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"No problem is too big to runaway from. 9)

Police Abuse Quadriplegic-

-A1 Ries & Jack Trout

p. 2

Access Press d&3

Volume 8, Number 11

I RESOURCES

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Tenants Take Action by Dwight Hobbes

by Luke Pederson

November 10, 1997

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million dollar-businessesjust

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Deaf Refugee Program ~ u n d e /dTaken For A Ride

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to put up his hands or he'd Bennett. "He was rather intoxi- hospital, where emergency&&'we thought he cated." ~ u r i n gthe chase, room personnel say S@hn a goner. hmn't been Bennett contends, notice dis- tried to convince them that

"Sohm or- from a caraccident,"Bennett

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7 1sufficiency and self esteem. I the ipnominv of the coos in its because 'I can't' isn't what received was a letter in thl ..""."."b."".".

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experience, turn it m n d , a on governmentarpmgfmns.

ON DISABUlTY -

-tegis1ative~oundtable

Thursday, January 15,1998 . Kelly Inn StateC+1 Concerned about disabitity relatag

Auschwitz or something."

comment

discussingtheirlegislativeprioritiw.

issues. For more information call. '

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Rawp1y Mi&alek carried car,andthrswhim in theback- 0dmd to s&me-kind ' SfsRlSsttinri~i~g." 'Overt b d a l e to the car, strapped sea, face do-. . aWVWs.a ~ e f f i m ,says " him in, and took off for a local scrap yard. There, M i c W k , F h d Y t M B-3 d d m l h.1 F ~ S P ~ ~ d w ~ ~ a n d m t i c'tve'd e d better work with [him] got into an argumencedh employee W ~ Qclaimed Bread& struggling for air. abouthow todeal with S~IXSS." ~i-3 *k& w a "According to the Internal &;.'She were mlW, Affairs report," says Bennett, " f f t p r W d wirh prmisswo "Sohm says this is w b he fwm zh9 &tober 22,1993 is* wwandahigh@ first ' d i q v m ' t h ~ ssre~QCli@;PagdsP e " Copyright is disabled, and first notices @'CityPages, Im. -

Advertising and 4itorial deadlines are the 30th of the month preceding publiciktion;special scheduling available for camera-ready art.

MOBILITY "I'm a resident at Courage Center and the concern I and other residents have is we'd call for rides and be told they couldn't give rides to and from Courage Center during rush hour," statedTomAtkins. "We ought to be able to get a ride when the system is set-up on a first-come first-serve basis."

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Vida reported the problems are being worked out and that the providers are, generally, doing reasonably well. One of the problems the providers are having is that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows a provider to offer only 50 percent of its rides as standing orders, during peak hours, forcing many customers with jobs to attempt to call every morning hoping aride will beavailable. Vida said the providers have

"Laidlaw got off to a rocky start under the new contract. They underestimated -their need for drivers, but once they realized it, the problem was addressed. It didn't happen as quickly as they would have liked, but they've improved." "Laidlaw's made significant improvement in September and October in regard - to routsaid Vi -*

Access Press

IN BRIEF. . . .

cont.trornp.1

1 inferact Debuts New Plav I

I Human Rights Day

I Mental Illness Support Group

IAccessibility Loans

1 chemical Injury Program

I Celebrate The Season

-T.w

"They [providers] have these meetings all the time and it's the same old message, they Interact Center for the Visual cap musical about the creation through November 22, 1997. don't do anything to solve the and Performing Arts will be of a show at a center for ac- For tickets and information, problems." said Meka. "It's performing "ADay in the Life tors with and withoutdisabili- call 339-5 145. like they have the meetings of Interadt" an original mad- ties. This production runs just to say they've met with "There used to be anywhere the public, butthey really don't from six to fifteen different care. There's nothing anyone providers, and I believe it can do because they're under The~innesotaHumanRights years conference is "Meeting formation or to register, call Day Conference is Decem- the Challenges of a Changing (612)2154172. worked because there was contract." ber 5, 1997 at the St. Paul Minnesota: Human Rights competition for the customer's money," stated Terry "We're always looking for Sheraton Midway Hotel. This and Race Relations." For inMeka. "Now there'sno incen- ways to make improvements. tive. They have their contract We take soggestions and see e for two more years, so why if they'll work," said Vida. Consumer Survivor Network nerand to becomemore aware days, 4:30 at Seward West "Somebody at the meeting (CSN). has a new self-help of the obstacles that we cre- Towers. For further informaworry about improving?" suggested we have acancella- group for people with Co-oc- ate that keep us from develop tion, call the Mental Health Mark Fuhrmann, Metropoli- tion phone line. That makes a curringDisorders(COD). The irrg a healthy andintimate con- Consumer Survivor Network tan Council member in charge lot of sense because it would purpose of the group is to nection with others. Groups (612) 637-2800 or 1-800of Metro Mobility's budget allow us to schedule more learn how to relate to people meet every Thursday, 12:00 483-2007. inahealthy andeffectiveman- at the CSN office or Wednesand policies, disagreed. same-day rides." Fuhrmann explained when there was maximum competi- "I was struck by what was not tion, good performers were -said," stated Fuhrmann. "I Eligibility guidelines for cessibility improvements are qualifies the property for imrewarded, while others be- .didn't hear the horror stories Minneapolis Community De- expanding sothat any resident provements. For information came financial burdens. about people being stranded velopmentAgency accessibil- with a disability who will be on MCDA loan programs, "Those providers paid on for four to six hours, like I ity loans for permanent ac- living in the home long term, call 673-5286: demand which was not a fi- heard two years ago. Things nancially solid program. It have gotten better." put the program in the red, blowing a hole in the budget," Ron Biss, a member of the TheChemicalInjury Resource to Sustainability, Sunday, framework for understanding said Fuhrmann. "It's taken T M C and a Metro Mobility Center of Minnesota will November 16, 1997 from 2 - ollj environmental problems four years to bring Metro customer, felt the forum was presentaprogram with author 4pm. The purpose is to de- and protecting our health. For Mobility's budget back to productive. He thought there Terry Cips, The Natural Step velop and share a common infomation:647-0944. where it is or near balanced." was good testimony presented and the Metropolitan Council The public forum gave cus- staff responded accurately. tomers and management an "When there's a change there opportunity to express their are always positives and negatives, and generally people opinions, and that they did. remember the things that notransportation was more efficient prior to 1992, which is when-they switched to three providers and then in June 1997 moved to the current two providers system.

sonnil and hited' bne hain "~sn&cabs' Vice President, is working pretty w e ~ ~ ~ , y + * Harlan Peterson, assured me $ o h y of the time% a majokrouter." + problem wouldn'thap ity of the people. Although Some customers are not sold pen again, but if it did to call that is not frequently or pub4s licly statsd." on the new system and feel him '-.caLd,-

November 10,1997

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4oatlionsFor

he Minneapolis Corn- Martin Luther King, Jr. Holi- seekanoutstandingjgdividual mission an Civil Rights day Celebration January 16, or group that has genebeyond is accepting nomination? for 1998. Deadline farsubmission their call of duty in their serthe Annua) Qu$gtRddiig d ' ~ L N o v e ~ b e r 2 4 , 1 9 9 7vice . a d ~ W e r s h i pto their A%&. En& cmmunity. zations that have In a jaiuf, celebration of the made exceptionil contribu- C o ~ m i s s i o n and the For infortiation tions in civil or human rights Department's 3Wh Anniver- tions please contact Liza - may be nominated ta receive sary theme, Committed to the O'Reilly, Commission Liaithis award. The award will be Vision, R&g, to the Chal- son at 673-2339. n pmmamd;~rt*l l@%mdDr. lenge, the (3mmmmm ,wWiH I

~&b1e Space, he. (MQoffers subsidized o & o d . a ~bedmom' r~ apartmentsf o individuals ~ with &$sical disabilities. We h v t housing in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, St. Cloud, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, Ebbing, Austin, Marshall, Willmar, and Wlluth. The apartments sm &ally wheelchair i@$.~b central laundry morn, laqq mmmunity room,* caretaker. MI also offers shared pimwmd care services 24 h @ W % - i ' va%~tnast , locations for adults wifh' a #xysical disability andlor t r m d 9 8 i e ~t - ,injury who qualify fbr Medical

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I or &oreinformationdl (612)615-7271&(8m466-7722.or services &busing call Leigh, for employmimt as a person@care Sean or Courtney.

call

November la31W

I On Mental Illness I DealingWith Depression

Life Goes On

Words Can And Do Hurt n I

to healthy living. reexercise, even walkeing kind to each othe; is so I would endure my pain in person's shoes for only a few Y ~ ~ W W ~ P Pwere V ing, may be particularly benin a Lake Woebegon minutes, maybe, just maybe, something that we need silencz. eficial for those with-depresWhile the focus in this colwe $vm$ldd t ~ V SO R much neighborbod - all better than to do to get along in this world. sion. umn is depression, much of It creates a happier atmo- Perhaps this is being a cow- misunderstanding leadng to average folks; Somehow I sphere for everyone con- ard, but than I never did con- wm. Why can't we treateach knew, at an early age, there the information is snpportive cerned. We are reminded of sider myself as having much other with kindness? It's so were often serious problems of goad mental and physical Avoid drinking alcohol: Althis especially during the holi- courage. That is, until I heard much easier to speak in gentle behind that appearance of ex- health. The following ideas cohol is actually a depressant, days. Yet, we all know that one too many times about how tones instead of harsh, hurtful cellence. There were h i - are excerpt form an excellent which only makes matters while this may happenaround mypar~wtrWm41dehright wrds. Why can't we allow lies deeply affected by men- pmpphlet "Depression: B e worse. Thanksgiving and Christinai, decision by kkeping ae ib- each other to live in dignity? tal illness, alcdholim, and come an active; informed conwe'd be fooling slfi.selm if stauhfputting meinani~sti- .These are q m t i a s only we abuse both emotional and sum& from Healthpartners. Take care of yourself. Emphasize a healthy diet. physical. These issues still we think it goes on every day tution. ean answer tw individuals. Depression takes a terrible affect us all. of the year whether it be in the toll on society - and our Be aware of your thoughts: work place, community, Now, I know that institution- Yet as people with disabili&onomy - form things like Depression produces negative ties, we have to develop Arecentmuder, of a father by churches or families. alization was quite common missed workdays, lost pro- thoughts and irrational beliefs enough of a sense of pride in his son with a "history of menduring the em that I was born. ductivity, Wpi&W&m d w i h u t yow being aware of ourselves that we are able to tal illness," in that community Words can hurt, even if they However, when1started heareven suicide. One'study found them. Intenigence alone will ' wt t h dmtnsdve, m e 1 affected me deeply. For those are hot meant to. Sometimes ing this, I chedred it out witit that depression is far more not stop this process. Listenremarks from the well meanof us who are managing our I wonder if people with dis- other family.members and no disabling t h ~ i eight other ing to yourselves can help you one had ever heard th% skxy hg, ~ ~ b m t & c a b e d ~ Pm ~ w . . mental health it is hard to see abilities are more soweptible chronic conditions including become more conscious of stin' ln the process of learning headlines about acts of vioto hearing remarks t h t cause before. Maybe I'm being nahigh blood pressure, diabetes these distorted thoughts and how to do this. lence by others with similar pain. Family members am not ive, but I don't believe they and arthritis. challenge them. exempt from saying cun'himg were just trying to spare my labels. Despite good educaUntil next time, let's treat oth- tion and efforts toward openthings either. And these are feelings. ers as we wish to be treated. ness there is still stigma about Sadly, society tends to blame Build a strong network of the comments one tends to the issue of those of us with the patient. Depression is a port. remember the most. When I recently spoke to the illnesses thatare labeled men- medical illness, not a characinitial person who referred to d.As with all labels, there is ter defect. It results form an B ~ U an active putnnhip&l How can we protect ourselves the institution issue, she said, imbalance of mood influenc- witlr your primary car e wide range 6f people. f r o m ~ ~ d a b "I -thank God that your parents Patronize your ing chemicals in the brain. A because' thi; is a form of didn't listen to outside influgenetic tendency ar a se+s are i113pga3tt ways to There abuse? It's not an easy ques- encesaImu&p&" I knew then Access Press 215 dwu-1 types of detion to answer. I've had along that I couldn't back away any lndsqpon* *aw tsss, c?amBk-tl Advertisers. Let mental health. The essential relationship or unwelcome pression, with varying degrees time to thinkabout it. Foryears, more. For my own sanity, I them know step is to acknowledge there change can trigger this imbal- of severity. All are treatable. itstw-the best way to deal needed to express my feel- -; It can also occur for no with this was to &&it20 my ings to her, And so I wrote to where you heard is a problem and find produc- ance. Thmk anal my ways. tive help. I believe it is a apparent reason. little comer of the world and her and explained how I felt. .--r about them. combination-. of independence esa r e t f ~ sociaf They bring you must be independent in taking medical attention. People stigma, - A p - p r ~ a ~ U p ? ~ i - ~ your paper. .responsibility for our health, cannot "snap out of it" on their with compassion and underanticipated negative feedback might be in a i t better shape. II but interdependence is the key own no matter how hard they standing, rather than blaming hotherfamilymembers. And If w e l m e d to walkinaafher try. A tragic fact about de- orjudging those who h9vg.k

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Gulf War Bonus tarring November _ 1, are eligible to receive a ser1997, Minnesota ~ e t e r - vice bonus as approved by the answhohonorably seweddur- state voters. m e y are eliing the Persian Gulf War era gible to receive $300.00 if

a& @ 'vdkd an ffie decision making sary. WIth they served on active dqty d l be paid if they earnethe mmm the aim-is process, setbacks in S~metimebetween Ayus(2, Southwest Asia Service complete remission, not just smde and do your pan in 1990 and July 31 19mMedal. To qualify, the vet- gettingbetter butstayingwell. =hieving a healthy life. additionalamount of $300.00 -,& to submit an appli9

I f d supprt for lray changes

Metro Public Forum I

VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION IN MINNESOTA You can make a diflemnee bj expressing your views! Tuesday, November 18,1997 . .9:00 am. 6:OO p.m. Sheraton Midway Hotel 1-94 & Hamline Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota

,'slang with a c&@*#%iJElru?r militjery discharge docuinent Make an'e'xtra effort to exer- DD Farm 214. For informa- cise: Stud@ indicate exertionlapplidation contact the cise improves mmtd health. b s e y County Veterans Ser- Some researchers believe that vice Office, 15 West Kellogg it also produces higher levels Blvd., Room 88 or call 266- of c e d n brain chemicals that 8489. boost your mood. That's why

II -I

What are your experiences, problems and ideas?

Persons who cannot attend the meeting may send wrjtten commentsto. Rehabilitation Se~vicedSRAC,390No. Robert St., St. Paul, MN 55101 F A X (Q12) 297-51 59; voiced opinions can be telephoned to 1-800-328-9095 ext. 282-6618, or sent by Internet to srac@des.state.mn.us. Interpreters and realtime captioning wlll be' present. Other accomnrodations may be arranged by calling ~ehabilitationServices at (6121296-7869 Y 29'6-3'900TTY.

nally leartied within me thew lay an invincible summer." Katie OsB&n is a freelance writerfrom Stihaier with a special ,hteresf'in heal&y Mes.

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kijitj t stated, "...accord- sible attitude toward the well Hands tied, volunteers dising to written complaints... being of othen, but it just mantled the desk and you have cloaked your- doesn't hold water. It's stoppedpatrollingthehalls. selves with authority you doubtful, since complaints Eventually, the concerned do not have and have ap- had been lodged with on- citizens, well-meaning as pointed yourselves to act SitemanagerTarryn Wilson, can be but legally wrong as as 'snoops', security that management t h o u a t twoleft shoes, did whatthey guards, and judge and jury these people were acting should have done in the first for all visitors who come to arbitrarily. The letter in no place use the system. the building. You have in- way acknowledged that Through circulated fliers terrogated and intimidated anyone who can smell smoke they got wind of an open visitors to the project ... has enough sense to tell forum for a neighboring even [following] persons to something's burning, that apartment building inhabitthe unit they were visiting. these individuals had some ants of which endured simikind of reason for what they lar troubles. Following the ' Your past actions will no longer be tolerated. NO were doing. Nor were they example, they began to conFUTUREWARNING. HOW apprised of alternative duct meetings, turning for the elderly women to whom means. They were simply help to Lynn Balfor, civilian this threat was issued can told to knock it off with the memberofCommunityCrime be seen as intimidating de- implication that if they Prevention SAFE, a unit of fies logic. But, setting that didn't, they'd be looking for the Minneapolis Police Deaside, one has to wonder a new pl& ts live. a l l i n g e partment whereby police ofwhy management came reflects, "There was noth- ficers and civilian crimepredown on them so hard. Kim ing we could substantiate, vention specialists address Collinge, Property Manager so we can monitor the situ- crime and livability. With for Seward-Square, says, ation, serve tenants with this crucial addition to their "We were concerned for the infraction notices or evic- efforts meetings in May, safety of these individuals tion." Hence guilty hid in June, September preceded the potential risk as well as safety behind protections an October forum where the rights of residents who set in place for all persons they presented a formal list felt they were intrudin~on who must be presumed in- ofconcernsformanagement their privacy." A laudable nocent unless and until to address. In attendance at sentiment toward the moti- proven otherwise. the community meetings were Balfor, Wilson, Marti vated tenants and a respon-

Harris of the Seward Neigh- serving notice that hefshe borhood Group and Council would be granted time to Member Joan Campbell. find other accommodations and that should any other As could be expected, tar- problems arise eviction get persons were also on would ensue. According to hand and, unsurprisingly, Collinge, "Since that meetsome raised a hue and cry ing, we've hired security about be singled out be- which wil1.be in seven days cause they are not white. (as of November 3 through While the disabled are no January 1998) patrolling the more or less above racism building at various lateevening than is anyone else, the fact hours." It goes without saythat attention focused on ing that the druggies will people of color is no basis simply adapt and generally per se for accusations of avoid being conspicuous at discrimination and, in fact, those times and, come Januwould surprise only to some- ary, they'll be back in force, onewho is naive. Are those but this stop gap measure is predominantly involved in a great deal better than nothstreet traffic supposed to ing. Other measures include suddenly stop being people management's plans to inof color because white crease camera surveillance, people complain? For that provide improved lighting matter, not all Seward in the garage area (where Square tenant worried about the door has been repeatedly jammed open) andtheir the situation are white. encouraging residents call Results from the meeting im- the cops when they witness mediately followed as the illegal or suspect activity very next day, as Tarryn (something tenants failed to Wilson, with demonstrable do in the past). An iniparand documented cause, ap- tant step had already been proached an individual, taken to prevent those con-

victed of drug related crimes from moving in to begin with. As one tenant observes, "The people that are getting shot on the street go through physical rehab and then they're all eligible for accessible housing. Disability doesn't make them a good person. I don't think politicians and the police and the bureaucracy have thought that far ahead, but they sure need to." Toward this end Seward Square does criminal background check on prospective tenants. "We're going to work togethel', Collingeasserts,"and I think we're going to see a significant change in this building in a relatively short period of time." It's not likely that without a sustained and prominent presence of uniformed personnel that a greatly significant change will take place at all, much less in a shortperiod of time. Management, nonetheless is doing something. Hopefully it is motivate by a better reason

Sewanl- cont. on p. 7

tO 80.

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Transportation

November 10,1997

Access Press .

Commentary - Metro Mobility

Stats Up -

by Lolly Lijewski

- Quality Down still being used to defend errors made by providers' staff an deflect responsibility to the rider. This tactic should have disappeared when ATE left town.

life." It defies logic. A computer software update which is supposed to help remedy thisprob1emisperpetually"in the process of being developed."

Riders report that when they try to reach both Laidlaw and Handicabs after 6 P.M., when the reservation lines close, the after-hours lines are not answeredconsistently. Arider may call their provider on the Laidlaw riders report that after-hours line and be put when they place a reservation immediately into the hold they may get one part of the loop. Then, either they end up ride and h e other will be put waiting for a long time before on "deniedtripprocess." They someone comes on the line to report invariably that part of help them or the call is never the trip is denied. For those picked up. If this occurs late who have no other transport&- at night when buildings are tion options, this means they closing and being locked up it have to cancel the part of the can be a safety issue. On the trip which was approved. It Handicabs side, riders report severely limits riders activi- that drivers are driving too ties. In comparison, fast and/or too reckless. All Handicabs' riders reportthat of these safety concerns need when one part of their trip is to be taken seriously and addenied and put into "denied dressed. ,trip process," or the "same

Moving on from provider service issues to customer service issues, s'ome riders who have filed complaints with the Metro Mobility Service Center's Customer Service Department,haveeitherfound their complaints not taken seriously, or they are totally blown off. Riders also report that most of the time they do not receive a response from the Customer service Department after they have filed the complaint. Many riders are perhaps unaware that if they want a follow-up response to a complaint, they have to specifically ask for one. Given the volume and nature of complaints received by many area disability organizations, it is time to reevaluate this procedure.

ince the transition from three providers to two in June, Metro Mobility customers have continued to experience frustration with their service. While statistics have shown improvement in the number of trip denials, and 36 thousandhours whichhad been cut in 1995 have been phased back into the system over the past month, riders still report a raft of problems.

very ianpmsd witb LaSIle can't take it u p m yourself If nbt&i~@ elm, Sewazd and the process we went to police oth&people. Anag- Square 'residents can ?be ging camideration is why it thankful that they have more through." took management so long to hopeof seeingtheir drug probdo anything at all. They had to lem solved than do citizensof Tenantsat Seward Squarewill have to wait and see- and have know something was up way thel'wincities at large. They sufficient wits about them to back in January. Askdabout figured out how to hold avoid doing the fight thing thisCollingereplied,"I'mnot management'sfeettothefire. the wrong way: those who going to comment any further 'Now, if they can just receive are fool hardy enough to on that because that was 10 ac0ncrete.m-goingcommitroam around running after months ago." What does how ment suspected drug traffickers long ago it happened have to

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