NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 4766
October 1, 2020
WWW.ACCESSPRESS.ORG
On the move! New address for Access Press
• We are taking offers on our remaining desks and cabinets, from now until October 16. One desk is the perfect height for someone who uses a wheelchair. Email jane@accesspress.org to receive pictures of items for sale. Anyone making a purchase must be able to move things themselves. • Mark your calendar for November 19 as 2020 Give to the Max Day approaches! We’ll have some targeted giving options available for this year’s campaign.
Lori Jensen (right), shares the story of her son Bradley's mistreatment at the Minnesota Extended Treatment Options (METO) facility and the advocacy that she and her husband James (left) engaged in to end that abuse.
Court oversight comes to end, but fight for better care has not by Jane McClure A lengthy legal battle, which has had many implications for Minnesotans with disabilities, officially comes to an end October 24. But in a September filing, U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank emphasized that the fight for improved care for adults with disabilities isn’t over. If mistreatment occurs again at two state-run facilities for people with disabilities, Frank warned that state officials could face additional consequences. The facilities in question are the Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center and the St. Peter
Forensic Mental Health Program. The judge is urging state officials to continue working with disability right advocates. Otherwise, he said the settlement could become an “entirely empty promise.”” And more lawsuits against the state could be forthcoming. In his September 4 ruling Frank scolded the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) for continuing to delay and object to responsibilities established in a 2011 settlement. In the past the judge has repeatedly denied state requests to end federal court oversight, saying that more must be done to make sweeping reforms in care.
Check our Directory of Organizations for the supports and services you need for daily living!
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OVERSIGHT To page 3
Voting in person? Be ready, know the rules (Editor’s note: The September issue covered how to vote early, by absentee ballot. This article covers in-person voting.) Absentee voting and the ability to mail in a ballot offer convenience for many people with disabilities and extra safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others want to cast ballots in person. In-person voting can be done on the day of the election or in many places, through early voting. Early voting in Minnesota began September 18. Remember that early voting locations may not be the same place a voter visits on election day. Remember that in presidential election years, lines to vote can be long. It is a good idea to bring water to drink and any needed medications. Dress for the weather if lines could extend outdoors. Remember a mask and hand sanitizer. As Access Press went to press, a Minnesota Supreme Court decision was pending. The court is expected to rule soon on a case that hinges upon the assistance voters can have when casting ballots. A ruling could have major impacts on how the November 3 election is conducted. In a recent virtual hearing, the state’s high court justices questioned Democratic and Republican attorneys on election laws. Current law limits a person from assisting more than three voters in a given election. That affects people with disabilities as well as people who have language barriers to voting.
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U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank
ARC MINNESOTA
Access Press is on the move! By the end of October, we will have vacated our longtime offices at St. Paul’s Capitol Ridge building. Our new postal address is P.O. Box 40006, Industrial Station, St. Paul, MN 55104-5485. Our phone number remains the same, at 651-644-2133. We will no longer have a fax number. We will be able to provide a fax option if requested. Our email addresses will remain the same, with access@accesspress.org as our main email contact. This will be the first time in our 30year history that Access Press has not had a physical office. It’s a big change for us as we pack up lots of memories in the form of back issues, pictures and documents. We’ve thought of many of you, our advertisers, readers and contributors, as the process of packing up goes on. It’s fun to see a picture and remember community members and all we have done in three decades. Making the decision to go from a brick-and-mortar location to a virtual office was not an easy call for our staff and board. It is a change we hope is not permanent. In the months ahead, we hope to revisit the decision. But with a smaller staff, much less office foot traffic and transitions at our longtime building, moving to a virtual office is the best decision for the newspaper at this time. We are not alone. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countless small businesses to adjust. Many Twin Cities neighborhood and community newspapers have already made the switch to virtual offices. We have relied on and appreciate the expertise of our colleagues in the community press as Access Press makes the transition.
"Justice requires no less."
DIRECTORY of Organizations
Volume 31, Number 10
Voting in person in November? Stay safe and plan ahead. A separate state law limits persons who collect and deliver absentee ballots to only handling a maximum of three. Both laws come into play, including when staff members at a group home travel to the polls with residents or when ballots are delivered to be counted. Democrats initially sued to stop enforcement of the law. The contention is that the laws have unfairly prevented some people from casting their ballots. A Ramsey County District Court ruling put both laws on hold, sparking an
appeal by the national and Minnesota Republican parties.
Know access rules Polling places must be physically accessible. According to the Minnesota Secretary of State, at least one set of doors must have a minimum width of 32 inches if the doors must be used to enter or leave the polling place. Any curb adjacent to the main entrance to a polling place must have curb cuts or temporary ramps. Where VOTING To page 3