February 2012

Volume 23, Number 2

Van Heuveln - p. 5

www.accesspress.org February 10, 2012

A group from Merrick in St. Paul lobbied at the capitol last year at one of theadvocacy events.

Photo by Jane McClure

Advocacy - p. 7

“This liberty will lookeasy by and by whennobody dies to get it.”

— Maxwell Anderson(1888 - 1959)

NEWS DIGEST

INSIDE

St. Paul man battles bureaucracy,fights to retain assets, his home

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDTwin Cities. MNPermit No. 4766

Address Service Requested

Voter ID issuecausingdebates

Advocacy groups gear up for 2012 session

Regional News, pg 6

People & Places,pg 8-9

Accessible Fun, pg 10

Events, Pg 11

Radio Talking Book, pg 12

Voter ID - p. 15

Chuck Van Heuveln in his standing framePhoto courtsey of Van Heuveln

David Dreier - page 3

Veteran Twin Citiessocial services leaderJohn Estrem has takenthe helm at HammerInc., replacing the lateTim Nelson.Page 7

People Incorporated’srecent merger isallowing the agency toexpand its mental healthservices to children.Page 4

It’s official: ThompsonHall is on the NationalRegister of HistoricPlaces. Read RegionalNews in Review.Page 6

Learn about an artscompetition for chil-dren in Accessible Fun.Page 10

Read about a banquet tohonor the attorney whowon the METO settle-ment.Page 11

by Access Press staff

One of the biggest battlesshaping up during the Minne-sota Legislature’s 2012 ses-sion centers on proposals torequire voters to produceidentification at the polls. Formany people with disabili-ties, requiring ID to be shownbefore a vote is cast is seenas a barrier to voting.

Voter identification was aflashpoint during the 2011legislative session, with sup-port from House and SenateRepublicans and oppositionfrom Democrats. Gov. MarkDayton vetoed the voter IDbill in May 2011. That re-newed supporters’ efforts fora constitutional amendment.Forcing voter ID through thatmethod would require puttinga question on the ballot, pos-sibly as soon as this fall.

Under current state law,registered voters don’t haveto produce identificationwhen voting. Voters sign aroster book at the pollingplace. Signing in and votingas someone else is a felony.Nine states require voteridentification and severalother states are consideringsimilar measures. Advo-cates contend voter ID isneeded to prevent voterfraud, and that it would not

By Access Press staff

Representatives of Minnesota’s numerous disability advocacygroups are already making treks to the state capitol. The Jan. 24start of the legislative session has kicked a number of lobbyingefforts into high gear. Several groups have already announcedtheir advocacy days.

Despite what has been touted as a short legislative session,disability community members will be involved in a number oflobbying efforts. Not only will a large group work on issuesthrough the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities(MN-CCD), a number of advocacy groups are bringing forwardtheir own agendas.

But advocacy groups also have to respond to proposed legis-lation. One proposal that is raising red flags for those who livein or work at group homes is out of Burnsville, where concernsabout a spike in police calls to group homes has promoted a pro-posal to limit the number of such facilities per community. Ac-cording to a recent Star Tribune article, Burnsville officials be-gan discussing the law enforcement costs tied to group homes aspart of 2012 budget deliberations. “We might get three or fourcalls the same day on the same person,” Burnsville Police ChiefBob Hawkins said. “It really started to drain our resources.” Oneconcern for police is that some group home calls are when resi-dents are angry with each other or with staff.

The calls accounted for 78 of the 230 police calls to grouphomes in 2011. That’s up from 2009, when just 12 of the 239

Hockey is Minnesota’s favorite sportbut when it becomes dangerous there areconsequences. Two young Minnesota hockeyplayers have sustained serious injuries this season,putting a spotlight on sports-related injuries andthe disabilities that can result.

Read more about it on page 3.

by Tim Benjamin

Chuck Van Heuveln is been a lifelong Minneso-tan, a resident of St. Paul and a member of the dis-ability community. Born with cerebral palsy, hehas worked all of his adult life. He now is having adifficult time understanding why he can’t keepwhat he’s earned and why some citizens, just be-cause they require state services, are being forcedto give up everything they worked for and live inpoverty. “I am a working, taxpaying citizen whojust wants to continue contributing and live out mylife on my own pension and savings,” said VanHeuveln. “Now the state is taking it all away.” TheSt. Paul resident is caught in a bureaucratic snafuthat could soon result in the loss of his home andmany of his other assets.

Minnesota Department of Human Services(DHS) officials are aware of Van Heuveln’s situa-tion. About 30 people face similar issues everyyear. But making changes could take time. “We[DHS] don’t have the authority to make any ex-emption for this gentleman [Van Heuveln], at thispoint in time, it’s just not for DHS to decide,” Assistant Commissioner, Continuing Care Admin-istration Loren Colman said.

Many of Van Heuveln’s friends and fellow activists are sympathetic to his plight. “Chuck ush-ered in the dawn of the disability rights movement in Minnesota, said veteran activist Mel Duncan.

Issue sponsor:The Arc Minnesota

Pg 2 Feb. 10, 2012 Volume 23, Number 2

Christ Child School provided early education option

Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to personswith disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed.We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material does notnecessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press.

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History Note - p. 14

EDITOR’S DESKTim Benjamin

HISTORY NOTE

by Jane McClure

Thirty-five years ago, a remarkable era of educa-tion ended on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. ChristChild School for Exceptional Children, which oper-ated in a low-slung, brick building at the southwestcorner of Summit and Cleveland avenues, closed itsdoors. The school was torn down in 2005 to makeway for the University of St. Thomas’ McNeely Hall.

But memories of the school live on through its formerstudents, families and staff.

Christ Child School was founded in 1948 by thelate Sister Anna Marie Meyer and operated on Sum-mit from 1950 to 1977. Meyer, a member of the Sis-ters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, dedicated most of heradult life to educating children with physical and cog-nitive disabilities. In her wheelchair, she was a famil-iar figure on the area.

In 2005, before the building came down, manypeople shared their memories. “It was so small, it waslike a family,” said former school secretary PeggySchleck.

“That school meant a lot to me. I still think aboutit,” said Mark Thomford, who attended the schoolfrom 1960 to 1972.

“We had a lot of fun there,” said Kathy Donohue,who attended the school in the 1960s. She and otherswanted to save the building’s beige bricks as memen-tos when Christ Child was razed.

“I loved Christ Child School,” said Sister CarolPodlasek, who taught students there from 1964 to1972. “I loved the children and their families.” She

recalled that the parents were “especially good towork with” and very dedicated to helping their chil-dren and the school itself.

For many St. Paul families, Christ Child provided abadly needed educational option. “There weren’tmany other programs for our children,” said JayneFrank, the mother of a student in the 1950s. “It was sotough in those days.”

Were it not for a terrible car accident, Christ ChildSchool might have never opened at all. Meyer washead of the speech department at the College of St.Catherine and was preparing to open a speech andreading clinic at the college in 1932. She was para-lyzed from the shoulders down from a car accidentwhile attending a conference in California. She spentthe next 8½ years as a patient at St. Joseph’s Hospitalin St. Paul. During her stay, she began teachingspeech and reading at the hospital to disabled chil-dren.

After leaving the hospital, Meyer taught in St. Paulparochial schools. She continued to work with stu-dents with special needs and opened the St. Paul De-layed Speech School in 1948 at the Christ Child Com-munity Center, which is now Merrick Community

Services on St. Paul’s EastSide. “It was a bare andsimple school,” Meyeronce recalled in a St. PaulPioneer Press interview.“Its equipment was a pre-primer, a little paper, abox of crayons and a bor-rowed Victrola.” Enrollment quickly grewand the school soonmoved to larger quartersin a home at 2078 SummitAve. Parents helped paintthe walls, varnish thefloor, sew curtains andprepare for opening day inthe fall of 1950. Theschool was full the day itopened. That’s when one

Well, winter is half over and we’ve hardly had anysnow or cold. No one I talk to has had to complainthis year about blocked access due to snowdrifts. Al-though I was born here and have lived in Minnesotafor the past 40 years, I grew up in Arizona. Until Iwas in my very late teens, I had never seen snow fall.Missing the snow this year is okay with me.

The legislative session began with a big bang, withthe vote against confirming Gov. Mark Dayton’s Pub-lic Utility Commissioner, Ellen Anderson. I don’tthink Anderson’s knowledge of alternative energies isnecessarily a bad thing for someone in her position,especially when her decisions over the past 10 monthsshowed that she could balance the public’s interest ina variety of energy sources. The media reported thatthe vote was mostly payback from one side of theaisle to another for not confirming one of our previ-ous governor’s commissioner appointees. Blow-for-blow, tit-for-tat, even score? Or will there be anotherpayback, and then who will be affected most deeply?We all oppose these games from our legislators.Whichever side of the aisle it comes from, it alwayshurts the constituents.

Around the state, people with disabilities have beenwatching the news about the terrible injuries to sev-

eral of our male and female high school hockey play-ers this year. We have to be concerned about the num-ber of injuries in high school sports. I wondered howmany disabling injuries happen that are not as widelyreported as these recent hockey injuries, and found agood source of information at the National Center forCatastrophic Sports Injury Research at the Universityof North Carolina. It turns out that ice hockey doesnot have a record as a particularly dangerous sport,especially when compared to field hockey or football.But all of the numbers are much higher than theyshould be. Our high school athletes have to be verycautious and the rules have to be enforced, to main-tain the safety and enjoyment of these extracurricularactivities. Sports activities are such a huge part ofyoung peoples’ growth and development. It’s impor-tant for our youth to feel like they’re part of some-thing bigger than themselves, and team sports canbuild a strong sense of community and citizenry. Butall sports activities should provide encouraging, struc-tured activities with rules and boundaries in order tohave positive and safe results.

A veteran disability activist who is also a long-termemployee of the St. Paul School District is about tolose everything he has worked for while on the state’sMedical Assistance for Employed Persons with Dis-abilities program. Charles Van Heuveln will hit theprogram’s age limit of 65 in a couple months and willhave to give up his earned pension to be eligible forMedical Assistance and receive personal care attendant(PCA) services. Van Heuveln has challenged Minne-

sota legislators to try accepting the same provisions,but none of them has stepped up to this challenge. Onlyone legislator, Rep. Alice Hausman, (DFL District66B—not Van Heuveln’s district), has responded tothis dilemma. Recently, Access Press spoke with LorenColman, Assistant Commissioner of Community CareAdministration at the Department of Human Services.He said that he is aware of Van Heuveln’s situation andconfirmed that MA-EPD has not kept pace with theneeds of those reaching age 65 with disabilities. DHSis waiting for new rulings from the governor and theMinnesota Legislature. Rep. Hausman and Rep.Paymar have agreed they would re-introduce the bill[Sen. Sheran, Asset Limit Modification bill] that didn’tpass last year. “At least one reason it didn’t advancelast year was the cost; new initiative were not consid-ered. As Charles pointed out, it’s ultimately a penny-wise, pound-foolish, it will cost far more if Charlesgives up independent living and moves to a care facil-ity. Charles isn’t alone, there are many people whohave been adversely affected by ‘no new taxes, limitedgovernment’ era,” Hausman said. Unfortunately forChuck, their decisions won’t come in time for him tosave his liberty and self-reliance. This is a situationwhere they’re just taking away what people haveworked for as they were encouraged to do by our soci-ety and by the MA-EPD program. Our legislators needto look at this as being a moral and ethical responsibil-ity as much as a fiscal issue.

I look forward to seeing you at the capitol over thenext couple months. Don’t forget that pretty much ev-ery Tuesday, disability issues are addressed and thereare many disability activists demonstrating and lobby-ists leading discussions, all to preserve our autonomy.

Everyone stay warm and safe. ■

Feb. 10, 2012 Volume 23, Number 2 Pg 3

Hockey safety promoted in the wake of serious accidents

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by Access Press staff

Hockey injuries have drawn attention in Minnesota as two hockey players, JackJablonski from Benilde-St. Margaret and Jenna Privette from St. Croix Lutheran,have sustained serious injuries. The injuries have not only drawn attention to dis-abling sports injuries, they have also prompted efforts to make sports safer and toeducate athletes about sports injuries.

Courage Center has helped provide education and rehabilitation services forpeople who have sustained catastrophic injuries. The Wayzata Boys Bantam B12hockey team visited Courage Center on Jan. 27, to learn more. Following a tour,the boys, their coaches and parents spent time with Courage Center’s current andformer clients, John Kujda and his son Jonah, Joe Stone, Joey Carlson and ShawnDean, discussing life after a spinal cord injury.

Jablonski, 16, a sophomore at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in St. LouisPark, sustained spinal cord injuries on December 30 when he was checked from be-hind in a junior varsity hockey game against Wayzata and hit the boards head first.

Privette, 18, of Lakeville, a senior at St. Croix Lutheran High in West St. Paul,was injured in a hockey game about a week later, on January 6. Privette played onthe Minnehaha Saints, a team made up of players from St. Croix Lutheran,Minnehaha Academy of Minneapolis and St. Agnes of St. Paul. They were playingthe Blades, a team from St. Paul public high schools.

Both young people were hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center be-fore transferring for rehabilitation. While Privette has had an MRI showing nodamage to her bones or spinal cord, Jablonksi’s injuries are more severe. Mediareports, the medical professionals have indicated he isn’t expected to walk again,although the determined young man has vowed to walk and skate again.

Checking from behind was already illegal in Minnesota boys prep hockey be-fore Jablonski’s injury. Players don’t see the hit coming and can’t protect them-selves, while checking of any kind is not allowed in girls’ hockey, under Minne-sota State High School League Rules.

Privette’s injury is more controversial. She and family members insist she washit from behind; others at the game said she appeared to have just fallen. A reportin the publication Let’s Play Hockey indicates that a video shows her being hitfrom behind.

In January, the Minnesota State High School League approved a recommenda-tion to stiffen several penalties in hockey that become effective immediately. Thegoal is to continue the league’s efforts to reduce and remove dangerous contactthat has led to severe injuries to players. Recommendation came from staff, theLeague’s Hockey Advisory Committee (girls’ and boys’ coaches), and officialsassociation representatives. The penalties for these infractions of the rules havebeen significantly increased in an effort to thwart players from making dangeroushits on the ice. Checking from behind, boarding (defined as a “check, cross-check,elbow, charging or tripping” that sends an opponent “violently into the boards”)and contact to the head all will draw much stiffer penalties. In some cases players

who violate rules can not only be ejected from the game where the violation oc-curs, they must also sit out the following game.

The boys’ and girls’ coaches on a league committee quickly agreed that the bestway to address increasing violent hits was to escalate the penalty structure and toget all parties involved to seek to change the culture of the game. The coachesneed to accept the stiffer penalties and need to instruct their players the proper andlegal ways of making contact with opponents. The officials need to make the callswhen the violation is made; they need to be supported by not only the coaches, butalso by the players and the fans. The league also is providing an online educationmodule about the changes.

“Hockey is a contact sport, and when it is played correctly it should be a safegame with minimal risks,” said Craig Perry, league associate director who over-sees hockey. “This video will allow all participants in the game to see exactly whatkind of contact is permitted and what kind of contact is going to draw the newtougher penalties. The players have to be kept as safe as possible, and with a littlebit of education and clear thinking while they are on the ice, I firmly believe wecan change the culture of the game.”

“There is absolutely no reason why the State of Hockey cannot become the Stateof Safe Hockey,” he added. ■

In the wake of recent injuries sustained by two local prep hockey players, the Wayzata Boys BantamB12 hockey team visited Courage Center on Friday, Jan. 27, to learn more about spinal cord injuryand the services Courage Center provides. Following a tour, the boys, their coaches and parentsspent time with current and former Courage Center clients for a discussion about life after spinalcord injury. The participating clients were, from left, John Kujda and son Jonah, Joe Stone, JoeyCarlson and Shawn Dean.

Photo courtesy of Courage Center

Clients, coworkers and friends at MetropolitanIndependent Living Services (MILS) are mourn-ing the death of owner David Michael “Mike”Dreier. Dreier, age 57, of Coon Rapids, passedaway unexpectedly Jan. 23.

Dreier is remembered as a kind-hearted manand as a pioneer in both the home care and trans-portation industries.

Dreier grew up enjoying working with his fa-ther, learning to work on motor vehicles andworking as a delivery driver as soon as he coulddrive.

He graduated from Central High School inOmaha, NE, and then went to vocational school to

He went the extra mile for his clients

Dreier - p. 13 David Michael “Mike” Dreier


Agencies’ merger allows People Inc. to help childrenPeople Incorporated Mental

Health Services, the state’slargest nonprofit working ex-clusively in the adult mentalhealth field, is expanding itscare to children. The organiza-tion announced in January thatit has acquired an array of pro-grams supporting children’smental health from St. Paul-based Children’s Home Society& Family Services (Children’sHome). The programs, whichwill continue without disrup-tion, serve clients in the TwinCities area, serving clients insix counties. The programs cur-rently serve about 1,000 clients.

“This move combines PeopleIncorporated’s long history ofmanaging and growing pro-grams for people with mentalhealth needs with the expertiseChildren’s Home has workingwith children,” said Dr. TimBurkett, chief executive officerof People Incorporated. “We’lluse this acquisition as a spring-board to develop innovativeearly intervention programs forchildren and families.”

The programs began operat-ing as the new People Incorpo-rated Children’s Services divi-sion on Jan. 1. Services willinclude individual and family

The Amputee Coalition andthe Minnesota Warriors IceHockey Program, an ice hockeyteam of disabled American vet-erans, have formed a partner-ship to promote and expand theteam. The Minnesota WarriorsHockey Recruitment Initiative,powered by a $20,000 grantfrom the U.S. Olympic Com-mittee through Veterans Af-fairs, will be a joint effort tobuild recognition and recruit-ment for the team throughstepped-up marketing, mediaand fundraising efforts.

The Minnesota Warriors IceHockey Program, all of whosemembers are disabled Ameri-can veterans, is divided intotwo teams: standup/amputeeand sled hockey for both menand women. The team hasgrown from four players in2010 to 24 today. Based on thenumber of disabled veterans

living in Minnesota and thepopularity of the game, it isestimated that the MinnesotaWarriors Ice Hockey Programshould be able to support aminimum of 12 teams through-out the state with at least 240players.

“The Amputee Coalition isproud to join forces with theMinnesota Warriors IceHockey Program, an organiza-tion that aligns with our goalsto educate, integrate and tohelp people reach their full po-tential after a loss,” saidKendra Calhoun, president andchief executive officer of theAmputee Coalition. “We thankthe U.S. Olympic Committeeand Veterans Affairs forawarding this grant, which willbe designed to increase recruit-ment and public awareness sothe team can realize their goalsfor expansion for fundraising

Hockey partnershipwins grant, is on ice

to achieve sustainability of theprogram into the future.”

The Amputee Coalitionworks with the military and theVeterans Affairs on numerousprojects designed to supportservice men and women whohave lost limbs in battle. Theseprojects include support forcaregivers who suffer fromstress and to education forhealth care providers on issuesunique to amputee health care.

“The Minnesota WarriorsIce Hockey Board is excited towork alongside the outstandingprofessionals at the Amputee

Members of the Minnesota Warriors want to expand their team and interest in their sport.Photo by Minnesota Warriors ice Hockey Program

counseling, early childhoodmental health, school-linkedcounseling, day treatment forchildren, domestic abuse pre-vention, anger management,and parent support services.

The merger reflects nationaland Minnesota trends of non-profit agency mergers, asgroups seek efficiencies bymerging programs and ser-vices. According to JillWiedemann-West, chief oper-ating officers of People Incor-porated, the acquisition mirrorsthe trend of nonprofits fine-tuning their missions.

“Small nonprofits are find-

ing it harder to make diversi-fied services work in the harsheconomy. This acquisition al-lows each organization to fo-cus on its specialty services,but more efficiently,” saidWiedemann-West.

The Children’s Home acquisi-tion will add approximately $3.8million to People Incorporated’s2012 budget of $33.5 million.

Children’s Home Society &Family Services was foundedin 1889. The agency works toprovide every child with secu-rity, opportunity and a lovingfamily. Beginning Jan. 1, itwill focus on its adoption and

early learning services.People Incorporated Mental

Health Services was foundedin 1969, promotes and securesindependence for people withmental illness. The organiza-tion operates more than 40 pro-grams throughout the TwinCities metro area, includingservices for the homeless, cri-sis management services, drop-in centers, in-home living-skills programs, and a range ofresidential homes. People In-corporated serves more than6,500 people with mental ill-ness annually. ■

Coalition, who have done somuch to enhance the lives ofour disabled veterans,” saidHeidi Y. Pierson, president,Minnesota Warriors IceHockey. “It is the intent of theWarriors program to focus onbuilding connections throughthe Amputee Coalition thatwill lead to a dynamic and dra-matic growth of the team andto expand to other rural re-gions of Minnesota. This hasbeen a goal of the Warriorsfrom the beginning. Now, withthe assistance of the AmputeeCoalition we will gain the

credible connections and me-dia expertise that match theWarriors’ goals.”

Honoring veterans on Veter-ans Day, Nov. 11, the Minne-sota Warriors and the NationalHockey League (NHL) Alumniwill blend teams to play theVeterans Day Classic inChaska. The NHL Alumni isan organization of former NHLpros who are dedicated to giv-ing back to the community.The event is open to the gen-eral public. For more informa-tion, visit amputee-coalition.orgor 888/267-5669. ■


The Arc Minnesota’s Goal:Bringing Light to Those in the Shadows

People with disabilities haveoften been invisible membersof our community—in theshadows, forgotten by some,ignored by others.

John was one of the individu-als. John lived in a nursinghome for eight monthswhen he should havebeen in rehab for backsurgery. He was thenmoved to a group home and livedthere for one year. John didn’t needto be in a group home and didn’twant to be there. Because of thework of The Arc Minnesota and ourpartners, housing legislation waspassed in 2007, and John now livesin a place of his own.

For sixty years, The Arc Minnesotahas brought people out of the shad-ows. We protect the human rights ofpeople with intellectual and develop-mental disabilities and ensure theyare full, participating members in ourcommunities throughout their lives.

The Arc movement began inMinnesota at a time whenpeople with developmentaldisabilities lived in institu-tions, where their care was

substandard and their treat-ment inhumane, and they

were isolated from society. Since then, support forMinnesotans with dis-abilities has improved

dramatically. People with disabilitiesnow live, learn, work, and play inour communities alongside theirnon-disabled peers and are reared athome with their families.

The Arc Minnesotahas been at theforefront in creating those changes forthe better. Threats to this progress re-main, so they must continue their workon several fronts. We are active inpublic policy—testifying at the Capitol,meeting with legislators, partneringwith other agencies, activating citizensto share their stories, communicatingthrough the media, and tracking legis-lation and regulations.

• Our Housing Access Services(HAS) staff have helped more than350 people with disabilities moveinto homes of their own. HAS is apartnership with Minnesota’s De-partment of Human Services andour affiliated chapters across Min-nesota.

• Staff in our MasterPooled Trust Pro-gram work withindividualswith disabili-

We touch lives not only through public policy,but through personal contacts as well.

ties and their families so these in-dividuals have a stable source offunding that meets their needsonce loved ones can no longercare for them.

• Our local affiliated chapters workwith individuals with disabilities

and their fami-lies daily,connecting

them with localresources, provid-

ing them with timelyinformation, and stand-

ing with them when theyneed an advocate. For more information, go towww.arcmn.org orwww.facebook.com/arcmn. ■

Van Heuveln - from p. 1“I well remember all the indignities andbarriers he witnessed in registering vot-ers for the 1972 election which pro-pelled him to seek changes in the 1973legislative session. Now, 40 years later,he once again meets the indignities ofan inaccessible community with thesame courageous activist spirit.”

“We do think the issue of encourag-ing employment, especially people withdisabilities is something we stronglysupport. We are aware that there areincreasing numbers of people that wantto work after the age of 65 and the poli-cies really has not kept pace with thesechanges,” Colman said, “We are inter-ested in more options for an agingpopulation, in this case an aging popu-lation that’s on MA-EPD. At this point,we have to wait in accordance with thegovernor’s instructions until we see therelease of February forecast. Then wewill be able to reassess and see whatoption may be available to modify thepolicies around employment of MA-EPD. We are very much aware of thedilemma that this situation causespeople who are reaching ages 65 in theMA-EPD program. Were very inter-ested in strategies that help people con-tinue employment and we certainly in-terested in looking into this issueagain.”

Van Heuveln has worked for the St.Paul Public School System for the past18 years. During that time he has beenenrolled in the Medical Assistance forEmployed Persons with Disabilities(MA-EPD) program. MA-EPD is a pro-gram permitting him to pay a percent-age of his earning over the povertylevel towards his medical expenses toRamsey County Human Services. VanHeuveln needs MA because of his needfor PCA service that is not covered byInsurance or Medicare. “Over the years,I’ve earned enough to buy a small con-dominium, which I am proud to call myhome,” said Van Heuveln.

But he was notified last spring by

Ramsey County that the day he turns 65years of age, he will be cut off the MA-EPD program and be placed on thestraight Medical Assistance (MA) pro-gram. An individual is only eligible forMA-EPD from age 16 to their 65th birth-day. Under the MA program a personpays back to the county whatever theamount of their gross income (SSDI orother earned income) is over $677 amonth as a medical spend down and isonly allowed $3,000 in assets.

“Everyone’s encouraged to work andpeople with disabilities were even givenmore incentive with the MA-EPD pro-gram. It’s the American dream, workhard, buy a house and retire on a pen-sion. But everything I work for includingmy pension will be taken away when Iturn 65 because of the assets and incomelimits; what kind of American dream isthat?” said Van Heuveln. “I thought thatthe word ‘disability’ was included in theequal rights amendment of the Ameri-cans with Disabilities Act and the Min-nesota equal rights bill of 1972. If thisdisability and age rule isn’t discrimina-tion, what is it?” he added.

“I have worked hard all my life andI have volunteered in the community.I was involved with legislation forpeople with disabilities,” Van Heuvelnsaid. “I was partly responsible for fivemajor bills in the 1970s’ legislative ses-sion involving people with disabilities.The bills which all became law, were as

follows: 1) Requiring all public build-ings built after 1972 to be accessible tothe disabled, 2) Requiring pollingplaces to be barrier free, 3) Publictransportation accessible to the dis-abled, 4) The signature stamp bill mak-ing a rubber stamp a legal signature,and 5) Adding the word disability to thestate human rights law.”

Van Heuveln wouldn’t be required togive up his home according to statepolicy. But, he could no longer affordthe mortgage payments with $677 amonth as an income restriction. Hewould have to move into state subsi-dized housing or a nursing home. In ad-dition to the loss of his home and inde-pendence, this would be far more costlyto the state and the county.

Van Heuveln said, “who’s profitinghere, not me, not the taxpayers of Min-nesota but those owning the subsidizedhousing and for the wrong reason. I’mnot saying subsidized housing is badbut why use it when you don’t have to;subsidized me, it’s cheaper! I just wantto continue working so I can subsidizemyself.”

During the 2011 legislative session,state lawmakers and Gov. Mark Daytonhad a chance to change this age restric-tion. Legislators voted against theamendment to extending the age limiton the MA-EPD which forces peoplewith disabilities to retire. The amend-ment was rejected because it is seen asa cost savings measure to not allowpeople with disabilities to continueworking, even if they want to and arefully capable of staying employed.

Van Heulven notes that this actionwas taken because there wasn’t enoughmoney in the state budget to cover hu-man services, which will force manydisabled senior citizens to live at pov-erty level. “However, now the governorand the legislators are seeking hugeamounts of taxpayer money to fund aVikings football stadium, a privatelyowned company. Is the state of Minne-sota using our tax dollars in the properway?” he said. ■

We would like to acknowledgeand thank The Arc™ Minnesota and UCare

for their generous Issue Sponsorship.

Please consider joining as an IssueSponsor. Call: 651-644-2133

ISSUE SPONSOR

Then-Minnesota Gov-ernor Wendell R.Anderson, sensitiveand dedicated to theneeds of handicappedpersons, called the firstgovernor's conferenceon handicapped per-sons in October of1972. Highly success-ful both as an eventand in legislative re-sults, the secondgovernor's conferencewas held October 1974at the St. Paul CivicCenter. Van Heuvelnis second from the left.


Thompson Hall wins historic statusThompson Hall, the

nation’s oldest social hallfor the deaf, has won aspot on the National Reg-ister of Historic Places.Club officials recentlylearned of the decision,after it was published inthe National Register.

The quest for nationalhistoric status began sev-eral months ago. The national designation will helpwith preservation efforts for the historic structure,which is in the Merriam Park neighborhood of St.Paul.

Charles Thompson Memorial Hall was built in1916 in St. Paul. The National Register of HistoricPlaces designation recognizes Thompson Hall’s his-torical significance as a building that continues toserve its original mission as a clubhouse and civiccenter for the deaf community, and also recognizesthe historical contributions of the community in estab-lishing and maintaining this cherished building. It wasa gift from a deaf woman, Margaret Thompson, inmemory of her deaf husband’s desire to give the deafcommunity a place to gather and find strength in num-bers. It was designed by a nationally recognized deafarchitect, Olof Hanson.

Supporters hope that the National Register designa-tion will help increase awareness about this unique“living history” property, and enable Thompson Hallto receive preservation and interpretation funding sothat it can become more accessible to the communityand the public in the future.

The Thompson Hall Board of Trustees, the Minne-sota Association of Deaf Citizens, Will Stark of StarkPreservation, Dan Pratt of ARCH3 and the Commis-sion of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minne-sotans (MCDHH) worked on the designation effort.■

[Source: Minnesota Association for Deaf Citizens]

Wrong letter sent, say state officialsThe controversy over changes to Special Needs

BasicCare grew more complicated last month whenstate officials mistakenly sent out letters to some Min-nesotans. The Minnesota Department of Human Ser-vices (DHS) inadvertently sent out letters in Januaryinforming some people under age 18 that they wouldbe enrolled in Special Needs BasicCare (SNBC) ef-fective March 1, 2012. The notice was sent in erroras DHS is not enrolling people under age 18 intoSNBC for March 2012.

Individuals who were mistakenly sent a notice donot have to return the form included in the letter. Theindividuals who received the letters will continue toreceive their Medical Assistance coverage throughfee-for-service at this time. If and when a person un-der 18 becomes eligible to enroll in SNBC, a new let-ter will be sent.

State officials have apologized for the confusion.Anyone with questions should contact DHS. ■

[Source: State of Minnesota]

Girl’s wheelchair stolenA seven-year-old Minneapolis girl has a new

wheelchair, thanks to a generous donor. But police arestill looking for the persons who stole her chair lastmonth. Moira Stomberg has cerebral palsy and canonly walk short distances. She wears leg braces andcan only be on her feet for about 20 minutes at a time.

“Any time the distance exceeds a block, she needsto be in her wheelchair,” Moira’s mom, KatieCopeland Stomberg, told KMSP-TV.

“If I go long distances, sometimes my legs will startto hurt,” said Moira. “Sometimes I get red marks onmy legs.”

The girl’s chair was stolen from the family’s yard.Her father recently lost his job and family membersquestioned how they would be able to replace a$3,000 chair without insurance.

The missing child-sized wheelchair is a black andgrey Invacare. It isn’t motorized.

Texting helps suicide preventionMinnesota’s suicide call center is getting as many

cell-phone text messages from teens in a day as itused to get phone calls from teens in a month. That’sbecause Carlton County applied for and received a$1.44 million federal grant to roll out a seven-countytexting hotline for suicide prevention.

“We looked at recent suicides, and we looked atwhat kids were doing prior to those suicides,” saidDave Lee, director of Carlton County’s public healthand human services. “They were texting people orthey were on Facebook.”

The texting hotline has already been promoted inall Carlton County school districts and the Fond duLac Ojibwe School. The Carlton County PublicHealth and Human Services Department is in themidst of meeting with other districts, Indian reserva-tions and mental health centers in St. Louis, Cook,Lake, Aitkin, Itasca and Koochiching counties.

When work is complete this school year, about22,000 middle and high school students are expectedto be in possession of both texting and telephonenumbers to the state suicide hotline.

Northeastern Minnesota has one of the highest sui-cide rates among all ages in the state, Lee said, anddata from a 2010 Minnesota Student Survey shows an“alarming rate” of suicidal tendencies and behavioralhealth issues among area youth. In St. Louis County,for example, eight freshmen and six seniors said theyhad attempted suicide in the last year, and 37 fresh-men and 29 seniors said they had suicidal thoughts inthe last year. In Carlton County, seven freshmen andthree seniors said they had attempted suicide in 2010.■

[Source: Duluth News-Tribune]

REGIONAL NEWS

Regional News - p. 14


calls to group homes. Thecosts and time are a concern,so in the city’ 2012 legislativeplatform, Burnsville is askingfor state help in regulating theconcentration of group homesin neighborhoods or cities. Ifthe law passes it would bestatewide. City officials citethe strain on city resources inhaving too many group homesin one area.

Minnesota currently has astatewidemorato-rium onlicensedcorporateadult foster care facilities.Many Minnesota cities alreadyregulate group homes. In St.Paul and Minneapolis, for ex-ample, the number of homes orcommunity residential facili-ties is regulated through zon-ing.

“The impact to a neighbor-hood is pretty detrimental iftwo or three [group homes]cluster together,” BurnsvilleMayor Elizabeth Kautz said.She said concerns center onproperty values. The city isalso trying to encourage moreowner-occupied homes.Burnsville has 50 licensedgroup homes and an unknownnumber of unlicensed facili-ties.

Bruce Nelson of the Asso-ciation of Residential Re-sources in Minnesota, an orga-nization that represents grouphome providers, told the news-paper that trying to limit thelocations of those facilities iswrong. “Would a communitythat is seeing an influx ofpeople of color or another non-Caucasian ethnicity move to

control the concentration, ifyou will, of those folks? Whyare people with disabilities anydifferent than anybody else inhaving a right to live in ourneighborhoods that belong toall of us?”

Sign up for advocacy days

MN-CCD sponsors Tues-days at the Capitol. Attendthese sessions every Tuesday,10 a.m.-3 p.m. and learn how

to be aneffectiveadvocatefor your-self or for

a family member.Groups sponsor some days

but not every advocacy day ison a Tuesday. The days beginon Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.No session is held April 10 be-cause state lawmakers will beon spring break.

MN-CCD will be at thecapitol to help people sharetheir stories about the impor-tance of disability serviceswith legislators and to ensurethere is a disability communitypresence at the capitol. Theconsor-tium of-fers tipsand helpfor thoseattending the days. One of thefirst steps is to contact AnniSimons, either at [email protected] or at 651-523-0823,ext. 112. Advocates should lether know which Tuesdays theyplan to attend and what accom-modations will be needed.

Each Tuesday starts at 10a.m. with a briefing on currentdisability policy issues and areview of tips for meeting with

legislators, a document withgeneral speaking points arounddisability services to sharewith legislators, specific issueinformation when appropriate,and the legislative hearingschedule for the day with high-lights of particularly relevanthearings. Assistance will beavailable for locating legisla-tive offices and/or accompany-ing advocates to meetings withlegislators. Help is also avail-able if advocates haven’t pre-pared their personal stories inadvance.

It is best to set up meetingswith state lawmakers well inadvance. Call 1-800-657-3550,or go to www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts to findcontact information. MN-CCDand other groups typically endtheir training at 10:30 a.m. sotry to set up meetings after10:45 a.m. with your legislatorAdvocates should bring infor-maction, typically no morethan one page, to tell their per-sonal stories. Fact sheets fromspecific disability advocacygroups are also helpful.

There are options for lunch.Eitherbringfood orpurchasefood inthe acces-

sible cafeteria of the Transpor-tation Building (connected tocapitol and State Office Build-ing by accessible undergroundtunnel).

Check for parking informa-tion at www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/capitolcmplx.asp SeveralMetro Transit buses stop nearthe capitol and State OfficeBuilding.

Advocacy - from p. 1 The largest of the advocacyevents is the annual DisabilityDay at theCapitol,set for 10a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, April 4.This event is sponsored by sev-eral advocacy groups. Preregis-tration is due by Monday,March 26. For a flyer on thisevent, go to http://tinyurl.com/86ede9c

Arc’s Day at the Capitol wasJan. 31, after deadline for thisissue of Access Press.

Mental Health Day on theHill, is led by NAMI-Minne-sota, is Tuesday, Feb. 14. Theday begins with a 10 a.m.briefing at Christ LutheranChurch, which is on UniversityAvenue just northwest of thecapitol. This will be followedwith a noon rally in the statecapitol rotunda. Advocates canthen visit their state legisla-tors between 1-3 p.m.

The Mental Health Leg-islative Network has char-tered a number of buses,each beginning in differentlocations, to make it easierfor people to attend. Buseswill start from Winona,Kerkhoven (Willmar),Marshall, Fergus Falls,Duluth and Baxter, eachmaking multiple stopsalong the way.

The NAMI website con-tains links for people need-ing to set up timers to talkto their state lawmakers.The website links can alsohelp advocates make bustransportation arrange-ments or find convenientparking near the capitol.Go to www.namihelps.org

Another advocacy day isThursday, March 1, when

ARRM sponsors its Day at theCapitol. Typically about 1,000

people at-tend thisevent, in-

cluding direct support profes-sionals (DSPs), mid and execu-tive level provider manage-ment, self-advocates, and fam-ily members. ARRM is seek-ing participants as well assponsors for this event. Go towww.arrm.org for more de-tails.

Other upcoming advocacydays include Courage Center’sAdvocacy Day, Tuesday,March 6, web linkwww.couragecenter.org;Lutheran Social Services advo-cacy day Tuesday, March 20,web link www.lssmn.org;MCIL/DSPAM Day, Thurs-day, March 15, web linkwww.mcil-mn.org ■

Hammer Residences, Inc.has selected John Estrem as itsnew chief executive officer.The appointment was an-nounced Jan. 27. He replacesthe late Tim Nelson, whopassed award unexpectedly inAugust 2011.

“Our diligent search processled us to an exciting choice inJohn Estrem,” said Jon Matej-cek, Hammer Board President.“His business acumen and ex-perience in advocacy, fund-raising and public affairs arewhat Hammer needs right now.John’s experience will be anexcellent complement to thequality and operational exper-tise already in place at Ham-mer.”

Estrem’s background in-cludes 24 years’ experience atlocal social service organiza-tions. As CEO for CatholicCharities of St. Paul and Min-neapolis, Estrem led 550 peopleand 42 different programs serv-

Social services veteran to lead Hammer Residences, Inc.ing families in crisis and man-aged a $36 million operatingbudget. Most recently he servedas executive director of Episco-pal Community Services, amulti-service social servicesagency in Minneapolis.

“Joining Hammer is a greathonor for me,” said Estrem. “Iworked as a direct support pro-fessional early in my career. Ihave always held in mythoughts that I might return tothis field andsupportpeople withdevelopmen-tal disabilities once again.”

“John’s passion for our mis-sion was evident at our firstmeeting. His dedication toserve and to provide exem-plary services closely mirrorsmine and that of all of our em-ployees. I look forward toworking with him as we begina new chapter at Hammer,”said Armstrong.

Estrem is a servant leaderwith a passion for advocacy.He has significant leadershipexperience in operational ef-fectiveness, fundraising, publicaffairs, volunteer managementand working with boards ofdirectors. Estrem began hisacademic career at St. CloudState University studying spe-cial education; he completedhis undergraduate work at St.Thomas University. He also

holds aMaster’sDegree inDivinity

from St. Paul Seminary and aMaster’s Degree in NonprofitAdministration from the Uni-versity of Notre Dame.

“My vision is to continue alegacy of service in the disabil-ity services field unmatched inMinnesota,” said Estrem.“Since Alvina Hammerfounded this organization in1923, this organization has

held a unique place in thehearts and minds of Minneso-tans. Hammer is a communitythat breathes life into wordslike ‘respecting an individual’sabilities and realizing dreams.’It is a privilege to be given theopportunity to work side byside with the men and womenwho have made Hammer thethriving organization it is to-day.”

Nelson had served as theorganization’s leader since1998. For the past severalmonths Lisbeth Armstrongacted as Interim CEO at Ham-mer. Armstrong will resumeher position as the Director ofProgram Services when Estrembegins his responsibilities asCEO on Feb. 21.

Hammer is a nonprofit orga-nization with a passion for pro-viding quality services foradults and children with devel-opmental disabilities. Hammercurrently supports 275 indi-

viduals in both residential andin-home settings, and morethan 500 individuals throughcustomized support services. Itmanages 36 residential sitesand runs 9 apartment programsthroughout the western sub-urbs of the Twin Cities. Ham-mer has 443 dedicated employ-ees and 550 active volunteers.

At the time of its founding,Hammer was one of only twoMinnesota organizations atthat time to offer people withdisabilities the opportunity tothrive in a school and homesetting. ■

John Estrem

Joining Hammer is a greathonor for me, said Estrem.

. . . the number of homes orcommunity residential facilitiesis regulated through zoning.

Each Tuesday starts at 10 a.m.with a briefing on currentdisability policy issues . . .

Typically about 1,000 peopleattend this event . . .


PEOPLE & PLACES

People & Places - p. 13

Advocate wins Pathfinder awardA New Ulm area advocate for people with disabili-

ties is one of the 2012 Pathfinder Award winners. Theawards were given on January 16 in honor of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.. Wilbur Neuschwander-Frinkreceived the Pathfinder Award, given annually topeople who embody the spirit and work of Dr. King.

Neuschwander-Frink has been an advocate forpeople with disabilities for 17 years. She sees paral-lels between the work of King and the advocacy shedoes for people with disabilities.

“Getting a Martin Luther King Jr. award is, for me,the pinnacle,” Neuschwander-Frink said to theMankato Free Press newspaper.

She said advocating for people with disabilities hasbeen her passion since high school when she’d watchin horror as people with disabilities were bullied andtreated with disrespect. Even in high school shestarted standing up to that kind of treatment, even if itmade her unpopular with others at her school. As anurse, she continued her work with people with dis-abilities, but it wasn’t until she attended a meeting atthe New Ulm Public Library that she really respondedto what she believes is her calling. After that day atthe library, she spent the next chapter of her lifeworking to change society’s attitudes about peoplewith disabilities. Among her most public efforts arethe plays she writes and directs featuring people withdisabilities, including “Soph and Nana” and “Words.”

Courage Center awarded grantU.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic

Committee (USOC), has selected Courage Center andits Operation Liberty program as a recipient of

$75,000 in funding in sup-port of Paralympic sportand physical activity pro-gramming for disabled vet-erans and disabled mem-bers of the armed forces.More than $4.4 million infunds from the U.S. De-partment of Veterans Af-fairs has been awarded to95 community organiza-tions around the country,including Courage Center.

At Courage Center, thefunds will be used to ex-pose, teach and expand itsOperation Liberty Para-lympic sports program fordisabled and injured veter-ans. It also means that Op-eration Liberty program-ming can continue to beoffered free of charge toveterans, helping removefinancial and physical bar-riers to their participation.

Through this program,grants ranging from $2,500to $500,000 were providedto USOC partner organiza-tions and community pro-grams to increase the num-ber and quality of opportu-nities for physically or vi-sually impaired veterans toparticipate in physical ac-tivity within their homecommunities and in moreadvanced Paralympic sportprograms at the regionaland national levels.

“The grant funding givesCourage Center the oppor-tunity to give back to dis-abled and injured veter-ans, helping them dis-cover or rediscover com-petitive and athletic ac-tivities,” said Ta’avasa“JR” Mamea, Paralympicsports coordinator/Opera-tion Liberty with CourageCenter. Research hasshown that regular partici-pation in physical activityhas a positive effect on aclient’s rehabilitation,self-esteem, education,employment and overallhealth. “We couldn’t be happierwith this latest round ofgrants to be awarded tothese new partner organi-


“I know something about the word “personal” in our company name because I’m not onlythe founder – I’m also a client. Our quality home care services are formed around a planthat works for you and your individual situation.” - Kevin Sullivan”

8441 Wayzata Blvd; Suite 130

Golden Valley, MN 55426

Serving Adults and Childrenwith Long-Term Needs since 1991

At In Home Personal Care, we pride ourselves not only onthe help we provide, but also on our ability to listen. Weunderstand that each of our clients has different needs atdifferent times.

Your home, your independence . . . 763-546-1000

SERVICES:• Personal Care Assistants (PCA) • Live-ins• PCA and PCA Choice Provider • Home Health Aides (HHA)

Several Minnesota organizations and individualswere honored recently by Minnesota Department ofHuman Services (DHS) Commissioner Lucinda Jesson.Jesson gave the Commissioners’ Circle of ExcellenceAwards to recognize outstanding contributions to hu-man services program clients. Eleven individuals andorganizations were recipients of the awards, whichwere presented during a ceremony at the Elmer L.Andersen Human Services Building in St. Paul.

The Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Awardwinners stand out among the many individuals andorganizations on the front lines throughout thestate, providing critical human services programsand promoting healthy and productive communi-ties.

“These award winners are outstanding examples ofhow, collectively, we foster healthy people, stablefamilies and strong communities,” Jesson said. “Byshining a light on their work, we honor all our part-ners in human services.”

The 11 2011 DHS Commissioner’s Circle of Excel-lence Award recipients are:• Courage Center, health care home for people with

disabilities, Golden Valley. For the past two years,Courage Center has provided a health care home,

Awards recognize contributions to human services clientscoordinating the primary care needs of its clientswith physical disabilities. The project was initiallyfunded by a grant from DHS and has received highsatisfaction ratings from participants.

• White Earth Home Health, home care and long-termcare consultation, WhiteEarth. Serving the WhiteEarth Nation for morethan 25 years, agency staffprovide skilled nurse vis-its, home-delivered meals,nutrition education andlong-term care consulta-tion. Many of their clientshave chronic health careneeds, such as diabetes.

• Empira, falls preventionprogram, Eden Prairie.Using a DHS Perfor-mance-based IncentivePayment Program (PIPP)grant, Empira imple-mented a comprehensiveprogram with falls pre-vention strategies andpost-falls managementinterventions aimed atimproving the health andsafety of nursing facilityresidents and reducingcosts.

• In Reach Social WorkerInitiative, a partnershipof South Country HealthAlliance, Owatonna Hos-pital, South Central Hu-

man Relations Center, Steele, Waseca and Dodgecounties. Based out of Owatonna Hospital, a socialworker works closely with frequent emergency de-partment users to provide better service

Awards - p. 13

DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, left, presents an award toCourage Center CEO, Jan Malcolm.

Photo courtesy of DHS

Ellen Houghton952-404-9981

[email protected]

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Welcome to the Access Press Accessible Fun listings. Getfurther information on things to do around Minnesota atwww.access minnesota.org and click on the calendar. Forinfo on galleries and theater performances around the state,visit www.vsamn.org or call 612-332-3888 or 1-800-801-3883 (voice/tty). Or check c2 (caption coalition) inc., whichdoes most of the captioned shows in Minnesota, alsocaptions shows across the country: http://c2net.org\

ACCESSIBLE FUN

Fabulous ’50s setMark your calendars for the Opportunity Partners 2012 galaset for April 27. Step back in time to the “Fabulous ’50s” ben-efit gala Fri, April 27at the Hotel Sofitel Mpls, 5601 W. 78th

St., Bloomington. This year’s theme celebrates the 1953founding of Opportunity Partners, a Twin Cities nonprofit or-ganization that for nearly 60 years has been helping peoplewith disabilities live, learn and work more independently.Festivities start at 5:30 p.m. and include a silent auction, in-teractive games, updated ’50s comfort food, and live auctionfeaturing professional auctioneer Karen Sorbo. The night willconclude with dancing to the 1950s tunes of The Rockin’Hollywoods. Ian and Margery Punnett of myTalk 107.1 radioare emcees. Wear formal attire or 1950s garb. Tickets are$90; a variety of sponsorship opportunities are availablestarting at $250. FFI: www.fabulous50s.eventbrite.com

Creative Kids contestJoin PACER, other families, and celebrated artist TonyWhelihan 10 a.m.-noon Sat, Feb. 25 for a fun family eventwhere imaginations run wild. Children spend the morningcreating artwork by expressing themselves and their creativeideas through various mediums and vibrant colors. The mas-terpieces are then entered in PACER’s Annual Creative KidsContest and the winner’s artwork will become the cover de-sign of the 2012 PACER Greeting Card, which will be soldonline and at the PACER Benefit. Children ages 4-17 withdisabilities can enter the contest. The original artwork of thetop 10 designs will be sold at PACER’s Benefit Silent Auc-tion. Participants must preregister and space is limited.Event is at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd.Bloomington. Art supply donations welcome. FFI: 952-838-9000, www.pacer.org, [email protected]

Attend Research Dinner The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minne-sota and the University of Minnesota will host their 10th

Annual Research Dinner 5:30 p.m. Tue, Feb. 28, atRadisson Hotel, 2540 N. Cleveland Ave., Roseville. Theevent will feature leading researchers on the treatmentof mental illnesses. Registration is required. FFI: 651-645-2948 or 1-888-NAMI-Helps, or go towww.namihelps.org

Enter Ms. Wheelchair MinnesotaApplications are being sought for Ms. Wheelchair Minne-sota 2012. The pageant, which recognizes the accom-plishments of Minnesota women who use wheelchairs, isApril 2. Entry forms are now available. The pageant isopen to the public. Jenni Taylor is the reigning Ms.Wheelchair Minnesota. The group has a Ms. MinnesotaWheelchair Facebook page for those who want to com-pete in, help with or be guests at the pageant. FFI: 952-388-0500, www.mswheelchairamerica.org,www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ms-Wheelchair-Minnesota/174180105949729

Eat healthier in 2012Learn about healthy eating at the inaugural MinnesotaFood and Nutrition Expo 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat, Feb. 25 atthe Minneapolis Convention Center. Learn how everymember of your family can start eating better andhealthier. Get your plate in shape at great-tasting cook-ing demos. Talk with more than 30 exhibitors about thelatest healthy foods. Ask an expert dietitian your tough-est nutrition questions. Visit the bookstore and meet thebest Minnesota authors in the food and nutrition field. Aninteractive Kid Zone is offered and children can meetPower Panther, official mascot of the US Department ofAgriculture, who will be on hand for photos and fun. Ad-mission is $7 per family, or free for each person whobrings a non-perishable food donation for Second Har-vest Heartland. Sponsored by the Minnesota DieteticAssociation. FFI: 952-830-7022, www.eatrightmn.org,[email protected]

Earth, Wind & Fire to performEarth, Wind & Fire—one of America’s top-selling musicalgroups of all time—is bringing its soul-funk fusion toPACER Center’s 30th Annual Benefit on Saturday,May 5, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Ticketsare available now.Inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame andthe Vocal Group Hall of Fame, Earth, Wind & Fire hasearned six Grammy Awards and four American MusicAwards alongside numerous other accolades. The bandrecently received the prestigious Legend Award at the

2011 Soul Train awards onNov. 27, 2011.In addition to the Earth,Wind & Fire concert,PACER’s benefit includessilent and live auctions. Pro-ceeds from the Benefit sup-port PACER Center pro-grams for children with dis-abilities and their familiesand PACER’s Bullying Pre-vention Center. FFI: 952-838-9000, PACER.org

Accessibility improvementgrants available

ADA Access ImprovementGrants for Metro Arts Orga-nizations are now availablein the Twin Cities seven-county area. The focus ofthese grants, up to $15,000each, is to help make artsprogramming, activities and

facilities more accessible to people with disabilities.Made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heri-tage Fund, the grant program is administered by VSAMinnesota for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council(MRAC). Over the past two years $440,785 wasawarded to 36 Twin Cities organizations.In 2012 approximately $180,000 is available to beawarded over two rounds, with application deadlines onFeb. 17 and May 11, 2012. A series of information meet-ings will be announced shortly.The project grants are not intended for one-time activi-ties such as a sign language interpreter or a Braille pro-gram for one play, but to have the potential for signifi-cant or long-term impact in involving more people withdisabilities as participants or patrons in arts programs.Minnesota nonprofit arts organizations in Anoka, Carver,Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washingtoncounties are eligible if their annual budget is under$4,460,000. Download 2012 grant guidelines and appli-cation at www.vsamn.org/forms.html#adagrant FFI: 612-332-3888 voice/tty, [email protected]

Almost to FreedomSteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development presentsAlmost to Freedom, a Black History Month play. A younggirl is given a rag doll, through whose eyes we see theextremes of slave life—the cruelty, the love, and the dar-ing escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad.Performances are at the theater at 55 Victoria St. N., St.Paul. ASL interpretation is 3 p.m. Sun, Feb. 12 and ADinterpretation is available 7 p.m. Fri, Feb. 24. Tickets arereduced to $10 access rate (regular $14; youth/senior55+ $11). FFI: 651-225-9265, [email protected], www.steppingstonetheatre.org

As You Like ItTen Thousand Things Theater performs As You Like itby William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s tale is aboutthose who have suffered great loss, their exile into theforest, and the hope and comfort they find there. Theplay will be at two locations. AD performance is at 8 p.m.Fri, Feb. 17 at Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S.,Mpls. ASL is 6:15 p.m. Tue, March 6 at People, Inc., 317York Avenue, St. Paul. Tickets are reduced to $18 (regu-lar $25; students on Sundays $15). FFI: 612-203-9502,www.tenthousandthings.org/

Oklahoma!Lyric Arts Company of Anoka presents the Rodgers andHammerstein music at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, 420E. Main Street, Anoka. ASL performance is 2 p.m. Sun,Feb. 19. Seats for ASL patrons are held in reserve untiltwo weeks prior to the show, then released to the gen-eral public. When ordering tickets, please indicate yourneed for seating in this section; if there are no reserva-tions, the interpretation will be canceled. Tickets reducedto $13-16 each for guests requiring ASL interpretationand a companion. FFI: 763-422-1838;[email protected], www.lyricarts.org

HarveyTin Roof Theatre Company presents the comedy Harveyat the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, 333 FourthSt. S., Fargo. This 1944 Pulitzer prize-winning comedyrevolves around the character Elwood P. Dowd, an af-fable man with a bit of a drinking problem, who claims tohave an unseen friend named “Harvey”—whom Elwooddescribes as a tall “pooka” resembling an anthropomor-phic rabbit. His social-climbing sister, who increasinglyfinds his eccentric behavior embarrassing, decides tohave him committed to a sanitarium to spare their familyembarrassment. A comedy of errors ensues. AD perfor-mance is 7:30 p.m. Sat, Feb. 25; pre-show description atFun - p. 15


UPCOMING EVENTSGet help

Upcoming events - p. 12

METO attorney, families to be honored March 7Shamus O’Meara and the plaintiffs in the Minnesota Extended Treatment Op-

tions (METO) lawsuit will be the honored guests at The Arc Minnesota’s 2012Public Policy Recognition Event. The event will be held at 6:00 p.m. Wednes-day, March 7 at the Midland Hills Country Club, 2001 Fulham Street inRoseville.

Attorney Shamus O’Meara served as settlement class counsel for a landmarkdecision against METO in June 2011, and three families served as plaintiffs inthe lawsuit against the facility. On December 1, 2011, O’Meara and the plaintifffamilies finalized a settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Ser-vices on behalf of several hundred Minnesotans with disabilities who were re-strained or secluded illegally at METO.

The agreement immediately discontinued restraints and seclusion, except fortrue emergency situations, and provided a financial settlement for those mis-treated and abused at METO. The agreement also ordered creation of a com-mission based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, as well as acommittee to review Rule 40, the Minnesota rule on the use of aversive anddeprivations procedures against people with disabilities. The goal of the com-mission and the committee is to develop a statewide plan so all Minnesotans with disabilities have opportunities tolive in the community and be free from abuse.

“Because of their commitment to see justice done and ensure that people with disabilitieswill not be subjected to the same cruel and inhumane treatment again, O’Meara and theplaintiff families have done Minnesotans with disabilities a tremendous service,” said Steve

Larson, The Arc Minnesota’s Senior Policy Director. “Their advocacy will dramatically improvetreatment for all Minnesotans with disabilities. We are proud to honor them.”

Tickets for the event are $50 per person. Register and pay online at www.arcmn.org.Please RSVP by Feb. 24. FFI: Sara Larson at 651-604-8050 or [email protected] ■

Shamus O’Meara

Free house paintingMetro Paint-A-Thon helps low-income seniors and

people with disabilities continue to live independently intheir own homes, enriching their lives and neighbor-hoods. Thousands of volunteers scrape, prime and paintthese homes at no cost to the homeowner. Volunteersfrom companies, congregations, civic groups, andschools will paint homes the weekend of Aug. 4-5. Toqualify for Paint-A-Thon, homeowners must own and oc-cupy a single-family home, in need of paint, but not inneed of major repairs; live in Anoka, Carver, Dakota,Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington counties; be 60years of age or older, or have a permanent physical dis-ability if under age 60 and meet monthly income guide-lines. Deadline is May 4. FFI: 612-276-1579;paintathon.gmcc.org

Adult classesIndependent living classes offered

The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living(MCIL) offers free and accessible classes on living inde-pendently for people with disabilities. Most classes areheld at 1600 University Ave., #16, the green tile buildingat University and Snelling, St. Paul.

Self-esteem class is at 10 a.m.-noon Tue. Feb. 21.How do you see yourself? Does your inner voice sayhurtful things? Come and join us as we discuss ways tochange that inner voice and make it be a supportivevoice instead. Please bring an open mind and willing-ness to change.

Knitting circle: Learn simple techniques, patterns anddesigns of knitting. Adaptive knitting equipment avail-able; for all levels of knitters. Other crafts are welcome,1-3p.m. on Mon. Feb. 20, 10 a.m.-noon Mon. March 5and 1-3 p.m. Mon. March 26.

Join us for cooking handmade candy/salads/maincourse is Tue. Feb. 28 1-3:30 p.m. Learn to follow arecipe and make some delicious treats and food. Cook-ing side dishes will be on Tue. March 27 1-3:30 p.m.Side dishes are an important part of any meal, learn howto create healthy and simple side dishes.

The Weekenders outings are for those who are tired ofsitting home all weekend. Meet other people who sharesimilar interests and want to meet new people. Guests arewelcome and encourages. Our Sat. Feb. 25 11 a.m. -2 p.m. outing is bowling at Memory Lanes, 2520 26th Ave.S. Minneapolis. On Sat. Feb. 24, 1-3:30 p.m. we will go tothe Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 Third Ave. S. Minne-apolis. Please bring money for both events.

Wii fun is Wed. Feb. 15 11 a.m.-1 p.m. This is a greatway to meet new people, have fun and even get a workout.

Events are free (with the exception of Weekendersoutings), accessible and mostly scent-free. PleaseRSVP and give two weeks’ notice of needed accommo-dations. FFI: Corbett Laubignat, [email protected].

Free technology classesFree adaptive technology classes are offered by

Hennepin County Library, at the downtown Mpls library,300 Nicollet Mall. Classes are free but you must pre-reg-ister for these classes for persons who are blind or havelow vision. In addition to classes there are often volun-teers available to introduce patrons to the equipmentand software available. Volunteer hours vary, so it’s bestto call ahead. FFI: 612-630-6469, www.hclib.org

Workshops, conferencesChild and adolescent mental health conference

The Minnesota Association for Children’s’ MentalHealth (MACMH) conference is April 22 – 24 in Duluth.Early deadlines are approaching. Register by Jan. 31 fora $50 savings. Also, exhibitors, sponsors and marketersneed to sign on by April 2 for the April 23-24 exhibitdays. New offerings this year include a sponsors’ row forevent sponsors, a “friend” discount for longtime exhibi-tors and the ability to select an exhibit space throughonline registration. Ask about exhibit and conference at-tendee rates or check the organization website. FFI:[email protected], or www.macmh.org

Youth and familiesFamily course on mental illness

Do you have a family member living with a mental ill-ness? The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of

Minnesota is offers a free educational course that helpsfamilies gain a greater understanding of mental illness,discuss resources, build communication skills, reducestress and find support. The Family-to-Family coursemeets weekly for 12 weeks and will start in St. Paul6:30-9 p.m. Tue, March 6 at Ramsey County MentalHealth, 1919 University Ave., St. Paul. Pre-registrationrequired. FFI: Marilyn, 651-497-6858.

Parents with Disabilities groupParents with Disabilities is a new group offered by

Metro Center for Independent Living. This group is forpeople who have disabilities and have children. Learnfrom and grow with others who are dealing with the intri-cacies of disability and parenting responsibilities.Everyone’s experience is valuable and questions areimportant. The next four meetings are at MCIL 1600 Uni-versity Ave W, St. Paul, 5-7 p.m. Mondays Jan 23, Feb20, March 19 and April 23. Pre-registration requested.FFI: Corbett, 651 603 2028, [email protected]

PACER offers workshopsPACER Center offers

useful free and low-costworkshops for families ofchildren with disabilities.Register in advance. Allworkshops are at PACERCenter, 8161 NormandaleBlvd., Bloomington, unlessspecified.

Creating Your Indepen-dent Living Plan, a freeworkshop for parents ofteenagers and young adultswith disabilities, is 7-9 p.m.Mon., Feb. 13.This work-shop will provide an oppor-tunity for families to learnabout the person-centeredplanning process and beginto create their son ordaughter’s independenthousing plan. The work-shop is the first of a three-part housing workshop se-ries that will also include“Housing Eligibility andFunding” on Feb. 27, and“Creative Housing and Ser-vices Options” on March12. Preregistration required.FFI: 952-838-9000, 800-537-2237 (toll free),www.PACER.org.

Fraser offers groupsFraser offers a wide vari-

ety of classes and pro-grams for families dealingwith disabilities. Classes,which typically cost $30 perperson or $50 per couple,are held throughout the re-gion. Preregistration re-quired. Fraser offers a widevariety of classes and pro-grams for families dealingwith disabilities. Classes,

which typically cost $30 per person or $50 per couple,are held throughout the region. Preregistration required.FFI: 612-798-8331 or [email protected].

Support groups, meetingsUCare meetings

UCare hosts informational meetings about its UCarefor Seniors Medicare Advantage plan. Meetings are heldall over the region. UCare for Seniors has more than75,000 members across Minnesota and western Wis-consin. UCare is an independent, nonprofit health planproviding health care and administrative services tomore than 185,000 members. UCare serves Medicare-eligible individuals throughout Minnesota and in westernWisconsin; individuals and families enrolled in income-based Minnesota Health Care Programs, such asMinnesotaCare and Prepaid Medical Assistance Pro-

Sponsored by


Bookstore ConnectionsThe Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network has a newrelationship with Magers & Quinn, an independent book-store in Minneapolis. Many of the radio’s books have ei-ther been donated or discounted by the bookstore.

Minnesota ConnectionsA number of this month’s books are written by Minnesotaauthors. These authors include Minneapolis residentMartin Kihn, author of Bad Dog (begins Feb. 16 at 2p.m.) and St. Paul resident William Kent Kruger, whosebook Northwest Angle begins at 9 p.m. Feb. 21 at 9 p.m.

Weekend Program BooksYour Personal World (Saturday at 1 p.m.) is airing Pas-sages in Caregiving, by Gail Sheehy; For the YoungerSet (Sunday at 11 a.m.) is airing Across the Great Bar-rier, by Patricia C. Wrede; Poetic Reflections (Sunday atnoon) is airing The Sky Is Great, the Sky Is Blue, bySharon Chmielarz, and Midnight Lantern, by TessGallagher; The U.S. and Us (Sunday 4 p.m.) is airingLucien Galtier, by Marianne Luban, and North Country,by Mary Lethert Wingerd.

Books available through FaribaultBooks broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking

Book Network are available through the MinnesotaBraille and Talking Book Library in Faribault. Phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday. The catalog is online and can be ac-cessed by going to the main website, http://education.state.mn.us, and then clicking on the link. Per-sons living outside of Minnesota may obtain copies ofbooks by contacting their home state’s Network Libraryfor the National Library Service.

Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book, eitherlive or archived programs from the last week, on theInternet at www.mnssb.org/rtb. Call the staff for yourpassword to the site. See more information about eventson the Facebook site for the Minnesota Radio TalkingBook Network.

Access Press is one of the publications featured at9 p.m. Sundays on the program It Makes a Difference.

Chautauqua • Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.What Language Is, Nonfiction by John McWhorter, 2011.Most assumptions about language are wrong: it is notpure, not only words, not divided into languages and“dialects,” nor is it what we write on the page. It is aworld of human communication. L - Read by EsméEvans. Seven broadcasts. Begins Feb. 28.

Past is Prologue • Monday – Friday 9 a.m.Alexander the Great, Nonfiction by Philip Freeman,2011. Only a handful of people have influenced historyas much. For 2,000 years, people have studied his strat-egy. Read by Arlan Dohrenburg. 17 broadcasts. BeginsFeb. 16.

Bookworm • Monday – Friday 11 a.m.The Charming Quirks of Others, Fiction by AlexanderMcCall Smith, 2010. Isabel Dalhousie has been asked to

look into the background of one of the candidates for theheadmaster position at a boys’ school. What she findsabout each of the candidates is surprising. Read byEileen Barratt. Eight broadcasts. Begins Feb. 20.

The Writer’s Voice • Monday – Friday 2 p.m.Bad Dog, Nonfiction by Martin Kihn, 2011. Marty, is ahigh-functioning alcoholic, in debt, out of shape, andabout to lose his job and his wife. Desperate to save hismarriage, Marty throws himself into the world of dogtraining, but he knows less than Hola. Read by JohnBeal. Seven broadcasts. Begins Feb. 16.A Widow’s Story, Nonfiction by Joyce Carol Oates, 2011.In 2008, Joyce’s husband entered a hospital with pneu-monia. As Joyce was preparing for his discharge, hedied of a hospital acquired infection and she was sud-denly faced with widowhood. Read by Laura Rohlik. 16broadcasts. Begins Feb. 27.

Choice Reading • Monday – Friday 4 p.m.The Tiger’s Wife, Fiction by Téa Obreht, 2011. In aBalkan country, Natalia, a young doctor, arrives to workat an orphanage by the sea. By the time she and herfriend begin to inoculate children, she feels surroundedby superstitions and secrets. Read by Natasha DeVoe.11 broadcasts. Begins Feb. 22.

PM Report • Monday – Friday 8 p.m.I Shall Not Hate, Nonfiction by Izzeldin Abuelaish, 2011.Abuelaish is a Palestinian doctor with a degree fromHarvard. He has been crossing the divide between Is-raelis and Palestinians most of his life, treating patientson both sides. When three of his daughters were killedby Israeli soldiers, his response was to call for peace.Read by Bob Malos.10 broadcasts. Begins Feb. 21.

Night Journey • Monday – Friday 9 p.m.Northwest Angle, Fiction by William Kent Krueger, 2011.Cork and his daughter are pursued to the isolated North-west Angle, where it’s impossible to tell who among theresidents is in league with the devil. L - Read by NeilBright. 14 broadcasts. Begins Feb. 21.

Potpourri • Monday – Friday 11 p.m.The New Cool, Nonfiction by Neal Bascomb, 2011. InGoleta, California, a high school physics teacher had adream. Amir Abo-Shaeer had a vision for educationbased more on creation than on rote learning. Read byTony Lopez. 12 broadcasts. Begins Feb. 14.

Good Night Owl • Monday – Friday midnightThe Lonely Polygamist, Fiction by Brady Udall, 2010.Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to 28children, is having a major midlife crisis. Crippled by griefand the demands of work and family, he becomes en-tangled in an affair that may destroy his family’s future. L- Read by John Schmidt. 21 broadcasts. Begins Feb. 20.

After Midnight • Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.Good to a Fault, Fiction by Marina Endicott, 2010. ClaraPurdy is43, divorced, and leading a non-interesting lifewhen she crashes into another car. The bruises on themother prove to be cancer and Clara’s life suddenly be-comes interesting. L,S - Read by Natasha DeVoe. 12broadcasts. Begins Feb. 22.

Abbreviations: V - violence, L – offensive Language,S – sexual situations

Radio Talking BookFebruary sampling

Diamond Hill TownhomesDiamond Hill Townhomes is a great property located near theMinneapolis International Airport. Our waiting list is currentlyclosed. Call for updated openings as this can change from timeto time.

We have two and three bedroom townhomes that are HUDsubsidized and rent is 30% of the total household's adjusted grossincome.

We have a large number of mobility impaired accessible units.

To check for future waiting list openingsplease call (612) 726-9341.

Events - from p. 11gram; adults with disabilities and Medicare beneficiarieswith chronic health conditions, and Minnesotans duallyeligible for Medical Assistance and Medicare FFI: 1-877-523-1518 (toll free), www.ucare.org

Mental Illness support groupsThe National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota

(NAMI-MN) sponsors free support groups for familieswho have a relative with a mental illness. NAMI hasabout two dozen family support groups, over 20 supportgroups for people living with a mental illness, anxietysupport groups, groups for veterans and other groups.Led by trained facilitators who also have a family mem-ber with mental illness, the support groups help familiesdevelop better coping skills and find strength throughsharing their experiences. A family support group meetsin St. Paul from 5:45-7p.m., on the second Tuesday ofthe month, at Snelling Office Park, 1625 Energy ParkDrive, Suite 100, St. Paul. FFI: Sonja, 651-357-2077.

One NAMI group, Open Door Anxiety and Panic sup-port, has changed location, from Gloria Dei Church in St.Paul to Woodland Hills Church, 1740 Van Dyke St, St.Paul. It meets at 6:30 p.m., on the first and third Thurs-day of the month. FFI: NAMI at 651-645-2948,www.namihelps.org

A NAMI Connection peer support group for adults re-covering from mental illness meets bi-weekly in Roseville.Trained facilitators who are also in recovery lead NAMIConnection groups. The group meets on the 2nd and 4th

Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., at Centennial MethodistChurch, 1524 Co. Rd. C-2 West. FFI: Will, 651-578-3364.

NAMI has a support group for those living in the GLBTQcommunity and their allies. The group meets 1-2:30 p.m.Saturdays, Minnehaha Spirit of the Lakes Church, 400138th Avenue S., Mpls. The support group will be a safeplace to confront the challenges that many members of theGLBTQ communities face including low self-esteem, socialisolation, stigma, discrimination, anxiety and depression.FFI: Kim 763-267-5881, Gabi 314-800-4134.

Volunteer, DonateGive away that car

Autos for Arc can take old vehicles off your hands,give you a tax deduction and say “Thank you” for helpingchange the lives of people with disabilities. Autos for Arcaccepts cars and trucks of any model and condition andother vehicles including boats (with trailers), RVs, ATVs,golf carts, personal watercraft, motorcycles and snow-mobiles. Within the seven-county metro area, Autos forArc can arrange to have a vehicle towed free of charge.Call the toll-free Autos for Arc hotline, 1-877-778-7709,to arrange a pickup. Or drop off vehicles at a Value Vil-lage location. FFI: 1-877-778-7709, www.autosforarc.org

Volunteer with RSVPVolunteers age 55 and older are eligible to receive freesupplemental insurance, mileage reimbursement andother benefits through the Retired and Senior VolunteerProgram (RSVP) sponsored by Volunteers of America ofMinnesota. RSVP/Volunteers of America of Minnesotaand AARP Foundation need volunteers with good bud-geting and organizational skills to help manage financesof older or disabled low-income individuals. Have a fewhours a month to volunteer? Money Management Pro-gram staff will train and match you with someone in thecommunity. FFI: Money Management Program Coordi-nator, 612-617-7821. ■


zations,” said Chris Nowak, di-rector, VA National VeteransSports Programs and SpecialEvents. “These grants providemore outlets for our disabledveterans and injured servicemen and women to stay activeand perhaps, ultimately, the op-portunity to take theirathleticism to the next level ofcompetition as a U.S.Paralympian.”

“This funding is alreadyhaving a tremendous impact ondisabled veterans and disabledmembers of the ArmedForces,” said USOC CEOScott Blackmun. “Through theUSOC/Veterans Affairs part-nership many community pro-grams have been able to ex-pand their programming andprovide increased opportuni-ties for veterans to partici-pate.”

Grant funding for this pro-

People & Places - from p. 8 gram is awarded by U.S.Paralympics, a division of theU.S. Olympic Committee,through funding provided byVeterans Affairs. The grantsare provided to facilitate thegrowth of Paralympic sportprogramming for disabled Vet-erans and disabled members ofthe Armed Forces.

Nordic Skiing WorldCup events are heldthroughout the area

Some of the world’s bestcross country skiers withphysical disabilities competedin the upper Midwest in Janu-ary and February on the secondof three stops as part of the2012 International ParalympicCommittee (IPC) Nordic Ski-ing World Cup series. Theevents in Cable, Wisc. andMinneapolis marked the first

Awards - from p. 9and more appropriate com-munity-based care at a lessercost.

• Recovery Resource Center,integrated dual diagnosischemical dependencytreatment, Minneapolis.Center staff work closelywith clients, many ofwhom are homeless, whohave complex conditions,providing dual mental ill-ness and chemical depen-dency treatment, relapseprevention and treatmentfor mothers with depen-dent children.

• Affiliated Community Medi-cal Centers - Litchfield EastClinic, optimal diabetes care,

Litchfield. Clinic staff havetaken a team approach to pro-viding care to the growingclient population with diabe-tes. The Minnesota Commu-nity Measurement HealthCare Disparities Report notedthat the clinic’s rate for opti-mal diabetes care was higherthan the average clinic ratefor Minnesota Health CarePrograms enrollees.

• Larene Randle, parent advo-cate, Prevent Child AbuseMinnesota, St. Paul. Randlehas served on various advi-sory boards to bring the voiceof a parent who has been in-volved with the child protec-tion system to the table. Shealso is involved in many par-

ent outreach and educationefforts.

• Patricia Nordahl, former ex-ecutive director, CooperationStation Inc., Grand Marais.Longtime child care providerNordahl not only served asdirector of an innovativechild care center but assistedwith efforts to develop theParent Aware child care rat-ing system. She advised DHSon its federal Child Care De-velopment Fund Plan andserves on the Governor’sEarly Learning Council.

• West Central MinnesotaCommunities Action, FoodSupport outreach, ElbowLake. By collaborating withthe University of

Minnesota’s Simply GoodEating Program and localfood shelves, the agency pro-vides Food Support applica-tion assistance, nutrition edu-cation and cooking classesfor residents of Douglas,Grant, Traverse, Stevens andPope counties. The agencyhas been a successful partnerin efforts to raise awarenessand increase participation inthe federal Food Support pro-gram.

• Mary Regan, executive direc-tor, Minnesota Council ofChild Caring Agencies, St.Paul. Regan has helped leadinnovations and reform inchildren’s mental health andchild welfare for more than a

decade. She served as chairof the Child and AdolescentIntensive Servicesworkgroup, helping to write areport to the Minnesota Leg-islature on service capacityand needs.

• Bao Vang, president andchief executive officer,Hmong American Partner-ship, St. Paul. Vang has beena contributor to the DHS Dis-parities Reduction AdvisoryCommittee and has been anadvocate for small, culturallybased agencies. As the leaderof a growing social servicesagency that serves theHmong and other communi-ties, she has been instrumen-tal in its success. ■

time the United States hashosted a major ParalympicNordic ski event in seven years.

“We’re excited to bring elitecompetition onto our homesoil,” said John Farra, directorof High PerformanceParalympic Nordic Skiing forthe U.S. Olympic Committee.“This is an exceptional oppor-tunity for many of our up-and-coming athletes to get someinternational experience twoyears out from the 2014Paralympic Games in Sochi.”

Events featured four crosscountry and two biathlon raceswhere athletes could earnWorld Cup points. The firsthalf of the competition washeld Jan. 26-30 at TelemarkLodge in Cable, home of thefamed Birkebeiner ski race.Competition concluded Feb. 1-2at Theodore Wirth Park inMinneapolis.

Top athletes scheduled tocompete included Paralympicand world champion KatarzynaRogowiec of Poland, who lostboth forearms in a childhoodfarming accident. She claimedvictories in the sprint, 5K and15K at the recent World Cupstop in Sjusjoen, Norway.

The men’s circuit has beendominated by Russians, whowon nine out of the 10 races inNorway.

There were several U.S. na-

tional team members to watch,including a St. Paul resident.Kelly Underkofler has a longrecord of success. Born with-out one of her forearms,Underkofler began cross coun-try skiing at age 3 and latercompeted for St. Olaf College.She’s a multiple nationalchampion and has representedthe United States in threeParalympic Winter Games, in2002, 2006 and 2010.

Another was Dan Cnossen, aJamestown, Mich. Resident.The recent double-leg amputeeNavy SEAL competes in thesit-ski division. He finished acareer best seventh place inNorway with 9 for 10 shootingin the biathlon.

Sean Halsted of Ephrata,Wash. is a sit-skier who be-came paralyzed in 1998 aftersurviving a 40-foot fall from ahelicopter during a rescue ex-ercise with the Air Force. Hehas several top-10 finishes inWorld Cup and ParalympicGames competition.

Another athlete to keeptrack of is Andy Soule ofPearland, Texas. A sit-skierwho lost both legs while serv-ing in Afghanistan in 2002,Soule became the first Ameri-can to win an Olympic orParalympic biathlon medal,earning a bronze during theVancouver Games.

After the World Cup races,athletes had the opportunity toparticipate in the City of LakesLoppet Feb. 4-5 in TheodoreWirth Park. The annual crosscountry ski festival draws10,000 participants. TheLoppet didn’t offer points forthe World Cup but it tradition-ally is a popular event foradapted skiing.

U.S. Paralympics, a divisionof the U.S. Olympic Commit-tee, hosted the IPC Nordic Ski-ing World Cup in partnershipwith Central Cross CountrySki Association of Madison,Wisc. and the City of LakesNordic Ski Foundation of Min-neapolis. ■

become an auto mechanic. Heowned several 1960s vintagemuscle cars and tinkered withthem throughout his life.

He enlisted in the Air Forceas a young man. Shortly beforeleaving for basic training inJuly 1973, he dove into a shal-low spot in a lake and sus-tained a spinal cord injury, justbefore he was to leave.

In the early days of MetroMobility, Dreier was a primarydispatcher for the paratransitservice.

In 1988, Dreier opened thedoors to MILS, his home careagency. He became an effec-tive advocate for people withdisabilities and went the extramile to seek out the informa-tion his clients needed. Dreieralways made it his clients’

Dreier - from p. 3 quality of life his top priority.He made sure his clients hadthe proper durable medicalequipment, and always madehimself available to each of hisclients to resolve any conflictsbetween clients and caregivers.He kept abreast of changes torules and regulations affectinghis clients. He also helped oth-ers who were interested instarting businesses like his,and made it a point to employother people with disabilities.

He also started MAT, atransportation company forpeople with disabilities.Dreier was preceded in deathby his parents and is survivedby three brothers, two sistersand many nieces, nephews andfriends. Services were atWashburn McReavey CoonRapids Chapel. ■

Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor2012 & 2005-2011

Kent Fordyce612-889-2959 • [email protected]

Fax: 952-472-1458 • 6371 Bartlett Blvd, Mound, MN 55364

Kent’s Accounting Service, LLC


Regional News - from p. 6

History - from p. 2of Christ Child School’s most generousbenefactors stepped forward.

Richard Lilly, president of First Na-tional Bank of St. Paul and a memberof Christ Child School’s board, had ledthe effort to purchase the Summit Av-enue house and he was soon organizingthe effort to construct a new facility. St.Paul philanthropist Ignatius O’Shaugh-nessy donated four vacant lots west ofthe school and the Carrie Zimmermanfamily donated two lots to the east.More than $300,000 was raised to con-struct and equip the new building.Seven lay teachers and a speech thera-pist were on hand when the buildingopened in the fall of 1955.

Lilly convinced the archdiocese totake over Christ Child School in 1957.He provided the money for the schoolto operate, with the stipulation thatMeyer be head of the school for as longas she wished.

In 1960, a house at Cleveland andSummit avenues was purchased andconverted into an extension school forstudents ages 16-21. That gave ChristChild graduates a place to learn skillsfor independent living. Boys learnedwoodworking and girls learned to cookand sew. That program evolved into anoccupational training center, whicheventually was spun off a separateagency. The house was later torn downto expand Christ Child.

Young men from St. Thomas and St.Paul Seminary were recruited in the

later years to transport children to andfrom the school and help Meyer getaround. The college and seminary stu-dents also organized activities for thekids, including their own prom.

Meyer became director emeritus ofthe school in January 1968. Before herdeath in September 1975, she receivednumerous honors. Minnesota Gov.Harold LeVander named her “Handi-capped Minnesotan of the Year” in1967. She also won a citation for meri-torious service from the President’sCommittee on Employment of theHandicapped.

Meyer was succeeded by the late Sis-ter Madaleva Conway, who is also re-membered fondly. “She was theepitome of kindness,” Podlasek said. “Ialways think of her as one of the great-est teachers I ever knew.”

Podlasek said that teaching at ChristChild was one of the most rewardingexperiences of her career. “It took a lotmore out of you to teach at a schoollike Christ Child, but it was very re-warding,” she said.

The St. Paul Public Schools’ specialeducation programs eventually tookover serving mentally and physicallydisabled students and Christ ChildSchool ceased operating in 1977. St.Thomas bought the building for use asclassrooms, offices and a child devel-opment center. ■

(This article appeared previously inthe Villager, a St. Paul neighborhoodnewspaper.)

Man accused of swindleA St. Paul man faces potentially

thousands of dollars in civil penaltiesand possible revocation of his insur-ance producer license for allegedly be-friending vulnerable senior citizens andencouraging them to invest more than$71,500 in fictional annuities. TheMinnesota Department of Commerce’scase against James Ronald Redden ofJRR Enterprises LLC will be consid-ered during a prehearing conferenceFeb. 16 at the state’s Office of Admin-istrative Hearings. Redden faces eightadministrative violations, includingfailing to repay a loan. He faces a po-tential penalty of $10,000 per violation,according to the department.

“Establishing phony friendships withimpressionable seniors is exactly howmany unscrupulous fraudsters get theirfoot in the door,” said Commerce Com-missioner Mike Rothman. Redden alleg-edly scammed Lloyd Abraham, an 85-year-old retired St. Paul police officer,now dead, and Norman Anderson, 88.

In October 2009, Redden persuadedAbraham to lend him $10,000. After hesold his mobile home and moved intoan assisted-living center, Abraham theninvested $40,000 from the proceeds ofthat sale into JRR Enterprises. Otherneutral third parties or his family mem-bers weren’t consulted. Before he diedin September 2010, Abraham’s familylearned of the payments to Redden be-fore his death in September 2010 andsought repayment, the department said.

Anderson had sued Redden in October2009 over the $21,500 in unpaid loans.That lawsuit apparently was settled and

Redden paid Anderson a “substantial”sum, the department said. ■

[Source: Pioneer Press]

Well-liked teacher diesA well-liked, veteran Minneapolis

Public Schools special educationteacher has died in a one-vehicle acci-dent. Minneapolis Roosevelt HighSchool teacher Holly Brett died in a carcrash in her hometown of Lakeville onJanuary 20. Brett, 56, was killed whenher sport-utility vehicle left the road,struck a tree and rolled several times.The crash occurred after she’d leftschool for the day, said Roosevelt Prin-cipal Michael Bradley, whose schoolwas closed Monday in preparation for anew semester the next day.

“There are a lot of students who aregoing to miss her,” Bradley told the StarTribune. “She was very caring and reallyconnected well with her students.” Brettstarted her teaching career in specialeducation in 1993 at Barton Elementaryin Minneapolis and moved to Rooseveltin 2008. Her family has asked that me-morials be directed to the special edu-cation department at Roosevelt. ■

[Source: Star Tribune]

County government servicecenter is closed

The Hennepin County Eden PrairieService Center, located at 479 EdenPrairie Center Drive, closed Jan. 20.That means longer trips for service forsome Hennepin County residents. TheHennepin County Board of Commis-sioners, facing significant budget cutsfor 2012, approved closing of the centeras part of the 2012 budget.

The decision was made to close theEden Prairie Service Center because ithandles fewer transactions, and resi-dents are served by other nearby ser-vice centers, said Kathy Schons, ser-vice centers division manager.

The closest county service centers toEden Prairie are at Southdale in Edinaand at Ridgedale in Minnetonka. Thecounty also has service centers at theGovernment Center in downtown Min-neapolis, the Midtown Exchange insouth Minneapolis, at Brookdale inBrooklyn Center, and in Maple Grove.For service center locations and hours,go to the service centers website—www.hennepin.us/servicecenters—or call 612-348-8240.

To save time, make an appointmentonline by going to the website.

The service centers offer more than40 services, including driver’s licenseduplicates, renewals and reinstate-ments; driver’s permit renewals; motorvehicle tabs, plates, titles and registra-tion; birth and death certificates; mar-riage licenses and certificates; pass-ports; Minnesota state ID duplicatesand renewals; notarizations; watercraft,snowmobile and ATV registrations;hunting and fishing licenses and more.In late January commissioners agreedto look closely at its remaining servicecenters. ■

[Source: Hennepin County]

Changes in autism definitionProposed changes in the definition of

autism would sharply reduce the sky-rocketing rate at which the disorder isdiagnosed. The changes also mightmake it harder for many people whowould no longer meet the criteria to gethealth, educational and social services,a new analysis suggests.

The definition is under review by anexpert panel appointed by the AmericanPsychiatric Association, which is com-pleting work on the fifth edition of itsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual ofMental Disorders. It is the standard ref-erence for mental disorders, driving re-search, treatment and insurance deci-sions.

The proposed change would consoli-date all three diagnoses under one cat-egory, autism spectrum disorder, elimi-nating Asperger’s syndrome and perva-sive developmental disorder, not other-wise specified (PDD-NOS) from themanual.

Tightening the criteria for autismcould affect the rate of diagnosis. Ratesof autism and related disorders such asAsperger’s syndrome have taken offsince the early 1980s, to prevalence ratesas high as 1 in 100 children in somepopulations. Many researchers suspectthese numbers are inflated because ofvagueness in the current criteria.

“The proposed changes would put anend to the autism epidemic,” said Dr.Fred Volkmar, director of the ChildStudy Center at Yale University Schoolof Medicine and an author of the newanalysis. “We would nip it in the bud -think of it that way.” But some familiessay that changing the criteria couldblock their children from receivingneeded services.

At least 1 million children and adultshave a diagnosis of autism or a relateddisorder, such as Asperger’s syndromeor PDD-NOS. People with Asperger’sor PDD-NOS endure some of the samesocial struggles as those with autismbut do not meet the definition for thefull-blown version. ■

[Source: New York Times]


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EMPLOYMENT

Voter ID - from p. 1be a costly program to imple-ment.

Foes, organized as Protectthe Vote, have been meeting todiscuss the prospect of voterID. Several disability advocacygroups are part of the coalition.One concern is that therewon’t be time to mount an ef-fective campaign during ashort legislative session, or toget the word out before theNovember election.

The 2011 voter ID bill notonly would require registeredvoters to show Minnesotaphoto identification to vote, it

also would eliminate vouchingas a method for Election Dayregistration. Through vouch-ing, a person can register tovote if he or she brings a regis-tered voter from the precinct tovouch for him as a precinctresident. Otherwise voters whoregister on Election Day mustbring specified ID to register.

In response to the argumentabout costs, supporters sayMinnesota would offer freevoter ID cards. But the costs ofthe cards, as well as an esti-mated $2.8 million public edu-cation campaign, have beenraised as red flags.

The bill introduced in 2011by Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, and former Minne-sota Secretary of State had a$60 million price tag at firstbut various amendments re-duced the costs to $5 million.One expensive aspect of thebill called for all precincts tohave ID scanning machines;that was quickly dropped.

The proposed legislationwould also have created a newsystem of provisional ballot-ing, in which challenged bal-lots would not be not counteduntil voters can supply properidentification.

at TSA. TSA recommends thatpassengers call approximately72 hours ahead of travel so thatTSA Cares has the opportunityto coordinate checkpoint supportwith a TSA Customer ServiceManager located at the airportwhen necessary.Every person and item must bescreened before entering thesecure area of an airport and themanner in which the screeningis conducted will depend on thepassenger’s abilities and anyspecific equipment brought tothe security checkpoint. ■

Fun - from p. 107:10 p.m. Tickets are reduced to$8 (regular $15, student/senior$10); FFI: 701-235-6778 or 701-205-5788, www.tinrooftheatre.org or www.fmct.org

Enjoy a movie tonightSeveral theaters around thestate offer accommodations formovie-goers, such as captioningor descriptive services.www.captionfish.com lists cin-emas with access (AD/CC) fea-tures. Find theaters in your areaby typing in your zip code.MoPix-equipped Rear WindowCaptioned Films are listed atcam.wgbh.org/mopix/nowshowing.html#mn.

New TSA Cares toll-free helplineAre you a person with disabilitieswho likes to travel? The Trans-portation Security Administration(TSA) has announced the launchof TSA Cares today, a newhelpline number designed to as-sist travelers with disabilities andmedical conditions, prior to get-ting to the airport. Travelers maycall TSA Cares toll free at 1-855-787-2227 prior to traveling withquestions about screening poli-cies, procedures and what to ex-pect at the security checkpoint.“TSA Cares provides passen-gers with disabilities and medi-cal needs another resource touse before they fly, so theyknow what to expect when goingthrough the screening process,”

said TSA Administrator JohnPistole. “This additional level ofpersonal communication helpsensure that even those who donot travel often are aware of ourscreening policies before theyarrive at the airport.”When a passenger with a dis-ability or medical condition callsTSA Cares, a representative willprovide assistance, either withinformation about screening thatis relevant to the passenger’sspecific disability or medicalcondition, or the passenger maybe referred to disability experts

One group speaking outagainst voter ID is The ArcMinnesota. Leaders said thatthe proposal will restrict theright of people with disabilitiesto vote.

“Voter ID would suppressvoting among many eligibleMinnesota voters, includingpeople with disabilities,” saidSteve Larson, The ArcMinnesota’s Senior Policy Di-rector. “Should this measurebe put into our state constitu-tion, it would affect 27,000people with disabilities. Thiswould mean that a populationequal to all the residents ofFridley, or all those living inLeSueur County would face aroadblock to exercising theirright to vote.”

“Voting gives all of us avoice in deciding who are lead-ers are and how our city, stateand nation are run,” saidHunter Sargent, past boardmember of The Arc Minnesotaand The Arc Greater Twin Cit-

ies. “As a person with a dis-ability, I know what it’s like tofeel that you don’t have avoice and aren’t being heard.A voter ID bill could takeaway the voice that manypeople with disabilities nowhave.”

“We shouldn’t be putting upbarriers that keep people withdisabilities from being fullmembers of our community,”Larson said. “They have foughtfor decades to come out of theshadows of our society. Let’snot pass legislation that makesthem less than full participantsin our cities and towns.”

For more information on thevoter id issues, checkwww.wewantvoterid.com toread why there is support forthe measure. The website forwww.thearcminnesota.org con-tains a fact sheet against voterid. Also look at the League ofWomen Voters website, atwww.lvwmn.org, for more ar-guments against voter ID. ■


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February 2012

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