executive Director of Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota, said, “I am deeply moved by the generosity of this fine person and dedicated Lion. Julifs’ gift will help us move forward with plans to construct our own training facility so we can provide even more assistance dogs to people with disabilities.” For more information, please contact Alan Peters at 612-729-5986 or apeters@hsdm.org
On September 11, 2004, a check for $111,414.63 from the estate of Lion Dean Julifs, a member of the Adams Lions Club, was presented to Executive Director Alan Peters by Lions District 5M1 Hearing Dog Chair Ron Norton (L to R back row)
Also pictured are (L to R front row) Service Dog graduate Rita Jesse and her Service Dog, Skia, Service Dog graduate Mike Garagiola and his Service Dog, Merlin, and Hearing Dog graduate Rebecca Maxey and her Hearing Dog, Jaicee.
Volunteers needed for Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels is seeking volunteer support from the community so that they can ensure that all of their recipients receive a daily hot meal. If you would like more information, please call Charlene Dickerson at Wilder In-Home Services and Volunteers at 651-290-8676.
My Pal Victor / Mi amigo, Victor Raven Tree Press has just published a bilingual (English/ Spanish) picture book about two Latino boys who experience a carefree friendship despite one of the boy’s confinement to a wheelchair. The beauty of the story is that the readers do not know about the disability until the end of the book. Visit Raven Tree Press website at www.raventreepress.com or contact Dawn Jeffers at 920-438-1605 for more information or to get a copy of the book.
Hennepin County to Launch Aging, Disabled Resource Centers
Hennepin County Commissioners voted to accept $207,000 from the Minnesota Board on Aging to design and launch Aging and Disabled Resource Centers. Resource centers are envisioned for use by people to help them become aware of long-term care options and become better consumers of services as well as planners for their own care. Resource centers will weave together existing pieces of the aging-anddisability network, from telephone assistance to printed materials, and incorporate a website to guide people through decisions about long-term care. The pilot location will be at the Brookdale Service Center. Look for more Resource Centers in doctor’s offices and banks.
Family to Family Support Groups
The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Minnesota (NAMI-MN) sponsors support groups for Minnesota families who have a relative with a mental illness. Using support group principles and guidelines, people who attend develop better
coping skills, reject the stigma of mental illness, and find strength in sharing experiences. A support group is held the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Centennial United Methodist Church in Roseville at 6:30pm. For more information contact NAMI MN at 651-645-2948 or 1-888-473-0237.
MS Achievement Center receives $20,000 grant
The Fairview Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Achievement Center received a $20,000 grant from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to enhance the lives of people with MS and provide needed support for the MS Achievement Center. The MS Achievement Center is one of only four programs in the United States that provides quality, on-going health care services that address the whole person living with MS. For more information on the Fairview MS Achievement Center contact Tami Peterson at 612-672-7236. For more information on the MS Foundation visit their website at www.msfocus.org.
Parent Aide Volunteers
Being a parent is one of the toughest jobs in the world. As a Parent Aide volunteer you can offer your experience as a parent to a single mother or father. Your words of encouragement and reassurance can go a long way. You can give them hope and change the family’s life for the better. For more information or to volunteer, contact Jackie Connolly, 612-348-2875 at Hennepin County Volunteer & Community Partnership Program.
Artist Recognition Grant deadline is Nov. 8, 2004
VSA arts of Minnesota will award six $1,000 grants to Minnesota artists with disabilities through its Artist Recognition Grant Program, funded by the Jerome Foundation. The program is open to individuals in all art disciplines: visual, performing, written, media, etc. For an application or more information contact 612-332-3888 or email jon.vsarts@bcmn.com
Courage Cards and Gifts
New Holiday Season means new Holiday Cards from Courage Center. The on-site gift shop at Courage Center in Golden Valley will be open October 4 through December 23, 2004. Weekday hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturdays (Nov - Dec) hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The on-site gift shop at Courage Center in Stillwater will be open November 14 through December 18, 2004. Monday and Friday hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Wednesday hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m and Saturdays hours are 9 a.m. to noon. For more information visit www.couragecard.org or call 1-800-9926872.
Hennepin County Expands
Mental Health Service for Children
Hennepin County commissioners voted to accept $600,000 from the Metropolitan Health Plan (MPO) to expand and improve services to children with mental illness. About $245,000 will be used to expand crisis mental health services to children, to ensure services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. About $200,000 will be used fund more Primary Projects in the 2004-2004 school year. Primary Project identifies children in pre-school through 3rd grade who seem to have a hard time adjusting to school and provides support for them to improve their skills. The rest of the grant will be used to improving a family’s ability to obtain services within Hennepin County. For more information contact Julie Halpern, Hennepin County Human Services at 612-348-9259.
October: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Women over the age of 40 are recommended to receive an annual mammogram and clinical exams. According to the Minnesota Department of Health over 15,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer during a five-year period from 1992 to 1996 and over 3,000 women died from the disease in that time period. If you do not have a doctor to receive these services you can contact the Open Cities Health Center at 651290-9200. They do accept most insurances and do have a sliding fee scale available.
Discharge Planning Group
Will Better Track Vulnerable Adults
Vulnerable people leaving Hennepin County institutions or programs such as correctional facilities or foster care are more likely to be successful, safe and independent if they have plans
OCTOBER
October 1-29
Partnerships Art Exhibit
An art exhibit by talented artists with disAbilities who are supported by Partnership Resources Inc., will be displayed (Monday – Friday, 8am – 4:30 pm) For more information, call 612-3312075 or 952-925-1404.
October 12
Tables for Tasks Tasks Unlimited.
An exquisite one-of-kind Luncheon and Silent Auction Proceeds will benefit our newest lodge for moms and their children whose lives are affected by mental illness. Price is $60.00 per person and $30.00 is tax deductible. For more info contact Theresa at 612-871-3320, ext. 224.
Successful Transitions for Youth with Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health Needs
A free workshop for parents of youth with disabilities ages 14-21 years old. Specific areas such as transition from school to adulthood and transition to and from separation sites will be discussed. To register for the workshop call PACER at 952-838-9000 or 952-8380190 (TTY). Advance
October 14
Job Bank/Resume Lab at the Workforce Center
Using our computer lab, learn how to register on MN Job Bank, how to do job search and how to use the resume feature for employers to view your resume. This is not a workshop to learn how to use computers. Bring a hard copy of your resume to self-enter into Job Bank. No Charge. To register call 952-3464028.
October 15
“Balkanization” of Disability:
Examining the Disparities Persons with disabilities receive support through a fragmented set of programs and services distributed across two axes: one defined by age and one by etiology. There are historical reasons and contemporary rationales for these differences. However, as the demographic, social, and economic tides shift, it may not be advantageous to preserve them.
Robert Kane, Minnesota Chair in Long-term Care and Aging University of Minnesota will discuss “balkanization” of disability, historical reasons, current rationales and patterns, and forecasted trends. There will also be a debate entitled: Has the partitioning of disability advocacy and programs helped or harmed
Upcoming Events
people with disabilities? Following the debate there will be panel discussion on the “Future direction of disability advocacy and programs.” The afternoon will include small group discussions on: “How do we achieve our goals? What are alternative scenarios for reducing competition or maintaining it?”
Registration is due by October 8, 2004. To register or for more information, call 612624-1185.
October 17
The Raptor Center’s annual Fall Open House
Get the behind-the-scenes look at the Raptor Clinic, operating room, and hospital, where hundreds of birds of prey are treated each year. The event is free and open to the public. For more information call 612-624-4745 or email raptor@umn.edu.
October 19
Workshop for Managers/HR Access To Employment’s Business Advisory Council, the City of Bloomington’s Disability Employment Awareness Month Planning Committee and the Rehabilitation Services Branch of Bloomington will present a workshop. A panel of local employers will share strategies on how they have increased employment opportunities for persons with disabilities within their business and diversified the workforce. This workshop will also show Managers and Human Resource staff how to connect with agencies who may assist them with disability related questions and resources. To register call 763-543-6980 and ask for Becky Brink. No Charge.
October 20
SEMCIL offers Fall Conf: Life After Brain Injury
The Southeastern Minnesota Center for Independent Living (SEMCIL) is hosting the conference “Transitions: LIFE AFTER BRAIN INJURY” at
the Best Western Apache Mall, Rochester.
The keynote speaker for the event is Mike Strand, and break out sessions include Working and Brain Injury (BI), BI Basics, Bridging the gap from Hospital to School, Survivor/Family panel, TBI Waiver, Abilities Unlimited and Guardianship/Conservatorship. The conference is geared towards persons with brain injury, their family members and professionals who provide direct, one-onone service for persons with brain injury. Registration is $50 for professionals, and $25 for persons with brain injury and their family members with a $40 cap for families with more than one person attending. For more info, contact Ann Petersen at 507-285-3920 or Neva Stavlund at 507-535-7132.
October 21-23
The 22nd Annual Closing the Gap Conference Minneapolis, MN. For complete conference and registration details go to http://www.closingthegap. com/conf/index2 .html
October 22
How Swede is it?
Mystery Dinner - Wings Fundraiser - Food! Music! Fun! For more information contact 612-866-0462 ext. 130
October 23
Arc’s Family Fun Day At Sponsel’s
There’s no better place to enjoy a beautiful autumn day than at an apple orchard – and you and your family can have a bushel full of fun at Sponsel’s Minnesota Harvest, where Arc HennepinCarver will have a Family Fun Day from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Sponsel’s Minnesota Harvest. To register for Family Fun Day, call Arc at (952) 920-0855. Participants encouraged to sign up by Oct 20.
October 26
More Than A Mood: Challenges of Today’s Youth MN Social Service Assoc. Are you a professional who works with adolescents? Are you a parent struggling with today’s issues? The workshop will feature topics such as: Bullies, Their Victims and You; Cutting and Burning: Understanding Injurious Behaviors; Dating Violence: Teen’s Secret Health Issues; Working Through Unhealthy Anger With Youth; Understanding Eating Disorders. To register or for more information contact Minnesota Social Service Association at 651-644-0556.
October 27
Job Seeking Skills Training Access To Employment and Penn Lake Library is hosting a job seeking class. Employment Specialists from Access To Employment will address interviewing, resume development, career exploration and professionalism. There will also be a demonstration of library resources for job searching by library staff. No charge. To register, call the library at 952-847-5800.
October 29
Support Group Facilitators
If you are facilitating a support group, and would like to be part of a great training opportunity, save Friday, Oct 29, 2004. Staff from the Brain Injury Association, Epilepsy Foundation, the MN Stroke Association, and the Parkinson Disease Association are collaborating to plan the event. Watch upcoming Enews editions for more details.
October 29-30
2004 Disability Research Conference, Rock, Roll N Research
The Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland, OH. Sponsored by Hattie Larlham Research Institute For more information see their website at www.hattie larlham.org
NOVEMBER
November 5
Charlie Smith
Awards Banquet
Como Pavilion, St. Paul, MN
Sponsored by the Access Press Board of Directors
November 6
Ability Expo
National MS Society
Northland Inn, Brooklyn Park Call Scott Olson for more information at 612-335-7981 or 1-800-582-5296
November 7
2004 Fundraiser with brunch and silent auction
MN Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromalgia Assoc. To benefit the needs of those with CFS, FM and related illnesses. To register or for more information, contact 651-644-4975, toll free 866644-4975 or email your request to dfsmn@visi.com
November 13
NAMI-MN Annual Conference Earle Brown Ctr, St. Paul, MN. Sponsored by the Nat’l Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Minnesota. There will be fifteen breakout sessions covering a variety of topics that affect children and adults such as Evidence Based Practices, medication, criminal justice system, children’s mental health system in Hawaii, meeting the needs of young adults, life planning and working with hospital staff. For more information, please contact the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Minnesota at 651-6452948 or check out the website at www.nami.org/namimn.
November 16
“How I Found Hope on a Harley” or, “How Bowling Saved Me from the Asylum” The Minnetonka School District is pleased to invite you to a community-wide event featuring Pete Feigal 2004 Courage Center Judd Jacobson Memorial Award Winner and nationally-known speaker and trainer.
Pete will share his personal story using humor and heartbreak to examine insights gained from over 30 years of battling depression. “Conflict and struggles are moments that define us. We need to focus not on our wounds, but on what we LOVE.” Small donation requested. A mental health information resource fair and door prizes of Pete’s spectacular art work will be available. This event is cosponsored by Children’s Mental Health Collaborative, Americana Community Bank, Beacon Bank and 1st MN Bank
November 21
“After Hours” Shopping Event to Feature The Minnesota Boychoir The Seventh Annual Magical Evening of Giving “after hours” private shopping gala and fundraiser gives patrons the opportunity to get holiday shopping done early while raising money for their favorite charity. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased through any participating charity or from the Southdale Customer Service Center in advance or that night at the door. Southdale Center is giving metro area charities, non-profit organizations and parent-school associations the opportuntiy to raise funds through ticket sales. Each group keeps 100% of the $5 ticket proceeds. Participation is free for any 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For more information, or to register, visit www.southdale.com or call 952-925-7852.
November 30
Photography ContestInternat’l Library of Photography • FREE ENTRY Amateur Photo Contest is open to all St. Paul residents. Everyone, particularly beginners are welcome to try and win their share of over 1,300 prizes (60,000). For more information call 410-363-4800 ext. 121 or www.picture. com
Candidate Questions And Responses
Access Press asked each U. S. House of Representatives candidate the following questions:
Q1. How will the new federal prescription drug benefit being implemented in 2006 help or hurt the 9 million non-elderly disabled Americans receiving Medicare? Would you support (or author) a technical amendment that would make prescription drug coverage more accessible for persons with disabilities—persons who have dual eligibility under Medicare and Medicaid?
Q2. “Currently in 38 states people with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities, who seek assistance from vocational rehabilitation programs are being placed on a waiting list because the programs do not have the funds to serve them. In view of the fact that studies—including studies conducted by the Congressional Budget Office—have shown on the average for every dollar put into rehabilitation programs, the federal government will receive 9 dollars in tax revenue over the persons working life, would you support increased funding and support for vocational rehabilitation programs so all applicants can be served and begin returning needed tax revenue to the federal government?”
Q3. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is commonly referred to as the civil rights act for children with disabilities because it guarantees access to a free and appropriate public education. The act is currently being considered for reauthorization and both the House and Senate bills significantly weaken key components of the current law that ensure accountability. These include such things as opening the door to the development of
three year individual education plans (IEP’s), rather than one year; eliminating the requirement for short term objectives to be included in IEP’s; changing the way parents are notified of their rights; making it easier for schools to suspend or expel students with disabilities (even if the behavior is related to the student’s disability); and watering down due process protections. If this bill is not reauthorized during the current session of Congress, will you support reauthorizing an IDEA bill next session that will not strip current rights from children with disabilities and their families?
Q4. Please outline your thoughts on the proposal to “block grant” Medicaid funding to the states, instead of the currently used formula.
Q5. Do you support the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003?
Q6a. How is Minnesota doing in response to the 1999 US Supreme Court Olmstead decision?
Q6b. How can the Medicare system be altered to provide incentives for funding community-based, versus institutional care or services to those who are “home-bound?”
Q6c. Given that recent government surveys show some 6,690 or 18.7% of Minnesotans living in nursing homes express a preference to live in the community. What is your position on MiCASSA (S.971 and H.R.2032) and Money Follows the Person Act (S.1394 and H.R.1811)? Please elaborate on the pros and cons to the legislation and the rationale behind your position.
Following are the candidates responses.
Leigh Pomeroy DFL 1st District
Q1. [LP] The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 is a disaster. It is highly complex, creates a bureaucratic nightmare, and is essentially a government welfare program for the large drug companies. There is only one way to lower the cost of prescription drugs and that is for the federal government to institute price controls. We must have a simpler system for our seniors to use.
As long as it is law, however, I would support a technical amendment to make drug coverage more affordable for persons with disabilities.
Q2. [LP] Yes, I wholeheartedly support increased funding for vocational rehabilitation programs.
Q3. [LP] I support reauthorizing an IDEA bill that does not strip current rights from children with disabilities and their families.
Q4. [LP] We must continue to support and build upon programs that assist persons with disabilities. The problem with the block grant plan is that this may encourage some states to reduce benefits, cap enrollment, and increase patient cost for Medicaid services.
Q5. [LP] Yes.
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Teresa Daly DFL 2nd District
Q1. [TD] The new Medicare law fails to adequately address the issue of affordable prescription drugs. It creates a system of means-testing where some seniors are ineligible for a prescription drug benefit because of income and assets. The new law creates gaps in coverage where millions of seniors will be forced to pay the costs of drugs because their drug bills are not high enough to receive coverage.
The new Medicare law also fails to define the process for moving the dual eligibles from drug coverage through Medicaid to Medicare. It does not ensure simple and automatic enrollment for eligible individuals. Success of this transition is critical since Medicaid drug coverage ends
Q6a. [LP] Minnesota is doing better than many states in implementing the Olmstead decision. However, the current governor and state house seem to be more interested in cutting taxes rather than supporting and expanding services. This trend must be reversed.
Q6b. [LP] The problem is not finding solutions; it’s funding those solutions. Unfortunately, the current Administration and Congress are more interested in fighting wars and bequeathing tax cuts to their wealthy friends than in expanding community-based health care and health services.
Q6c. [LP] I strongly support MiCASSA, the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act, and the Money Follows The Person Act.
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I will fight to rewrite the Medicare law to allow the government to negotiate with the drug companies for lower drug prices, permit individuals to import their FDAapproved drugs from the cheapest pharmacy, and ensure that persons with disabilities receive the access to the medications they need.
Q2. [TD] I will support increased federal funding for vocational rehabilitation programs. Many states have begun to scale back vocational rehabilitation programs by reforming workers compensation and balancing state budgets. Some states, including California, have completely abolished vocational rehabilitation programs. I believe the federal government should give workers the tools necessary to help them go back to work after an injury.
Q3. [TD] It is very likely that Congress will not reauthorize IDEA because of partisan wrangling and their short legislative calendar. While Congress made some progress on IDEA in this Congress, more is needed to ensure that our children receive a quality education. Schools should be required to consider the impact of a child’s disability when deciding to change his or her placement following a suspension or expulsion violation. Congress should also increase funding for schools to expand the use of behavioral support and school-wide behavioral interventions in order to proactively address student behavior.
Schools should be required to conduct a behavioral assessment to determine whether a child’s violation of school conduct codes is the result of a child’s disability or of a school’s failure to implement the child’s Individual Education Program (IEP).
If Congress is going to mandate all these new requirements on our school districts, they must do something they have failed to do since IDEA was first enacted 29 years ago, which is to fully fund the 40 percent requirement.
Q4. [TD] Congress shouldn’t change Medicaid into a block grant program. Block grants will force states to scale back coverage over time. Because a block grant would limit the amount of federal funds available for Medicaid based on expenditures today, it would essentially freeze state programs at a time when states have already reduced Medicaid coverage and services in order to close budget gaps. As costs grow over time, a limit on federal funds will force governors and state legislators to put the needs of different populations against one another, leaving some unserved.
Block grants will hinder states’ ability to respond to increasing health care needs of their residents. While today’s system guarantees a state additional federal funds if costs increase, under a block grant states would have to negotiate with the Administration or with Congress for additional federal funds when costs go up. A downturn in the economy that causes more people to become uninsured, public health threats or natural disasters, advances in costly medical technology or new medicines, and the increasing costs of prescription drugs or other medical treatments—all these could drive a state’s costs higher than anticipated under the block grant.
Under a block grant, people who have Medicaid coverage would lose valuable protections that are currently in Medicaid law. Such protections include limits on the amount of out-of-pocket costs they have to pay for health care, a standard benefit package, and the ability to enroll in the program at any time if they qualify.
Block grants limit federal funding and therefore put states at risk for paying for any health care costs they incur above the fixed amount. The health care needs of lowincome people remain regardless of the amount of federal funding available. If the federal government caps its contribution to the states for health care through Medicaid, states will be left holding the bag when the Candidates - cont. on p. 11
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federal government stops paying.
Q5. [TD] Yes, I support the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act. This monumental legislation would prohibit group insurance plans that cover mental illness from doing so under different terms than general medical treatments. It would prohibit all types of discrimination against those who seek mental health treatment, including higher co-payments and deductibles and limits on the numbers of treatment visits, by those health plans providing coverage for mental health treatments.
This bipartisan legislation is being held up by reluctant House Republican leadership and resistance of business and insurance groups who fear for increased premium costs.
Q6a [TD] The Supreme Court ruled in landmark interpretation of the ADA that the “integration mandate” of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires public agencies to provide services “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.”
While Minnesota hasn’t developed an Olmstead plan, the state has developed an alternative strategy to comply with the Court’s decision. Much of the Olmstead-related activities are occurring through Systems Change grants from the federal government. As a result of one of its Systems Change grants, the Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a request for proposals from organizations within the state that seek to rebalance and integrate longterm care and promote the independence of older adults.
As a member of Congress, I will fight for increased funding for grants to help state governments develop comprehensive Olmstead plans.
Q6b [TD] Improving care for people with long-term illnesses is the next great challenge in health care delivery. Billions in Medicare are spent treating preventable maladies like sores, dehydration, and fractures, when it would be much cheaper to hire more and better trained staff to prevent such problems in the first place.
That is why Congress should fund the Nurse Education Act and the Nurse Reinvestment Act to ensure sufficient numbers of qualified nurses are available to provide a full range of nursing services in all geographic areas.
Cont. from p. 10
Because health policy experts don’t know precisely how to create incentives for chronic care services in Medicare, Congress should concentrate on creating processes that allow experimentation and evaluation to find out what works. The result could be improved compliance with drug regimens or in-home monitoring which can pay off in savings from a reduced number of hospitalizations or other expensive health services.
Q6c [TD] Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act The bill calls for Medicaid funding to be used for personal assistance services and supports for people of all ages in their homes and communities, rather than only in an institution—paying for assistance with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, money management and certain healthrelated tasks. I support MiCASSA because it helps people make real choices about the type of care they need and deserve.
Money Follows the Person Act (S.1394)
In his budget for fiscal year 2004, President George Bush proposed a Money Follows the Person rebalancing initiative under the Medicaid program to help states rebalance their long-term services support systems more evenly between institutional and community-based services. While a few states have been successful at achieving this balance, nationally, approximately 70 percent of the Medicaid funding spent for long-term services is devoted to nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. Only 30 percent of such funding is spent for community-based services.
Money Follows the Person reduces the costs since home and community based services are far less expensive than institutional care. It is also consistent with our values and that is why I support Money Follows the Person ■
Jim Ramstad IR 3rd District
Q1 [JR] All groups that are covered under Medicare will benefit from the new Medicare prescription drug benefit program. On average, Medicare beneficiaries without prior coverage will save more than 50% on what they are currently paying for their prescription drugs. Low income beneficiaries will pay a maximum of $5 to as little as $1 per prescription, depending on income level.
While the new drug benefit is not perfect, I believe the prescription drug benefit is a step in the right direction. Continued Congressional oversight and improvement are required to ensure that this program provides maximum benefits to all Medicare beneficiaries.
Follow up: Would you support a technical amendment that would make the prescription drug coverage more accessible for persons with disabilities —persons who have dual eligibility under Medicare and Medicaid? Yes, the prescription drug benefit should be more accessible for persons with disabilities who are dual eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
Q2 [JR] As co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, I am committed to promoting the independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of all Americans with disabilities. I strongly believe that any person with disabilities who seeks employment should be able to find a job.
At the beginning of Septem-
ber, the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus held a briefing on employment options for people with disabilities. This briefing highlighted the importance of vocational rehabilitation in helping people with disabilities maximize their capabilities and gain employment. I will continue to ensure that all Members of Congress understand the importance of vocational rehabilitation and the need for adequate funding.
I strongly support many other initiatives that help people with disabilities gain employment. That’s why I helped author the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, which became law in 1999 and which helps people with disabilities work and gain greater independence.
This session, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 4278, the Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act. This important program is crucial to helping people with disabilities access assistive technologies and gain employment.
Q3 [JR] If this bill is not reauthorized during the current session of Congress, will you support reauthorizing an IDEA bill next session that will not strip current rights from children with disabilities and their families?
Education is the cornerstone to independent living and a high quality of life for all Americans. Unfortunately, students with disabilities graduate from high school and college at a much lower rate than those without disabilities. It is critically important that we continue to improve our educational programs for students with disabilities, and I am a strong supporter of initiatives that strive to meet this goal.
As a sponsor of legislation which mandates annual increases of $2.2 billion in each of the next five years to reach full federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), I am absolutely committed to fully funding special education and protecting the rights of children with disabilities.
Q4 [JR] I am strongly opposed to block grants for Medicaid. As co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, I have worked to educate other Members of Congress on the importance of Medicaid to people with disabilities. In July, the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus held a briefing on the concerns that have been raised about the proposed Medicaid block grants. I will continue to work to ensure that all Members understand the importance of Medicaid for people with disabilities and the need for adequate funding.
Q5 [JR] I co-authored this important bill with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), and I will continue to work hard to pass this legislation, which is critical to 54 million Americans suffering from mental illness.
Q6a [JR] Minnesota must do more to ensure full implementation of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. With Medicaid accounting for an ever-growing percentage of state spending, the need to provide alternatives to institutional care is critical for states. Minnesota has expanded use of Medicaid waivers, such as the Consumer Directed Community Supports waiver, to help Minnesotans with disabilities stay in their communities.
Deborah Watts DFL 3rd District
Q1 [DW] I believe that the new drug benefit scheduled for implementation in 2006 will be revised or rewritten before it takes effect, primarily due to the enormous cost of the proposed program. I believe that the temporary prescription drug benefit cards should be made permanent; they offer a competitive, flexible, and effective mechanism for controlling price, and they empower patients to make their own decisions about healthcare. I would work to make this program permanent, extending its benefits into the future and to more Americans. Concerns are typically raised about the complexity of the discount card and the limited eligibility for needy seniors to receive subsidies. Both of these concerns can be addressed before making the discount card permanent.
Q2 [DW] I believe that our healthcare system is generally too focused on treating symptoms instead of preventing them, or, to put it another way, we combat sickness instead of fostering health. I agree that by paying for rehabilitative treatments we can generate increased productivity and tax revenue; it’s also important to note that by paying for Candidates- cont. on p. 12
Q6b [JR] I am pleased that Medicare has long provided home health services to beneficiaries who are confined to the home. Additionally, the new Medicare law includes a demonstration project in which beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part B with certain chronic conditions would be deemed to be homebound in order to receive home health services under Medicare. This important project will help expand the home health service options available to Medicare beneficiaries. I believe it is essential for people to live in their own homes and as an integrated member of their community whenever possible. That’s why I will continue working to expand community-based services and community living choices for people with disabilities and other Medicare beneficiaries.
Q6c [JR] I want to reiterate my support for communitybased care. No person should be forced to enter an institution to receive services that can be effectively delivered in their own home or community. That’s why I support the goals of H.R. 2032.
Further, I believe that Medicaid funding should follow the individual, and not be tied to an institution. That’s why I am a cosponsor and strong supporter of H.R. 1811. ■
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this sort of preventative or rehabilitative care we save a tremendous amount of money down the line by averting serious complications and deteriorations.
Q3 [DW] I will not only work to reauthorize IDEA with its protections for students and parents intact, but I am also committed to securing fullfunding for this program. This is an important issue for me because my opponent, though a vocal advocate for fully funding IDEA, has voted for all the Bush budgets and their cuts to this program. I will not only advocate for full funding and protections, I will not support a budget that does not adequately fund IDEA or other important educational programs. Short-term goals for IEPs are particularly important to me rather than three year IEPs that allow students to fall through the cracks. In addition, schools should be required to formulate IEPs with the input of teachers, counselors, students, and parents after parents are notified of their rights and options. Suspension or expulsion of students with disabilities should be subject to administrative review and ensure that the student’s best interests are considered first.
Q4 [DW] I oppose efforts to block grant Medicaid funding, and I consider such efforts just backdoor attempts to weaken and circumvent protections for patients and consumers. The Republican Party has grown exceedingly adept at weakening accountability and relaxing regulations for the benefit of insurance companies and medical industries. I believe that the costs of additional federal maintenance are well worth the payoff of better benefits and stronger patient advocacy.
Q5 [DW] I support the Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, and I
Cont. from p. 11
believe that mental health parity is an important, bipartisan project that has been stalled for too long in the Congress. I would oppose efforts to include a costexemption for insurance companies or to limit the Act’s applicability to a narrow list of disorders; I perceive both of these as attempts to protect insurance corporations and the medical industry from their obligations to help American patients and consumers.
Q6a [DW]. I believe that Minnesota’s alternative plan for Olmstead compliance, the long-term care reform program, has been successful in many ways, but must be constantly updated to maintain its level of service. One of the most important problems that the program must surmount in coming years is the retiring of the baby boom generation, flooding the program with new long-term care residents, most of whom will want to live in a community.
Q6b [DW]. I support expanding the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan to all Americans, and I believe that a FEHBP-style reform for Medicare would enable the system to accommodate the demand for community-based care. The FEHBP has been in operation for over thirty years, and has constantly evolved to compensate for new demands in healthcare: without legislative oversight, the Plan has grown to include catastrophic cost coverage, dental benefits, prescription drug benefits, and even ailment specific-plans for disorders such as diabetes. By relying on this market-driven model, the Medicare program could solicit private plans to compete for its millions of clients. Not only has this been proven to drive down prices, but also encourage private plans to meet the demands of consumers, and this reform would undoubtedly meet the needs of ‘home-bound’ con-
Betty McCollum DFL 4th District
Q1 [BM]: The Republican Medicare Modernization Act passed by Congress last year put drug company profits over people’s health care and the Bush administration lied to Congress about its cost. It was a terrible bill and I voted against it and I will support making all the changes neces-
sumers who prefer community-based services. I also support allowing retirees to carry private insurance policies with them into retirement with a government subsidy.
Q6c [DW] I support expanding the options for Medicare recipients, including the choice of where to receive long-term or personal care. I understand that institutional care is more easily managed, and that there may be an increased cost to ‘exporting’ those services, so to speak, to personal homes, but I believe the increased consumer satisfaction and quality of life that community-based care would produce are well worth it. As I described earlier, I believe in the power of preventative care, and I believe that we can help people stay in their homes and communities for longer if we would only invest more in rehabilitative, preventative, and home-based care. As the need for longterm care increases, a serious investigation of ways to improve care giver training and access should be considered. An effort to create longterm care insurance that can help pay for nursing home or home health care services would help to ensure that elderly Americans are not forced to choose between poverty and health care. ■
sary to meet the drug needs of Medicare beneficiaries.
The Bush Medicare law prohibits the federal government from negotiating with drug companies for the lowest price—this is wrong. Persons with disabilities and seniors should not be forced to subsidize the enormous profits drug companies are promised in this law. This special interest provision of the law must be repealed.
I also support changing the Medicare law so recipients have the freedom of choice for medication, pharmacy, doctor and hospital, and eliminating the gaps of coverage, like the $2,250 out of pocket “donut hole.” It is outrageous that Medicare law significantly worsens current levels of coverage for 6.4 million beneficiaries who are dual eligible by requiring them to be covered by Medicare and not allowing Medicaid to make up their gap in their coverage. This provision must be changed and I will continue to work to ensure that all Medicare beneficiaries have access to affordable prescription drugs.
Q2 [BM]: Washington’s top domestic priority under oneparty Republican rule has been reckless and irresponsible tax giveaways for the wealthiest Americans, not making wise investments to improve the lives of our citizens—like vocational rehabilitation. Congress should be investing in education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation programs to ensure that all individuals have access to services and are able to meet their full potential and contribute to our nation’s success. These investments result in long-term benefits that make America stronger. The Bush tax giveaways for individuals earning over $200,000 should be repealed in favor of investment that strengthen and improve the well-being of all Americans.
Q3 [BM]: As a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, I have been working on the reauthorization of IDEA. I will continue to work with com-
munity leaders to work to improve this bill, including the discipline and procedural safeguards provisions and the failure of the federal government to live up to its commitment to fully fund IDEA. Washington should live up to its promise and fully fund IDEA. Our state has a good model that I worked on in the Minnesota Legislature that is a careful balance between the rights of children with disabilities and nondisabled students. This allows schools to maintain a safe learning environment for all children and at the same time, resolve discipline issues. Minnesota is a model for federal policies that best meet the needs of students and schools. It is important that we reauthorize this legislation to ensuring that children with disabilities receive an appropriate public education and have equal opportunities to succeed. Our government has the responsibility and the moral obligation to educate all children with disabilities.
Q4 [BM]: The block granting of Medicaid funding to states is a terrible proposal which I oppose. This proposal would remove all federal accountability and could severely limit access to optional services by capping the amount of funds available. Too many states, like Minnesota, are currently facing a budget crunch and a block grant with no accountability could open the door for states to weaken their current investment in the Medicaid program.
Q5 [BM]: Mental health parity is a matter of justice and fairness—it should be made the law. Congress should stop wasting time and pass the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act immediately. For the 54 million Americans suffering from mental illness, we must end discrimination by health insurance companies. It is very disappointing, for all of us who loved Paul and who know the challenges people with mental health face daily that Congress continues to ignore this very important issue.
Q6 [BM]: I strongly believe
Patty Wetterling DFL
6th District
Q1 [PW] I share the concerns of many activists that this law has potentially disturbing consequences for non-elderly disabled Americans receiving Medicare. Under the law, persons with disabilities who are currently eligible for Medicare and Medicaid will lose their prescription drug benefit under Medicaid and will have to enroll in Medicare’s benefit. This would be acceptable if the new Medicare benefit adequately addresses the needs Candidates- cont. on p. 13
A voter hotline is available through the Minnesota Disability Law Center on Election Day. If you are a voter with a disability who encounters a situation or has a voting related question, please utilize this hotline from the following information:
Numbers 612-334-5785 x216 (metro area) 1-800-292-4150 x216 (greater MN)
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improvements must be made to long-term care services, particularly as retirement of the baby boomer generation puts an even larger strain on our existing programs. This is why I am a cosponsor of the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2002 to provide individuals with disabilities and older Americans with equal access to communitybased attendant services and supports. This legislation would help to change our current long term care system, focused on institutionalization for persons with disabilities and the elderly, to one focused on independence and self-sufficiency through community based support. It would provide long-term care options to persons in need of nursing home care, preventing individuals from being forced into institutions. Families of disabled children deserve the ability to access the most appropriate medical treatment available through the Medicaid program. I will continue to support legislation that will provide individuals with access to appropriate care. ■
(Watts cont. from p. 11)
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of disabled Americans. Since the new benefit relies heavily on private plans, I worry there will be no incentive for private insurers to address the needs of disabled Americans.
I also have concerns about the broader gaps in coverage in the new federal drug benefit. First, the new law does not allow the government to negotiate lower prices for Medicare participants and does not allow the reimportation of drugs from nations such as Canada. I am also concerned that this law may push seniors into HMOs by forcing traditional Medicare to compete with private plans. Medicare is at a particularly extreme disadvantage because of large government subsidies which favor HMOs. Finally, the law allows seniors to purchase “drug discount cards.” These cards may in fact limit choices for seniors by forcing them to choose only one card and locking them in for a year. To make matters worse, drug companies can make weekly changes to the drugs on which they offer discounts.
I support a prescription drug benefit that is affordable, substantial, and forces neither the disabled nor seniors into private plans. This plan must be sufficient to address the needs of the disabled and seniors, whether they are rural or urban.
Q2 [PW] I would support increased funding for vocational rehabilitation programs. These programs have been shown to reduce the tax burden on Americans by reducing the need for institutionalization and encouraging disabled Americans into meaningful employment.
Q3 [PW] I support IDEA reauthorization that does not strip rights from children with disabilities. Congress has also neglected to fully fund this program, and I support full funding of the federal government’s promise to disabled children.
Q4 [PW] I do not support proposals to convert Medicaid to a block grant program. Medicaid is at its core a safety net, and a block grant plan may undermine this function because states may not be able to respond sufficiently to increased needs for health care during economic slowdowns if the federal contribution is capped.
Q5 [PW] Yes. As a child
Cont. from p. 12
safety advocate, I have worked with many families who have been affected by mental illness. Many runaway children suffer from depression and would benefit from mental health care. Consequently, I support the Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003. Mental health is too often overlooked, and this important legislation will fill unfair gaps in mental health coverage. It has broad support from both parties and Congress should act on it.
Q6a [PW] The 1999 Olmstead decision challenged federal, state, and local governments to develop more opportunities for individuals with disabilities through more accessible systems of cost-effective community-based services. As of 2001, Minnesota was one of ten states which did not have a taskforce to assess current long-term care systems. State officials believe existing programs designed to improve community integration are sufficient. To date, no Olmstead-related suits have been filed in Minnesota. However, barriers such as affordable housing, service providers, and general funding stand in the way of full integration. Time will tell whether state officials’ actions suffice. If their actions prove inadequate, I would consider calling for a taskforce similar to those in other states.
Q6b [PW] Medicare provides only limited funding for longterm care, covering primarily short stays in nursing homes for rehabilitative care. Medicaid allows greater access to long-term care, but its strict eligibility criteria require that seniors exhaust most of their assets to qualify. I support expanding the Medicare system to provide greater access to a range of long-term care services, so that people with long-term care needs receive the least restrictive care possible.
Q6c [PW] I support H.R. 2032, the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2003. This legislation would fill gaps in the Medicaid program to allow greater coverage of community-based services. These programs are more cost-efficient than institutionalization, and many nursing home residents prefer community-based care. H.R. 1811, which I also support, would allow families of disabled children to purchase coverage under the Medicaid Program for these children. ■
Van Presley Green 8th District
Q1 [VP] Everything I’ve learned about the federal prescription drug benefit is negative, from the writing of the bill by drug company lobbyists, to arm twisting in back rooms, to the attempted bribery of Representative Nick Smith of Michigan, to prolonging the debate for the longest time in history. This law hurts all Americans, ablebodied or differently-abled, because it doesn’t allow for negotiating group discount prices with the drug companies, nor re-importation from Canada, and because of the “donut hole” in the center of the “benefit.” This law should be scrapped, and all drug benefits should be part of a universal coverage, singlepayer, publicly funded, national health insurance plan. I would support any and all amendments, up to and including scrapping the entire law, to make drug coverage more accessible for all citizens.
Q2 [VP] Enthusiastically yes. I started my first physical therapy job in 1971, and have been a licensed PT specializing in rehab since 1977. I know first hand that human potential must be encouraged and rewarded by any society that claims to be fair and just.
Q3 [VP] The destructive proposals you refer to are part of a coordinated attack by free market fundamentalists and corporate pirates, who consider “a public dollar is a wasted dollar,” unless they can get a piece of the action. The next thing you know, they will want to contract out publicly provided therapies and special educations services to some huge conglomerate, and then outsource the IEP’s to subcontractors in India, to boost their stock price. I will absolutely support reauthorizing an IDEA bill next session that will not strip current rights from children with disabilities and their families.
Q4 [VP] Block granting Medicaid funding (and probably the regulations that go along with it) to the states is a bad idea, because we need uniform standards in this country. Otherwise, it will pit state against state, in a race to the bottom, as states then begin the nasty practice of contracting out services (probably to temp agencies, that
offer no benefits) and pinching pennies. This will be sold to the public as “the efficiency of the market place,” but it will just be a way to stuff more public dollars into private pockets, and reduce livingwage jobs with good benefits to poverty wages. One need only look at Texas, where public sector employees are battling this type of scheme, which is part “shrinking the federal government until it can be drowned in the bathtub,” that Grover Norquist and the Americans for Tax Reform are working toward, as their main goal.
Q5 [VP] Enthusiastically yes.
Q6a [VP] I would give MN a “C,” no thanks to the current governor, who would have entirely eliminated funding. It’s no wonder that with such limited funds the state does not have an official Olmstead task force. While the governor’s short-sighted, Americans-forTax-Reform approach is no surprise, one would think that an Olmstead program, that offers such good potential savings, would be attractive even to him. I see no problem linking to faithbased organizations, but no public dollars should go directly to faith-based organizations.
Q6b [VP] The cuts that were made in the 90’s should be restored, for example, the skilled nursing services that were disallowed. In addition to RNs and PTs, OTs should be allowed to open skilled care cases. The OASIS needs to be liberally rewritten to make it a more sensitive tool to measure progress in mobility. It is now a “blunt instrument” that fails to measure rehab progress accurately. This rewriting would probably make home services under Medicare more widely available. Besides incentives for Medicare, Medicaid should not put a lien on people’s homes if they need home services, because taxes should be used for this purpose.
Q6c [VP] As a physical therapist specializing in homecare for the past 9 years, including treating patients in assisted living facilities, I can attest to the value of community-based services. My perspective also comes from my 15 years’ experience as a PT in skilled nursing facilities. Because of each individual’s uniqueness, it only makes sense that the “money should follow the person.” There must be safeguards to guarantee adequate quality and quantity of staffing for each person’s needs, and the best way to do this is to upgrade the compensation for caregivers to truly living-wage jobs, nation-wide. That way, more highly-skilled people will be attracted to the caring professions. ■
James L. Oberstar DFL 8th District
Q1 [JO] I opposed the Medicare prescription drug legislation for many reasons, including the fact that the new law fails to provide a meaningful drug benefit for millions of Americans, including disabled Medicare beneficiaries. Yes, I would support amending the Medicare law to improve drug benefits for the disabled and for all lowincome Americans who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Q2 [JO] Yes, I support increased funding for vocational rehabilitation programs. Throughout my service in Congress, I have been a strong supporter of these programs, because I believe that the federal government should expand opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Investments in vocational rehabilitation are costeffective, prepare the disabled for future employment, and help individuals with disabilities participate more fully in society.
Q3 [JO] I understand the comments from teachers who find that the extensive paperwork involved in educating students with disabilities detracts from their responsibility to educate. However, I have concerns that the paperwork reduction pilot program in the IDEA legislation currently under consideration has no restrictions on what paperwork can be waived. Under this program as currently drafted, a state could propose waiving Individual Education Programs or due process notices as a way of reducing paperwork. Such broad discretion will only harm efforts to improve services for children with disabilities. For this reason, I opposed the bill when it passed the House of Representatives in April 2003. I would likely support the reauthorization of an IDEA bill if these provisions were to be improved in a future bill.
Q4 [JO] I strongly oppose all efforts to make Medicaid a block grant program. It is imperative for the federal government to maintain its commitment to the federal programs that serve the most vulnerable members of our society. While I have some confidence that the State of
Minnesota would continue to meet the health care needs of disabled residents in a Medicaid block-grant arrangement, I am concerned that other states would fail to ensure that disabled Americans would receive access to necessary health care services.
Q5 [JO] Yes, I support this legislation (H.R. 953), in the strong belief that we should not tolerate discrimination against patients in need of mental health care services. It is essential that we extend mental health parity for all Americans to have the same treatment, cost-sharing, lifetime and annual limits as those applicable to physical health care services.
Q6a The 1999 Supreme Court decision and subsequent federal rulings direct every state to transfer those with disabilities from institutions to less confining community settings, where appropriate. I understand the Minnesota State Legislature approved legislation in 2003 to create an alternative care program that provides home and community-based services. I believe the federal government should work with the states to provide the necessary resources to implement the Olmstead decision.
Q6b [JO] Under current law, Medicare provides home health benefits for beneficiaries requiring acute medical care, but it does not provide home health benefits for the disabled and frail elderly needing long-term care services. I support comprehensive long-term care reform to end the bias in favor of institutional care over home and community health care services to ensure that all Americans have the option to choose the most appropriate setting.
Q6c [JO] I support legislation to improve Medicaid to ensure that disabled Americans receive the assistance they need in daily activities. Additionally, the disabled should have the ability to choose the appropriate setting for the services they require. In most instances, home and community settings are preferable to institutional care, because it provides enhanced dignity and freedom for the individual and is more costeffective. Our federal health care policies should reflect this preference for home and community-based care, and I support legislation to achieve these important goals. ■
(Wetterling cont. from p. 12)
CANDIDATES -
Jay Pond Green 5th District
Q1. [JP] Prescription drug benefit. As a Green Party candidate I fully support the Green Party position of enacting into law a single payer, universal healthcare program that would include prescription drugs in its benefit package to all recipients. We believe that health care is a right for all people and that it is best administered through a program supported by our government.
In the interim, however, until a single payer universal healthcare program is enacted, I would definitely support and/or author a technical amendment that would make prescription drug coverage more accessible to persons with disabilities.
Q2. [JP] Vocational Rehab: It is short-sighted at best and inhumane at worst not to provide the opportunity for all people, regardless of ability level, to become contributing members of society. Although I view this problem as an area legitimately seen as an issue for each state to tackle, if we can detect a systemic negligence on the part of those 38 states where waiting lists abound, a federal solution is in order. That solution may be in the form of direct or indirect incentives, direct financial aid, or the withholding of financial aid in the absence of action. But a definite federal response is appropriate to insure that all people seeking assistance from vocational rehabilitation programs are accommodated.
Q3. [JP] The IDEA should be reauthorized without the current administration’s attempts to weaken accountability. This legislation works. It does what Congress intended it to do. We should not attempt to ‘fix’ things that are not broken! I oppose the proposed alterations to the bill, and will support its reauthorization in its original form.
Q4. [JP] Medicaid block grants. Again I reiterate the Green Party position, which I endorse whole-heartedly, that every person has a fundamental right to adequate health care. Under a universal, single payer health care system that is either federally or state operated the issue of “block grants” may still come
up, but in a markedly different context.
That said, in the short-term I oppose the current administration’s move to fund the Medicaid program through block grants to each state rather than having it operate, as it currently does, as an individual entitlement with an open-ended funding commitment from the federal government, albeit shared by the state government.
My major objection centers on the question of who is in a better position to absorb potential, unknown financial risk. Medicaid enrollment grows during periods of economic weakness, the exact times when state revenue collections diminish. Given their balanced budget requirements, states are in a much weaker position than the federal government to meet the increased demand for services during times of economic stress. The block grant concept would put pressure on the state to limit, rather that expand, enrollment during economic downturns because their federal money is fixed. Thus, it only makes sense to keep the major financial component in the hands of the stronger partner: the federal government. States, with their narrower tax bases and less heterogeneous economies, are subject to greater volatility in revenue collections, thus making a
reduction in services a likely outcome.
A matching formula, like the current model, encourages expansion of the program. When the state only pays 25% - 50% of the costs and the federal government picks up the remainder, it is easier to expand eligibility because the cost is shared. Under block grants, expansion would be 100% funded by the states, so there is decreased incentive to do so. Conversely, under block grants a retraction of eligibility would provide benefit to the state budget since the block grant would remain constant. Under the current formula, a retraction of services is not as attractive as it also means a reduction in the federal subsidy.
Finally, the current proposal would lock in the discrepancies in the current state funding levels. Thus, those states with poor services would have no incentive to improve their Medicaid services.
Q5. [JP] Yes, I fully support the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003.
Q6a. [JP] It is hard to make progress toward fully implementing the Olmstead decision when the Governor attempts to totally defund the effort at compliance. The legislature’s response to cut the previous financial allot-
ment by 30% is at best a setback that will slow the pace of insuring that all those who wish to be in a community rather than an institutional setting are given that opportunity.
Q6b. [JP] Assuming that Medicare has the same institutional bias that Medicaid has, an administrative change needs to occur that funds the choice of the recipient. One way to do this is to have the funding follow the individual: this individual’s condition entitles her/him to a certain maximum of financial support. The individual then decides where that support is spent—either in an approved home-based situation, or in an institutional setting.
Q6c. [JP] I fully support MiCASSA and the Money Follows the Person Act Government programs that provide support for people with disabilities must be crafted in a way that maximizes the control that individuals have over their conditions of existence. These acts provide the administrative infrastructure that makes that happen. By doing away with the institutional bias of Medicaid and putting home and community-based services on an equal footing with institutional care, MiCASSA and the Money Follows the Person Act is a giant step toward giving the disabled a major voice in their living situation.
Michael Johnson DFL 8th District
Q1. [MJ] It will hurt disabled Americans–costing billions–with profits to the drug industry and HMOs. I would support coverage: more accessible to disabled people; allow imports from Canada under Medicare.
Q2. [MJ] I would authorize as much increased funding for vocational rehabilitation, (my sister is special education).
Q3. [MJ] Yes, my father taught in small county schools for 39 years–where often disabled children were taught under IDEA concepts.
Q4. [MJ] I support any program that reduces “paperwork” and increases funding towards state programs–I don’t like “pencil pushers.”
Q5. [MJ] Yes, I was one of the founding contributors toward the advocacy group his sons started.
Q6a. [MJ] I am not familiar with Minnesota’s response–Educate me!
Q6b. [MJ] I am not familiar with any incentives.
Q6c. [MJ] I am not familiar with S. 971, H.R. 2032; nor S. 1394, H.R. 1811. Please send me information on these. ■
1st
Q1. [GM] It will help, but not enough. We need to allow reimportation of prescription drugs to reduce costs.
Q2. [GM] This is a good program which needs more funding.
Q3. [GM] Yes, I would support this bill.
Q4. [GM] No response
Q5. [GM] No response.
Q6. [GM] No reponse. ■
MSCOD Awards And Recognition Luncheon
The Minnesota State Council on Disability announces their 2004 awards and recognition recipients.
Medtronic Employer of the Year with more than 200 employees.
You are likely to recognize Medtronic as a world leader in medical technology. Medtronic has also been a pioneer advancing supported employment and the use of natural supports in hiring individuals with developmental disabilities.
As a member of the Minnesota Business Leadership Net-
work (MNBLN), a program lead by employers that engages the leadership and participation of companies to hire, retain and market to qualified job candidates with disabilities, Medtronic is being recognized for its leadership role in the development of Disability Mentoring Day in Minnesota, offering outreach and recruiting opportunities for BLN co-sponsors and career exploration for job seekers with disabilities.
Life Time Fitness, Bloomington Employer of the Year with less than 200 employees.
Most of think of Life Time Fitness as a place some people go to work out. There is more going on in the interest of the disability community at Life Time Fitness in Bloomington. High expectations in
the performance of job duties are expected and encouraged of students with disabilities from local schools. Students are employed competitively, and excel, meeting the high standards ser for all employees.
Anne Roberts— Access Award
Anne is President of People with Disabilities for Change (PDC); under Anne’s leadership, major changes have enhanced accessibility for individuals with a wide range of disabilities in the Duluth-Superior area.
David Kolquist—Distinguished Service Award
David is a member of the ALS Association of Minnesota. Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis or ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and is a neuromuscular disorder. Every day 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS.
Ruth Lundquist— Chair’s Award
This year Ruth was chosen by David Schwartzkopf to receive the Chair’s Award. She is currently the President of United Blind of Minnesota. Ruth’s role at United Blind, Inc. is to place sighted volunteers with blind persons to read them their
mail. She also produces a weekly telephone news line that provides members information via the phone. ■
Minnesota State Council On Disability
Greg Mikkelson IR
District
Russ Philstrom & Shannon Robins, of MN Brain Injury Association
Joann Olson receiving the Award for David Kolquist
Tom Hauser (R), 5 Eyewitness News and Mark Hughes (L)
Mysteries in the Museum: A Family Tour ASL: Thur, Oct 14, 3pm; Tix: admission charged to museum; interpreted tour is free; Visitor and Member Services, 612-8703131 or TTY 612-870-3132, or email dhegstro@artsmia. org, Mpls Institute of Art, Mpls; www.artsmia.org
Dracula: The Case of the Silver Scream AD & ASL: Fri, Oct 15, 7:30pm; Tix: $12, seniors/students $10; 952563-8587; Bloomington Ctr for the Arts Gallery Players, Bloomington; www.blooming tonartcenter.com
Go, Dog. Go! AD & ASL: Fri, Oct 15, 7:30pm; Tix: 612874-0400; Children’s Theatre Co., Mpls; www.childrens theatre.org
Flags AD & ASL & Captioning: Fri, Oct 15, 8pm; Tix: 612-338-6131 or 612-3385403 or robin@mixedblood. com ; Mixed Blood Theatre, Mpls; www.mixedblood.com
Bel Canto AD: Fri, Oct 15, 7:30pm; ASL: Fri, Oct 22, 7:30pm; Tix: $7.50 (½price): 612-825-0459; Pillsbury House Theatre, Mpls; www. pillsburyhousetheatre.org
Fosse ASL: Fri, Oct 15, 8pm; AD: Sat, Oct 16, 2pm; Tix: 651-224-4222, TTY 651282-3100; Ordway Ctr for the Performing Arts Main Hall, St. Paul; www.ordway.org
4.48 Psychosis ASL & AD: Sat, Oct 16, 1pm; Tue, Dec 14, 7:30pm; Tix: Reduced to $16; 612-377-2224, TTY 612-377-6626; The Royal Court Theatre at the Guthrie Lab, Mpls; www.guthrie theater.org
Pygmalion ASL: Fri, Oct 22, 7:30pm; AD: Sat, Oct 30, 1pm (free tactile tour 11, reserv needed); & Fri, Nov 5, 7:30pm; Tix: $16; 612-3772224, TTY 612-377-6626; Guthrie Theater, Mpls; www.guthrietheater.org
Accessible Performances
The Adventures of Stuart Little ASL: Sat, Oct 23, 2pm; Tix: $10 ages 13 & up, $8 ages 12 & under, 507-2828481; Rochester Civic Theatre Young People’s Theatre, Rochester; www.rochester civictheatre.org
The Fula from America: An African Journey ASL: Sat, Oct 23, 8pm; Tix: $15, $12 for students, seniors, groups of 10+ and CIA members; 612-724-8392 or cia@c4ia. org; Ctr for Independent Artists, Mpls; www.c4ia.org
Jesus Christ Superstar ASL: Sun, Oct 24, 1pm; Tix: $2073; ASL or AD reservations or requests: 612-373-5637, TTY 612-373-5655, hotline 612-373-5650; email accessible @orpheum.com; Historic Orpheum Theatre, Mpls; www. hennepintheatredistrict.com
Cathy’s Creek ASL: Sun, Oct 24, 2pm; Tix: $14, $11 children (age 2-17) & seniors (age 60+); 952-979-1111 Stages Theatre Co. at Hopkins Ctr for the Arts Mainstage, Hopkins; www.stagestheatre .org
Lovers and Traitors: The Killing of the Rosenbergs ASL: Sun, Oct 24, 2pm; Tix: $16-$22; group discounts available. 651-647-4315 or info@mnjewishtheatre.org; Minnesota Jewish Theatre Co. at Hillcrest Ctr Theatre, St. Paul; www.mnjewish theatre.org
Still Life With Iris ASL: Sun, Oct 24, 2pm; U of MN Duluth Dept. of Theatre at Marshall Performing Arts Ctr, UMD Campus, Duluth; 218-726-8561; www.d.umn. edu/theatre
Peace in the House ASL: Sun, Oct 24, 7pm; Tix: Reduced to $10, 612-3401725; Voices of Sepharad at Southern Theater, Mpls; www.southerntheater.org or www.voicesofsepharad.com
Recent Tragic Events AD: Thur, Oct 28, 7:30pm; ASL: Thur, Nov 4, 7:30pm; Tix: Reduced to $8, 612-8227063; Jungle Theater, Mpls; www.jungletheater.com
Boy Gets Girl ASL: Sun, Oct 31, 2pm; AD: Sun, Nov 7, 2pm; Tix: $15 ($12 for students, seniors, and groups of 8 or more); 612-207-3659; Theatre Unbound at Playwrights’ Ctr, Mpls; www. theatreunbound.com
Mighty Mississippi: The Great River Race ASL: Sun, Oct 31, 2pm.; AD: Tue, Nov 2, 11am.; Tix: $5-8; 651-2259265 SteppingStone Theatre at Landmark Ctr, St. Paul; www.steppingstonetheatre.org
First in Flight ASL: Thur, Nov 4, 11:15am; Tix: School groups $5; 320-363-2556; Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John’s University, Collegeville; www.csbsju.edu /finearts
Wild Bill & Calamity Jane ASL: Fri, Nov. 5, 7:30pm; Tix: $10, $8 Students/Seniors, 952-895-1234; Applause Community Theatre at Lakeville Area Art Ctr, Lakeville; www.applausecom munitytheatre.com
The Complete History of America ASL: Sat, Nov 6, 8pm; Tix: $15, senior/student $12, 507-282-8481; Rochester Civic Theatre, Rochester; www.rochestercivictheatre.org
Humble Boy AD: Sun, Nov 7, 2pm; Tix: $20, discounts for seniors/students; 612-333-3010; Theatre in the Round, Mpls; www.theatre intheround.org
Anishinabe to Zapotec: Native Arts of the Americas ASL: Sun, Nov 7, 2pm; Tix: admission charged to museum; interpreted tour is free; Visitor and Member Services, 612-870-3131 or TTY 612870-3132, or email dhegstro @artsmia.org Mpls Institute of Art; www.artsmia.org
Permanent Collection by Thomas Gibbons AD & ASL & Captioning: Fri, Nov 12, 8pm; Tix: 612-338-6131 or 612-338-5403 or robin@ mixedblood.com , Mixed Blood Theatre, Mpls; www. mixedblood.com
Dinah Was ASL: Fri, Nov 12, 8pm; AD: Sat, Nov 13, 2pm; Tix: 651-224-4222, TTY 651-282-3100; Penumbra Theatre Co. at Ordway Ctr for the Performing Arts McKnight Theatre, St. Paul; www.ordway.org
Scrooge with Richard Chamberlain ASL: Sun, Nov 13, 1pm; Tix: $20-73; ASL or AD reservations or requests: 612-373-5637, TTY 612373-5655, hotline 612-3735650; email accessible@ orpheum.com ; Historic Orpheum Theatre, Mpls; www.hennepintheatredistrict.com
Madame Butterfly AD: Sun, Nov 14, 2pm; pre-opera discussion at 1; Tix: Reduced to half-price for AD patrons (discount code “R”); 612333-6669; Minnesota Opera Co. at Ordway Ctr for Performing Arts, St. Paul; www.mnopera.org
The Sex Habits of American Women ASL: Fri, Nov 19, 7:30pm; AD: Sat, Nov 20, 1pm (free tactile tour 11, reservation needed); Tix: $16; 612-377-2224, TTY 612377-6626; Guthrie Lab, Mpls; www.guthrietheater.org
A Christmas Story ASL: FriSat, Nov 19-20, 7:30pm; Tix: $12, students/seniors $10, plus $1 service charge per transaction; 763-422-1838 or boxoffice@lyricarts.org ; Lyric Arts Main St Stage, Anoka; www.lyricarts.org
Embedded AD & ASL: Sat, Nov 20, 8pm; Tix: $20; 320363-5777; The Actors’ Gang at Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John’s University, Collegeville; www. csbsju.edu/finearts
Fall Dance Concert ASL: Suns, Nov 21 and 28, 7pm; Tix: regular $21; Phone: 612340-1725; Zenon Dance Co. at Southern Theater, Mpls; www.southerntheater.org or www.zenondance.org
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Metro Mobility Public Forums
November 9 & 10, 2004
The Metropolitan Council will hold public forums to gather information from riders and other consumers on how well Metro Mobility is meeting their transportation needs.
The forums are scheduled on:
Tuesday, November 9 7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Mears Park Centre 230 5th St. E. St. Paul
Wednesday, November 10 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Minneapolis Convention Center 1301 2nd Ave. S. Minneapolis
All interested persons are encouraged to attend the forums and offer comments. People can register in advance to speak by calling Metro Mobility Customer Services at 651-602-1111, or 651-221-9886 TTY. Riders may also wait and sign up to speak at the forums. Sign language interpreter services will be provided. Reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities will be provided if requested by October 25.
The forums are designed so people can comment on how Metro Mobility is working for them and offer ideas for improvement. Metro Mobility staff members will be on hand to answer general questions and respond to comments. Riders seeking follow-up on a specific incident or concern are asked to contact Metro Mobility Customer Services at 651-602-1111 (651-221-9886 TTY).
Professional Directory
You can participate even if you can’t attend. You can: · Send written comments to Dave Jacobson, MMSC, 230 5th St. E., St. Paul MN 55101 · Fax comments to Dave Jacobson at 651-602-1660 · TTY comments to Dave Jacobson’s attention at 651-221-9886 · Email comments to: data.center@metc.state.mn.us
Comments will be accepted until Friday, December 10, 2004.
Directory of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities
As part of the Directory of Organizations this month, we would like to survey our readers and the organizations we list in this space, to ensure we are meeting the needs of both of these sectors with the current format and information provided.
A. We currently print the Directory of Organizations 4 times a year - January, April, July & October; B. We currently have the Directory of Organizations on the website at www.accesspress.org that has links to the website of the organizations with name and phone numbers of the contact person at the organization.
Is the printed form of the Directory of Organizations a valuable resource for you?
YES NO
Should we continue to provide this information in print?
YES ___________NO __________
How many times a year should we print the Directory? 1____ 2____ 4____ 6_____
Have you accessed the Directory of Organizations on our website?
YES NO __________
Should we continue to provide this information on the website?
YES ___________NO __________
Should we only print the Dir of Organizations once a year and provide information to view the full directory on the website?
YES NO __________
Please write additional information/comments on a separate sheet of paper.
AIF printed, should we add information to this format such as a 25 word summary of the services the organization provides?
YES ___________NO __________
IF on the web only, should we add information to these formats, such as a 25 word summary of the services the organization provides?
YES __________ NO________
Survey Respondent Information:
Organization:
Name:
Address:
Phone #:
I am a Reader: Yes ___ No ___
Respondents will be added to a drawing for either two Trail of Terror tickets or a Target Gift Card.
Tribal ID Not Allowed for American Indians Registering To Vote In Hennepin County
ccording to state law, American Indians cannot use tribal identification (ID) cards to register to vote in Hennepin County. County election officials are concerned that American Indians don’t know what documents to bring Nov. 2 to successfully register to vote on Election Day, says Pat O’Connor, director of Hennepin County Taxpayer Services.
“We’re concerned that American Indian Hennepin County residents might assume tribal ID is enough to register to vote,” says O’Connor. “According to a recent memo issued by the secretary of state, Minnesota law stipulates that tribal ID only can be used by tribal band members living on an Indian reservation. Hennepin County has no Indian reservation, so tribal ID cannot be used.
At best, the statute is confusing,” says O’Connor. “We had to spend quite a bit of time looking at it. It appears there may even be a fluke in the way the statute is worded—according to the memo from the secretary of state, the statute states that ‘for tribal band members living on an Indian reservation, an individual may prove residence ... by presenting an identification card issued by the tribal govern-
ment.’ But the law goes on to state the card must include a street address. Tribal IDs don’t include a street address. The law may need to be changed. “To register to vote, there are two main requirements—you must establish your identity and have proof of where you live—something with an address,” says O’Connor.
“Our main concern, no matter what current statute says, is that every eligible citizen is able to vote, and that no eligible voter shows up on Election Day and is turned away because they don’t have valid ID. Although tribal IDs cannot be used, O’Connor says other forms of documentation can be used. They must
include a valid photo ID (to establish identity) and proof of residence, such as: A valid Minnesota’s driver’s license, learner’s permit or receipt with current address. A valid Minnesota ID card issued by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (or receipt) with valid address. Current student ID card, fee statement or copy of student registration card, with valid address. Existing registration in the same precinct, under a different address. Notice of late registration from county auditor or municipal clerk. Someone already registered to vote in the precinct who will vouch that you live there. If you don’t have one piece of documentation that has both your photo ID and current
BITTLE - Cont. from p. 1
job before returning to the military was as a substance abuse counselor at the Covenant House in New York City where he worked with homeless teens.
As the second World Trade Center tower fell on the morning of 9/11, Ted grabbed his medical bag, hopped on his bicycle and rode to Ellis Island where he took the first rescue boat to the twin towers. He did not know at that point that two of the planes involved in the terrorist attack were from United Airlines, where his wife worked as an airline attendant. “We both were in shock for a long time,” said Denise.
Two months later he entered the Navy as a corpsman with the goal of becoming a combat medic. At the time of his injury he was stationed and training with the Marines. “Things didn’t turn out exactly as I wanted them to, but I’d do it again without any regrets,” said Ted.
He was medically retired from the US Navy on August 17, and the couple recently moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania to be close to Denise’s family while they figure out how to map their new life. They considered moving back to Minnesota, where Ted spent part of his childhood, but were worried that the extreme cold during the winter might aggravate Ted’s headaches.
Denise was forced to take an extended leave of absence from United Airlines. She looks forward to flying again, but the time demands of a flight attendant’s job have proven too much after Ted’s injury. “Ted use to be very independent. Now I have to take time off of work in order to help support him and our son,” she said.
The couple takes their son out frequently, to get out of the house and escape feelings of depression. “It can be a hard
address (for example, you’ve moved and your license shows an old address), you can pair up other forms of photo ID and proof of residence, such as: A driver’s license (with an old address) and a utility bill (due within 30 days of Election Day) with your name and current address. A U.S. passport or U.S. military ID card and a utility bill. For more information on registering to vote in Hennepin County, call the Hennepin County Elections Division: 612-348-5151.
Contacts: Pat O’Connor, Taxpayer Services: 612-348-4084 or Carol Arnold, Public Affairs: 612-348-8536 ■ life if you make it that way. But our son makes it easy. He brings a lot of joy into our lives, and we like to do things for him,” said Denise.
For now, the couple is getting adjusted to the changes in their life after TBI. “The Ted that I knew and married died in Iraq. The Ted that I still love and care for is a very different person right now.”
Sharon Rolenc is the Public Awareness Director at the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota and can be reached at 612-238-3226 ■
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To Reach Thousands of
Respect For The Dead
by The Rev. Verner A. Granquist
ISANTI NEWS
August 12, 1937 – Last week I had three funerals to conduct and at each of these I noticed and felt things which jarred me much. They set me to thinking and I believe that a little expression of what I thought might prove beneficial, and be productive of, a greater respect for the dead, and a more humane consideration of the feelings of those who have suffered the loss of some loved ones.
The first of these was a burial of a young woman who had died at the Epileptic Colony. The funeral was very simple. Only the mother and sister of the departed were present. There was nothing wrong about the number. But what revolted against me most
decidedly was the fact that we had to drive right through the barn-yard at the Colony to get to the graveyard. That made me sick inwardly when I thought of the mother and sister seated behind me in the car. To me it gave the impression that we were taking the body to a “dumping off place”. (I understand it is more repulsive in the springtime of the year when one must make one’s way through manure piles before coming to the cemetery!) Would you like to have your loved one transported through such surroundings on his way to the grave? I think not. It is a pity that such things have to exist. I understand that a road is going to be built direct to the cemetery grounds, but it is slow going, it seems. In the
PIONEER - Cont. from p. 3
well as an authorized equipment installer. This allows them to provide numerous products and services geared toward making the interior and exterior of homes accessible and comfortable for everyone. Their product and service offerings include overall design consulting, remodeling, construction and landscaping. Yes, landscaping! Often a home interior is the sole focus of accessibility. But, the exterior of a home, such as the entrance, patio, garden, and yard, can easily become attractive and accessible spaces as well. Ability Solutions recently demonstrated their skill by creating a beautiful cobble-
stone walkway leading to a patio surrounded by a garden and greenery for one homeowner’s formerly stepped entrance.
The company also offers a wide variety of products allowing movement between different levels of a home, such as, stair lifts, platform lifts, and elevators. Ceiling lifts and other personal lifts are available to assist movement onto a couch, into bed, into a bathtub, or onto a toilet. They also have extensive experience with roll-in showers. Bruce and his company have the creativity and the know-how to create solutions where traditional methods fail.
AT A GLANCE -
Cont. from p. 8
for housing, employment, medical care and other necessities. With discharge planning assistance, people are less likely to re-enter the public system. The Hennepin County board staff is to form a Discharge Policy Planning Group to evaluate discharge planning models and recommend new strategies to increase the stability of people leaving institutions and reduce costly and repeated returns to public assistance.
PACER Center Offers Training
The PACER Center is offering two programs for educating about disabilities. Let’s Prevent Abuse Program is a child abuse prevention program featuring four puppets representing children with and without disabilities and is designed for children in grades 1 through 4. Puppets talk about: the definitions of physical and sexual abuse, things that children can do to
meantime, many a mourner will be further torn apart in his heart by this barnyard episode at the Colony. I do not mean to criticize those in immediate charge of the Colony, for they may feel it as keenly as we do and be helpless in correcting it, but I fear not to criticize the State for allowing such deplorable conditions to exist. The Colony grounds are so very beautiful that one expects to see that beauty carried out to God’s Acre amid the oaks. We trust that that will soon be a reality. It will help soften the aching hearts of the mourners, instead of lacerating them. ■
The Rev. Verner A. Granquist a minister at Faith Lutheran Church, Isanti, MN
A true entrepreneur, Bruce is always looking for ways to help. In the future he hopes to expand the number of affordable, accessible homes in the Twin Cities by purchasing, remodeling and re-selling homes to individuals in the disability community. The first project home, in St. Louis Park, is in the process of being remodeled. Bruce’s goal is to complete six homes per year.
Other local organizations have been recognized for their universal design work, including Dave Regel Construction, Habitat for Humanity, the MN Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Christian Builders. ■
TECH. -
Cont. from p. 3
help keep themselves safe, the need for children to talk about the abuse if they are mistreated, how to receive help and whom to tell, and that the child is never at fault is he or she is a victim of abuse.
Count Me In! features puppets that represent children who are blind, deaf, have mental retardation, epilepsy, ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, juvenile diabetes, spina bifida, and other disabilities. The program gives children the opportunity to listen to how children with disabilities feel, think and move and ask questions to learn about different disabilities.
For more information on the PACER programs contact them at 952-838-9000 or tollfree at 800-537-2237. You can e-mail them at pacer @pacer.org or visit their website at www.pacer.org. ■
Dorothy’s Story
by Dorothy Anderson
I was born in the Fairbault State Hospital. I left Fairbault when I was a teenager and then I was moved around from place to place living in the Minnesota State Hospital system until the age of about 29. I started working folding laundry at about the age of 16 while I was still in Fairbault. I didn’t earn any money for doing that job. It was just one of my chores. I also set the table for meals and washed the dishes every day.
I don’t remember having anyone that really took care of me—not a special person that I could go to. I had to learn things on my own.
I eventually moved out of the state hospital system and lived with a family for a few years, until I moved into a group home. I was very scared to leave the state hospital because it was all I knew. I didn’t know what it was like to be a part of a family.
When I was growing up in the state hospital, I don’t remember having any toys to play with. The clothes I wore I shared with other people. There were no blankets to keep us warm. It was cold in the dorm that I shared with many other children. We just had to snuggle up and try to keep warm with a sheet over us. Some of the kids got bed sores from laying in their beds all day.
Later on, as a teenager, I was moved into a room that I shared with 3 other girls my age. We slept on mattresses on the floor, without pillows, and often slept in our clothes. The food we ate was all right but if we didn’t finish it they
ing is important to the success of these forms of assistive technology.
would just warm it up for the next meal. There was nothing to do but sit and watch TV or sit on the floor alongside others with nothing to do— making the days endless and boring.
When I got to be an adult, I took care of the babies and cleaned rooms. I earned about $1 a day and would spend my money at the canteen for treats or things that I needed, like shampoo, toothpaste or deodorant.
It was nice to get out of my cottage and go to a job in some other building on the grounds. At least I got to meet new people and the nurses in the baby ward were usually very nice to me. I liked feeding the babies the best.
I have come a long way since living in state hospitals. We have all come a long way since those days.
I’m happy to say that I work at a job that I love, taking care of animals. I live in a house with three other ladies that I have a good time with; although, that’s not always easy. I’d rather just live with one other person.
I go out shopping, out to eat and to movies. I have gone on several vacations to places like Disney World, Nashville, Black Hills. I’ve been to a lot of places and have enjoyed traveling and the opportunity to see the country. I feel that I’m a respected and valuable member of my community.
Through my People First group, I have participated in several community service projects and am learning to be an advocate for myself and others with disabilities. I enjoy my life.
Seeing the new gravestone markers that have been put in the cemetery made me think of the years I lived in Fairbault State Hospital. Those were years that I remember with mixed feelings—sometimes it was bad and sometimes it was o.k. I wouldn’t want to go back. I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to grow up in a state hospital like I did.
I am glad that the people who lived and died in Minnesota’s State Hospitals will now be remembered by name and should not be forgotten. ■ through a medical supply company. A PDA is another method of setting up reoccurring reminders throughout the day on any subject. It could include appointment times along with a medication schedule.
Research has shown for some individuals with anxiety or similar diagnoses that music can calm a person down. Music therapy is a form of assistive technology because it provides compensatory strategies, which are considered accommodations. The use of a headset or CD player may be beneficial to many. Similarly, art therapy can provide an outlet to different feelings.
Self hypnosis and positive self-talk are other forms of accommodations to dealing with certain types of mental illness. Although these forms of treatment have been around, it has recently resurged into psychotherapy. Proper train-
Conclusion: It is interesting to consider the vastness of assistive technology. Many people believe that assistive technology is only a device. Assistive technology as seen above is much more. It can be a system, compensatory technique, or a service provided to expand opportunities and possibilities to individuals. The number of individuals with mental illness is astounding. There are many more technological devices to assist with memory or other issues secondary to the primary diagnoses. Exploration is a key factor in finding out what will work best. It is exciting to see results as individuals begin to assimilate technology into their daily routine. ■
KERRY TEAM -
Cont. from p. 2
abilities, all of which are programs assisting us to live more independently in our communities. Kerry believes that the government should not be investing in tax giveaways for the wealthiest Americans while IDEA is inadequately funded and Medicaid is in danger of being weakened. He states he will fight all efforts to undermine the Americans with Disabilities Act. Furthermore, Kerry will push for health insurance coverage for mental illnesses that is equal to the health insurance benefits covering all other illnesses, an issue that was close to the heart of the late Senator Wellstone.
For more information about the Minnesota Disability Community for Kerry/
Edwards, please contact Mark Siegel (612-305-0972 or msiegel1@mn.rr.com). The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 14th at 7 p.m. in the Communication Workers of America Local 7200 Building, 3521 East Lake St, Minneapolis.
For more information about the Kerry/Edwards stance on disability issues, check out the Americans with Disabilities section of their website at http://www.johnkerry. com/ communities/awd/
As Justin Dart said, “Get into politics as if your life depends on it, because it does.” GET OUT AND VOTE!!! ■
Charlie Smith Community Awards Nomination
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Access To Employment
Our company is currently seeking energetic, people who are available on weekends for p/t, on call work. You will be demonstrating various different products to consumers. If you are interested please email teri@qdinc.com or call 1-888-261-4088 ext. 111.
Workplace dynamics can impact many aspects of your life.Doesn’t it make sense to join an employer that is equally dedicated to employees and patients?With nine metro clinic locations and excellent career opportunities available, good medicine is easy to find.
Send resume to:
Aspen Medical Group,Human Resources 1021 Bandana Blvd.E.,Suite 200
St.Paul,MN 55108
Phone: 800-415-2600 or 651-642-2750
Fax: 651-642-2796
Email: ResumeHR@Aspenmed.org
website at www.aspenmed.org
MANAGER, RESIDENT SERVICES AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
Central Community Housing Trust of Minneapolis (CCHT), a non-profit leader in providing high-quality affordable housing seeks an experienced, results-driven program manager to join our team.
Responsibilities: Manage collaborative, supportive housing programs including relationships with service providers and property mgmt. contracts. Ensure long-term quality of properties and compliance with funding requirements. Direct and supervise CCHT’s internal Resident Services team.
Qualifications: 3 years of management experience in supportive housing and/or social services; solid financial management skills; exceptional people, relationship-building and conflict resolution skills; working knowledge of property management/operations.
CCHT offers a professional, mission-driven environment with a competitive compensation package. Visit us at www.ccht.org.
Please submit cover letter and resume to : Central Community Housing Trust Human Resources - Employment 1625 Park Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55404-1634
E-mail: ccht@ccht.org
Fax: 612-341-4208
Central Community Housing Trust values a diverse work environment. People of color and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Classifieds
FOR RENT
Lewis Park Apartments: Barrier-free housing with wheelchair users in mind.
Section 8 subsidized. Oneand two- bedroom units. For more information on availability call (651) 488-9923. St. Paul, MN. Equal Opportunity Housing.
Holmes-Greenway Housing: One- and two-bedroom apartments designed for physically handicapped persons. Convenient SE Minneapolis location. Call (612) 378-0331 for availability information. Equal Opportunity Housing.
Seward Square Apartments: We are currently accepting applications for our waiting list for barrier-free housing, in Minneapolis, that is federally subsidized. For an application, please call (612) 3382680. Equal Opportunity Housing.
Duplex for rent in Watertown, MN–3BR with handicap access. Available Nov 1st. $695/ mo. No Pets (952) 955-3650
MISCELLANEOUS
“Words of Love” is a CD by Snoopi Botten, a musician with cerebral palsy who writes and performs inspirational songs using a synthetic speech system. To order, call (612) 872-7233 or visit Snoopi’s website at http:// hometown.aol.com/dectalk/ myhomepage/index.html
FOR SALE
Medical Equipment For Sale: Quantum Dynamo Power Base with Versa Tilt Chair with Gel Seat and Tray. less than a year old; Hospital Bed – Simmons Electric Lo Bed – PressureGuard Mattress. Like New; Bruno Stair Lift. Like New; Tmate Recumbent Triwheeler. Like New; Pediatric Reclining Wheelchair. Like New; Pediatric Wheelchair. Like New; and Adult Wheelchair. Like New. Contact Frank at 651454-2808 or visit our website for photos of the equipment at http://geocities.com/nguyen children/
HOUSE: 4 Bedroom upper bracket, 4000 sq ft., walkout rambler in a private North St. Paul area. Custom built in 1990 for a handicapped person. Roll-in shower with handhold; roll under kitchen sink, wheel chair lift to lower level suite equipped with kitchen for care giver or inlaw. Every amenity to improve quality of life is in this home. Too much to list. Greg Hubert, Coldwell Banker Burnet - 651-4707609
Lift van 93 E-150 Ford can drive from wheelchair. Call 701-235-9944.
Minnesota Mobility: We specialize in affordable wheelchair vans. Contact us at 952746-1800.
Client Service/Intake
EOE
Conduct phone/in-person interviews of potential clients; route phone calls; enter client infor in computer database; library filing; other tasks as needed. Required: computer/ typing skills, excel. comm. skills, relate to low-income community, work well under pressure. $22, 866 - $30, 694 DOE. Exec. benefits. Start approx. 10/1. Send resume & cover letter to: Pam Cunningham Legal Aid Society 430 1st Avenue N. Mpls., MN 55401-1780 No Calls EOE
LEGAL SECRETARY
Legal Aid Society of Mpls seeks self-motivated, flexible person with word processing background (Word & doc mgmt exper +), exc spelling/ proofreading, 65 wpm, dictation machine exper, legal sec ed or exper+. Sal: DOE, family hlth ins, generous vacation/sick, casual/friendly work environment.
Resume, refs, & cover letter by 10/8/04 specifying interest & skills to:
Barb O’Connell LASM
430 - 1st Ave. N. # 300 Mpls., MN 55401-1780 No Calls AA/EOE
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Central Community Housing Trust of Minneapolis (CCHT), a non-profit leader in providing high-quality affordable housing seeks an experienced, results-driven program manager to join our team.
Responsibilities: Overall responsibility to lead a project team in the development of affordable housing projects to meet the overall mission of the organization. Duties include, the planning, negotiation, financing and development of housing projects for the organization.
Qualifications: Considerable knowledge in the development and financing of affordable housing: Strong relationship building skills, with demonstrable successes; Considerable knowledge about public funding mechanics; Educational Experience: BA or greater preferred.
CCHT offers a professional, mission-driven environment with a competitive salary and compensation package. Visit us at www.ccht.org.
Please submit cover letter and resume ASAP to Central Community Housing Trust Human Resources - Employment 1625 Park Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55404-1634 E-mail: ccht@ccht.org Fax: 612-341-4208
CCHT intends to fill this position with the first fully qualified candidate.
Central Community Housing Trust values a diverse work environment. People of color and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
EOE
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