december 2001 issue

1December 10, 2002

Inside■■■■■ Republican Win/Commentary— p. 2■■■■■ Accessible Winter Wear— p. 6■■■■■ Packaging Woes— p. 6

Mayors/OneYear Later— Page 3

RESOURCES December 10, 2002

Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDMpls. MN

Permit No. 4766

“Happy Holidays.”— Access Press

Volume 13, Number 12 SOURCES

Pawlenty Names GoodnoAs Commissionerby Tim Benjamin

STATE FACES MASSIVEBUDGET DEFICITby Anne Henry

With the economic pic-ture in Minnesota still

very grim, the state budgetdeficit facing the new gover-nor and 2003 session of theMinnesota Legislature is fore-casted to be $4.5 billion($5.5 billion with 2% infla-tion added in). This amountsto more than 15% of our statetwo-year (biennial) budget.

In addition, a $356 milliondeficit was announced forthis state fiscal year end-ing June 30, 2002. TheLegislature and governorwill likely make cuts dur-ing January to deal with the

immediate deficit.

Unfortunately, this spellsextremely bad news for manywith disabilities who rely onstate-funded programs andservices such as specialeducation, personal care as-sistance, home and commu-nity waiver programs, andmedical assistance coveragefor health care services. Over64% of all state spendinggoes to education, kindergar-ten through high school, andhealth and human servicesfunded through the Depart-ment of Human Services(DHS). Just looking at the

DHS budget, 84% of itsspending is in the areas ofhealth care such as hospital-ization, physicians, medica-tion and continuing careservices such as nursingfacilities, home and commu-nity waiver services, andpersonal care assistance.

It is important to rememberthat if the health care andcontinuing care servicesfunded through DHS are cutat least 10%, this would equalover $600 million in statedollars, but Minnesota wouldalso lose another $600 mil-lion in federal Medicaidmatch. Any cuts to MedicalAssistance services must bedoubled to reflect the realimpact of the reduction instate funding.

When examining budget bal-ancing options for healthcare, the DHS can:

1. cut services (for example,limiting dental care orfamily support grants, etc.),

2. cut eligibility (such aslowering the financial limitfor medical assistance, in-creasing evidence of workfor MA-EPD, etc.), or

3. cut rates to providers (suchas home and communityservices, doctors, hospitals,etc.).

The Legislature has severaloptions in dealing with thebudget deficit: shift financialresponsibilities, such as localgovernment aids; cut spend-ing; or raise revenue. Gover-nor-elect Pawlenty has prom-ised not to raise state taxes.The use of the tobaccoendowment as part of thebudget solution is underdiscussion and will likely bedebated by the Legislature as

part of the solution. It is clearthere will be significant cutsto state spending in order toresolve the budget deficit.The cuts do not have to beevenly spread across alldepartments and programs.Because disability servicesare often crucial for the dailylives of those using theservices, it is important thatyour legislators understandthe effect of service, eligibil-ity, or rate cuts on you.

This legislative session, morethan ever, it will be importantthat your state senator andrepresentative know who youare and what kind of statefunding you benefit from. Inother words, now is the timeto introduce yourself or getreacquainted with your statesenator and representativeand let them know how theservices you use assist you.You can find out how to getin touch with your statesenator and representative bycalling 651-296-2164 or 1-800-657-3550, or using thiswebsite: www.leg.state.mn.us. During the legislativesession it will be important tostay connected with disabil-ity advocacy groups in orderto be informed of variousbudget proposals which mightaffect you. The Pawlentyadministration will unveiltheir budget, including howthey intend to make up thehuge budget deficit, by mid-February of 2003. It isimportant to take the time tocontact your senator andrepresentative now so thatthey are informed about theimportance of the array ofdisability-related servicesfunded with state dollars. ■

Anne Henry is an attorneywith the MN Disability LawCenter.

On November 20, 2002Governor-elect Pawl-

enty named retiring Repre-sentative Kevin Goodno(GOP-Moorhead) as theCommissioner of the Minne-sota Department of HumanServices. Rep. Goodno hadbeen the Chair of the Healthand Human Services FinanceCommittee (HHSFC) sincethe 1999 legislative session.

In July of this year, AccessPress reported on the retire-ment of our ally KevinGoodno. Five months later,he is back in a leadershiprole. Many in the disabilitycommunity are excited aboutthis new appointment. AnneHenry, of MN Disability LawCenter, said, “This could bethe golden lining for thedisability community in thistime of budget deficit.”Senator Linda Berglin thinksGoodno is a good candidatebecause of his extensive

experience in Health andHuman Services, but she hasalso sat across the negotia-tion table from him and isconcerned, with the hugebudget deficit, that he will cutprograms to some of themore vulnerable.

In the last session, thoughcutting the budget in excessof $2 billion, Goodno main-tained many of the servicesthat the disability communityhas been lobbying for overtime. He watched so thatPCA raises were not jeopar-dized. He minimized the cutsto MA-EPD by only allowingsome minor changes in thepremium calculations. In2001, he very convincinglynegotiated an Omnibus Healthand Human Services bill,which included services topeople with mental illnessand expansion of commu-nity-based services for peoplewith disabilities. Goodno

was a strong supporter of theUnlock the Waiting Listcampaign for persons withdevelopmental disabilities in1999. Although some wel-fare reform groups have seenKevin Goodno as a target andhave picketed his office at theCapitol, others, like ArcMinnesota and the MultipleSclerosis Society, haveawarded him Legislator ofthe Year honors.

Goodno’s years of legislativeexperience with HHSFC willbe invaluable when evaluat-ing the needs of the clientsserved by his new depart-ment. He has promised towork with human serviceproviders and let client needsdictate his approach to shap-ing private and public sectorservices.

The governor-elect has con-tinued to state that he will notpropose new taxes as a

solution to the deficit. Thismeans that services andsupports for persons withdisabilities will come underclose scrutiny during thebudget process. Goodno is inagreement with Pawlentythat they are not going to tryto squeeze more out of theexisting programs but focuson the things that work inpeople’s lives and improvethose programs. No explana-tion on how this will be donewithout cutting services orraising taxes has been given.

The Department of HumanServices budget makes upmore than a quarter of thetotal state spending and islikely to be a major target forspending cuts. Pawlentycould start by decreasing the$108,000 salary of the com-missioner—Goodno will bereceiving a $77,000 increasein salary from his representa-tive stipend of $31,000. ■

December 10, 2002 2

TimBenjamin,

Editor

Access PressCo-Founder/Publisher (1990-1996) ....................................................... Wm. A. Smith, Jr.Co-Founder/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief (1990-2001) ............................ Charles F. SmithBoard of Directors ...................................................... Mary Kay Kennedy, Steve Kuntz,

Lolly Lijewski, Bridget Smith, Joani Werner, and Linda WolfordEditor .............................................................................................................. Tim BenjaminAssistant Editor .......................................................................... Laurie Eckblad AndersonCartoonist .......................................................................................................... Scott AdamsProduction ........................................................... Ellen Houghton at Presentation Images

Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons with disabilities by Access Press,Ltd. Circulation is 11,000, distributed the 10th of each month through more than 200 locationsstatewide. Approximately 650 copies are mailed directly to political, business, institutional, andcivic leaders. Subscriptions are available for $15/yr.

Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities, or personsserving those with disabilities, are welcomed.

Paid advertising is available at rates ranging from $14 to $18/column inch, depending on size andfrequency. Classified ads are $8.00, plus 35 cents/word over 20 words.

Advertising and editorial deadlines are the last day of the month preceding publication.

Access Press is available on disk. Call MN State Services for the Blind, 651-642-0500 or800-652-9000.

Inquiries should be directed to: Access Press • 1821 University Ave. W. • Suite 104S • St. Paul,Minnesota 55104 • (651) 644-2133 • Fax (651) 644-2136 • E-mail: [email protected].

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Commentary - cont. on p. 9

We at Access Presswish you all the best

during this holiday season.It’s not hard for me to lookback and see a very success-ful year in my life and in thelife of the paper. Together,we can make 2003 anotherproductive and successfulyear.

***

On December 2, I went to thescreening of the documen-tary, “We Watch the City,” afilm about 9/11 told by thedevelopmentally disabled.

One of the participants in themovie, Deacon Tony Philips,was asked after the screeningif he thought a list ofaddresses of people withdisabilities would be a goodidea so that if a tragedy likethis happened again theywould know where to findeveryone. His answer wassharp: “Lists get lost; everylist I have ever made ended upgetting lost. We don’t need alist, we need to get to knowour neighbors. We need to getto know the people down thestreet so we can help them and

in turn they can help us.”

I’m going to make this myNew Year’s resolution: Getto know my neighbors.

***

Dennis Straw, independentliving skills group manager atthe Metropolitan Center forIndependent Living (MCIL),passed away Thursday, No-vember 14, 2002. Denniswas dedicated to improvingthe lives of people withdisabilities through his extraeffort in running consumer-driven programs and involve-ment in the many supportgroups he facilitated, includ-ing the chemical dependencygroup. Dennis will surely bemissed!

***

I must thank the columniststhis month: Pete Feigal, JeniMundl, John Tschida, andespecially Ellen Houghtonwho has been filling in on thespirituality column. Thesewriters faithfully produce col-umns, month after month, onealways better than the last. Ihope all of you enjoy theinsights, updates and newideas that they come up witheach month.

***

A commentary on the Repub-lican win is Laurie’s writingcontribution this month. In it,she gives her opinion of thewritten messages that ournewly elected senator andgovernor submitted to AccessPress prior to the election. Iapplaud her extra effort thismonth. Her willingness to tell

it the way she sees it is alwaysappreciated.

***

We went back to the “new”mayors to ask them abouttheir successes on the disabil-ity issues of concern to themone year ago. You can readtheir comments and judge foryourselves. I wish we hadroom to print all of theirremarks from last year along-side those of today, but wedon’t. Jeff Nygaard put thisone together—we value hisefforts.

***

Derek VanderVeen composedan interesting and humorousarticle on the frustrations oftoday’s product packaging.True to the VanderVeen style,

he entertainingly explainsthose simple problems thatoccur in his everyday life as aPWD that become a spring-board to action. ThanksDerek, for sharing yourunique view on a problem wehave all experienced.

***

Contributor Kevin Kinneymay be as crafty as the foxalluded to in the name(Vulpine) of his company.He wanted us to get the wordout on his products—thoughwe would have preferred anad, we could not do adisservice to the communityby keeping quiet about whathe does. Maybe he willreward us someday with apaid advertisement. ■

[Note: Candidate submis-sions can be reviewed atwww.accesspress.org.]

Access Press’ approach toinforming our readers of

the 2002 election platforms ofthe Minnesota senate (Sep-tember issue) and gubernato-rial (August issue) candidateson disability matters wassimple: we gave them eitherquestions or a prompt, adesired word count, and adeadline—in other words, thebasic tools with which toshow their true colors.

When I read the responsesfrom each race, both the textand between the lines, I feltpretty clear on whom to votefor. After all, a candidate’shandling of disability issuescan be viewed as a microcosmof his/her concern about andknowledge of the big picture.I also noted how partyresponses across races weremore consistent than re-sponses within a race. Inother words, the following

generalities were essentiallyvalid: the Republicans wereoften vague and relied onempty rhetoric; the Demo-crats seemed to know the keyissues and enough about themto give solid supporting infor-mation on each; the Indepen-dents were on the right track,but needed to flesh out theiranswers more; and the GreenParty candidates tended to gooff on tangents. (As they wereentertaining tangents that pro-vided for interesting frontpage reading, the editor in medid not hold this againstthem.)

I naively assumed that anycareful reader (or listener)would make sound choices atthe polls on November 5. Icertainly don’t blame AccessPress readers as I know theywere privy to the sameinformation that I was. Butwhat happened to the rest ofthe voters?

As balm for my post-electionwounds (and because I can do

it now without breaching myjournalistic integrity), I wentback to the candidates’ sub-missions and focused on thoseof the Republican victors,both of whom have records aspublic servants and can’t usenaivete as an excuse. I readand reread them—and thedormant English compositionteacher in me came out. Ifound myself giving marks offfor not following instructions,not giving detailed support,using limited or impropervocabulary, and so on. Hereare some of the comments Iwould have put on the“papers” of the governor-elect and the senator-elect.

Pawlenty

For starters, instead of an-swering our three distinctquestions, Pawlenty decidedto write a catch-all answer.Therefore, I had to include adisclaimer especially for himin my introduction. Nowsometimes those who buckthe format are free thinkerswho wow you with theirinnovative, albeit unautho-rized, writing plan. Pawlentywas not one of them. Hisidiosyncratic format smackedmore of not paying attentionto instructions and/or avoid-ance due to not having goodanswers to all the questions.Neither of these hypothesesmake for good traits in anelected official. Furthermore,all of our questions had a“you” or a “your” in them, butPawlenty had no true “I”answers. Instead, he told uswhat he thought the House orLegislature had done forpersons with disabilities—unlike Moe, for example, whowas able to name bills that heand running mate Sabo hadauthored on behalf of PWD.Pawlenty had little to say forhimself and he didn’t even

Commentary

The Republican Winby Laurie Eckblad Anderson

3December 10, 2002

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Questions:• Before taking office you

said, “I will work toimprove the quality of life inMinneapolis for individualswith disabilities intransportation, affordablehousing, employment,education, recreationalopportunities, and otherneeds as identified.” Inwhich of these areas haveyou had particular success,or been particularlydisappointed, do you think?Please explain.

• A year ago you said, “Themayor will have ongoingoutreach to the disabilitycommunity.” What specificoutreach programs or othermethods have you used tohear from and hold yourselfaccountable to the disabilitycommunity?

• Are there any othercomments you would like tomake about your first twelvemonths working on issues ofconcern to people withdisabilities?

Mayor Rybak: My Adminis-tration has placed a highpriority on working to improvethe quality of life for thosewith disabilities. We areactive participants on theMayor’s Disability Advisory

Committee and meet withmany individuals on a regularbasis.

The Disability AdvisoryCommittee and I workedtogether to encourage BlockE’s Crown Theaters to installtechnologies that allowhearing and sight-impairedindividuals to go to themovies. These are the onlytheaters in the state with thesecutting-edge technologies (andone of 50 in the country). Thenew theaters boast two screenswith DVS Theatrical, whichprovides blind people audiodescriptions of what’soccurring on the screen. Inaddition, two screens havebeen fitted with rear windowcaptioning, which allowssubtitles to be reflected off theback wall so they can be seenby deaf people with specialunits, but remain unseen bythe rest of the audience.

The Mayor’s DisabilityAdvisory Committee regularlyevaluates all public and someprivate housing projects foraccessibility, and many recentprojects have gone wellbeyond the code requirements.In addition, the committeereviews every significantpublic project underway inthe City, including the newcentral library, Walker Art

Center, Guthrie Theater andthe Gateway projects (publicart projects in neighborhoods).We are also working to makesure recreational opportunitiesare accessible, including nextsummer’s MinneapolisMosaic, Celebrating the Artsand Cultures of Minneapolis(www.minneapolismosaic.com).

I have been working on anumber of fronts on affordablehousing, a particular concernof the disability community.We’ve been working on acomprehensive approach tosolving this critical issue,including modifying zoningand planning codes,reorganizing the City’sdevelopment functionsthrough Focus Minneapolis(www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/news/communitydevelopment) and dedicating whatscarce resources we haveavailable to affordablehousing. I was pleased lastmonth to report that the Cityof Minneapolis has completedor is in the process of building

over 3000 housing units thisyear, with approximately 40percent of them affordable.

We have been active inensuring transportation accessby meeting regularly withMetro Mobility and MetroTransit. We worked with theMinnesota Twins during theplayoffs to guarantee that allthe Metro Transit busestransporting fans to the gamewere 100 percent accessible.The City also does compliancechecks with taxicabs andservice dogs to make surethey accommodate personswith disabilities.

I welcome your thoughts, soplease let me know if there’smore I can be doing toimprove the quality of life inMinneapolis for persons withdisabilities. Please e-mail meat [email protected], and for moreinformation on the Mayor’sAdvisory Committee onDisabilities, please call (612)673-2133. ■

Question: Before takingoffice you said, “I will...workvery closely with the Disabil-ity Council [St. Paul Mayor’sAdvisory Committee onPeople with Disabilities] andthe agenda that they havecreated and prepared for thecity.” What has been thenature of your relationshipwith the Committee so far?Have you met with theCommittee regularly? Doyou have other ways ofkeeping in touch with theagenda that they have cre-ated?

Mayor Kelly: I have spent thefirst nine months of myAdministration getting ac-quainted with the priorities ofthe committee and interview-ing prospective candidates tofill some of the vacancies.

Some of the AdvisoryCommittee’s top prioritiesinclude addressing transpor-tation issues, addressing em-ployment issues and the basicgoal of educating the publicon disability issues. Thecommittee is charged withadvising the mayor and CityCouncil on problems, issuesand opportunities for peoplewith disabilities, and I thinkwe’ve been making progressover the years on that mission.

I met with the committee earlyon in my administration andthen attended the annualmeeting in late October.Roger Schwagmeyer, safetyand ADA coordinator for ourRisk Management depart-ment, is my staff liaison forthe committee and keeps meregularly updated on themonthly meetings or as imme-diate issues arise.

The committee also has apage on the city’s websitededicated to its activities andcontains the minutes from itsmonthly meetings.

Question: You also said that,

“The administration will workto ensure that measurableprogress has been made onall issues identified as priori-ties for persons with disabili-ties.” What progress hasbeen seen so far? How is itbeing measured?

Mayor Kelly: I believe thecity of Saint Paul has madegreat progress over the yearswe have had this advisorycommittee in educating ourcity departments and thegeneral public about issuesimportant to people withdisabilities. In fact, the StateCouncil on Disabilities re-cently commended the city’scommittee for its advocacyand assistance to people withdisabilities.

I would say that under mywatch so far, we’ve made themost progress in our goals tohelp people with disabilitiesin our workforce—in theareas of recruiting morepeople in jobs throughout thecity and community, and inhelping those who are alreadyin the workforce.

An important element of ourAdministration’s new Minor-ity Business Developmentand Retention office is that ofworking with our communitypartners to better serve peoplewith disabilities. We look tovarious advocate groups toassist us with outreach topersons with disabilities, tobusinesses owned by peoplewith disabilities, and thosebusinesses that employ peoplewith disabilities. We also arelooking at improving ourcontract procurement activi-ties, our employment place-ment with departments in thecity.

Another targeted programdesigned to help us reach outto our citizens with disabili-ties includes two programsprovided by Kaposia, Inc.One focuses on “job carving,”

or looking at redevelopmentprojects in the city andworking to carve out employ-ment opportunities for peoplewith disabilities. Anotherprogram supplies technicalsupport and workshops formanagers and staff of busi-nesses that employ personswith disabilities.

Question: Are there anyother comments you wouldlike to make about your firsttwelve months working onissues of concern to peoplewith disabilities?

Some of the committee’s most

recent activities include as-sisting Xcel Energy Centerand the Science Museum ofMinnesota with several ac-cess issues, and giving adviceto the Heritage PreservationCommittee on curb cut designissues.

Also, we still have some openspots on the committee;interested people can applyon line on the city’s website:http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/mayor/committeeinfo/ . ■

The “New” Mayors: One Year LaterAccess Press sent the following to the mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis:

Last December, Access Press asked you some questions about your administration’s plans to address issues of concern to the local disability community.At that time, we asked “If we check back in a year or two, what actual progress on disability issues will we see in your city?”

A year has passed, and here are our questions (based on their responses from last year) and their answers, printed as received.

Randy Kelly, St. Paul R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis

December 10, 2002 4

Mental Illness/Brain Disorders

No Gifts For The Mangerby Pete Feigal

A Revolutionary Approach for People with Disabilitites

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The apartments are fully wheelchair accessible and each building hasa central laundry room, large community room, secured entry and anon-site caretaker.

ASI also offers shared personal care services 24 hours a day, at mostlocations, for adults with a physical disability and/or traumatic braininjury who qualify for Medical Assistance.

For more information call (651) 645-7271 or (800) 466-7722. Forservices or housing call Cami, for employment as a personal careattendant call Al or Angie.

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Years and years ago, whenI was a little kid, the

pastor at our church in PineIsland revealed in a sermonhow poor he had been as achild—how his family didn’thave money for toys, and thathis greatest sadness and regretwas that he had never had abike. And now that he waselderly, would never have achance to ever learn how toride one.

My dad, moved by thepastor’s story, drove to Roch-ester the next day, to theSchwinn dealership, andbought a beautiful, jade-greentri-wheeler. He tied a ribbonto it, and after dark that night,anonymously left it outsidethe parish door.

The pastor was transformed.He was like a little kid. Herode his trike everywhere—you never saw him without it.He was happier, his step was

lighter, his outlook wasbrighter. Neither he, noranyone else in our town, everlearned who it was who hadgiven him this healing gift.The only reason I knew wasbecause I had glimpsed myfather putting the ribbon on itin our garage the eveningbefore he delivered it to thepastor’s door.

My dad is the most generousman I’ve ever known. In my30-year struggle with MI andMS, he helped me out of morejams than I could name. Gaveme more money and gifts thanI could ever repay, dideverything he could to easemy life and burdens. Andmore than that, he and mymom both gave me all the lovein their hearts.

Giving to others was one ofthe most certain measures Ilearned of how to be a goodperson. But my mental illnessstopped me cold at agefifteen, and I never was able tofinish high school. My illnessinterfered with jobs, with self-esteem, with my ability tostick with anything. I wantedto be a good person like him,to feel good about myself, tofeel like a “real” person, but Ibelieved I had nothing of myown to give. And so I gaveaway to others the things hehad given me. When he gaveme a record player, I gave itaway to someone else who Ithought needed it more. If hehelped me with money, I’duse it to help someone else.

Understandably, it baffledand frustrated my family. Itwas justifiably said about methat I would “give the shirt offmy father’s back.” I didn’thave the insights or vocabu-lary to make them understand.It’s hard to explain that whenyou feel you have nothing—no gifts to bring to themanger, nothing of value in

your life—you either acceptyour worthlessness or try tofind some way to “beg, steal,or borrow” some tiny sense ofgoodness for yourself, some-thing of what you’ve seen andadmired and learned fromyour greatest teachers.

But my dad has taught meother things, too, even if it’staken me thirty years to learnthem. He’s shown me thatmoney is not the “report card”of adults. That if a gift issomething you feel you oweto someone else, then it’s not agift, it’s payment. That if agift is given to someonebecause you feel you have to,or because they’ve given youa gift, then it’s a transaction.

I think that the greatest gift Ievery gave or received wasafter being absent from someof the family Christmas gath-erings because I was de-pressed and ashamed of mymental illness. I showed upunexpectedly on ChristmasEve for the party one year. Ihad no packages to give, I wasdressed in faded old jeans,and I felt so bad about myselfthat it took me 20 minutes tocome in through the garageand to knock on the kitchendoor. But the look of joy onmy dad’s face when he cameto the door is one that I willnever forget, a gift that I willcherish ‘til the day I die.

I was wrong in thinking allthose years that I had nothingto offer, that I was poor in anyway. I have been rich mywhole life and just didn’t seeit. The most valuable gifts weoffer are the ones of kindnessand love. And if true wealth inthis world was measured bythe love and kindness one hasbeen given by their family andfriends, then I would be therichest man on earth.

It is. I am. ■Tschida - cont. on p. 8

Disability Culture

The Bakken Modelby John Tschida

As Gov. Jesse Venturaprepares to gallop off

into the sunset, he has left uswith the Big Accounting, areport card of sorts evaluatinghis tenure and attachingoutcomes to the Big Plan.While the results are mixed,Ventura deserves credit fordeveloping the Big Plan,which attempted to look atmany areas of public policy inthe context of a greater whole.As with most ambitious ef-forts, he fell short of the markin several areas. But despitehis Gatsby-like penchant forrecklessness, our good gover-nor did realize that the overallhealth of the state and itsresidents is better servedwhen someone takes the timeto develop a vision forsuccess.

Vision is a prerequisite forgood leadership, but therubber meets the road inimplementing its components.Many state agency commis-sioners chose to own theVentura vision, but the gover-nor himself alienated moststate lawmakers who con-trolled the financial resourcesto make its components hap-

pen. Breathing life into avision takes dollars and politi-cal sense, the strength ofpositive relationships, trustand a willingness to empowerothers. In this regard, there isanother, more successful vi-sion for overall communityhealth now benefitting thepeople of North Hawaii.There, on the Big Island, ahandful of organizations haveemerged to support the visionof Earl Bakken, who in 1949founded Minnesota-basedMedtronic. (Today the medi-cal device manufacturer has28,000 employees and oper-ates in 120 countries.)Ventura—and his successor,Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty—would be wise to lookwestward for the details.

Bakken is the architect behinda series of interdependentorganizations that encourageactive consumer participa-tion, action and personalaccountability. On an islandwhose residents face stagger-ing rates of poverty, unem-ployment and chemical de-pendency, it is an ambitiousbut focused approach. Bakkenhas recognized that a holistic

approach was needed toaccomplish his goals andtranslate his vision into real-ity. Under the umbrella of theFive Mountains Group(www.fivemountains.org)Bakken has created a hospital,a community resource center,and a comprehensive researchand outcomes program tomeasure the effectiveness ofhis efforts.

But the comprehensiveness ofhis vision extends far beyondthe business model for hisorganizational success. Itincludes the biological andthe spiritual, with a funda-mental belief that the mindand body are inextricablylinked and cannot be sepa-rated.

So what does all this have todo with disability? Lots.

People with disabilities needa variety of supports to livesuccessfully in the commu-nity, which means someoneought to be watching to makesure all the programmaticpistons are firing at the sametime in our community’s bestinterest. Failure to see the bigpicture can result in programcuts in one area that under-mine the potential success ofpolicy changes in another,with catastrophic results. (Forexample, if budget cutbacksforce DHS to pull back fromfocusing on nursing homedischarges for the under-65disabled population, thiswould have a ripple effect.)

Consumer-driven programsand services have been de-manded for years—and dur-ing the Ventura years, signifi-cant progress was made in thisarea. New programs haveemerged to provide flexiblefunding streams within pro-grams serving people withdisabilities that foster bothempowerment and account-ability. Earl Bakken has

incorporated these principlesinto his system of communityhealth but has pushed theenvelope even further, envi-sioning a system that em-braces alternative healingmethods to achieve betterhealth outcomes. Theseinclude additional medicaltherapies such as acupunc-ture, massage and healingtouch. Such complementarytherapies may be newly dis-covered by most Westerners,but have been an integral partof many cultures for centu-ries. (Newsweek magazinehas devoted half its currentissue to the subject.) Healthpractitioners in Hawaii, fromOb-Gyn docs down to thenursing aide level, will tellyou complementary care iscontributing to shorter hospi-tal stays, decreased patientstress levels and faster recov-eries from surgery. Theresearch program is in place

5December 10, 2002

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reported that just 46 percentof visually impaired and 32percent of legally blind work-ing-age adults were em-ployed. For people who areblind or visually impaired,work site accommodation isthe first step in successfullyobtaining a job and indepen-dently performing job respon-sibilities. Over the years,technology has advanced andopened new career choices,such as computer program-ming and even proofreading,for people with visual impair-ments. The options areendless!

The following list includesassistive technology devices(with corresponding websites)which help make your jobeasier if you are blind orvisually impaired:

Devices for Limited VisionHand/Stand MagnifiersA hand magnifier is posi-tioned over an object or text toenlarge it, and is adjusted bysimple movements. A standmagnifier has a base to hold itsteady. www.magnifierlamp.com/index.html

Closed Circuit TelevisionCCTV uses a video camera(hand-held or stand-alone) toproject a magnified imageonto a PC or TV screen. Itcomes with many optionsincluding magnification size,color contrast, black-and-white view, and split-screentechnology. www.telesensory.com/

Vision Enhancement DevicesThese are portable visionproducts that can be wornwith glasses or a head mount.They are useful for seeingobjects—such as faces, tele-vision, blackboards, com-puter screens, telephones andstreet signs—at mid-rangedistances. www.scs-mall.com/

Large Key StickersZoomCaps are enlarged stick-ers that can be placed over thekeys on a standard computerkeyboard. The letters, num-bers and characters are larger,bolded and come in variouscontrasting colors and back-grounds. www.DonJohnston.com

Antiglare Screen GuardsThese filters are designed torelieve eyestrain, fatigue andheadaches. Some filtersreduce or eliminate exposureto radiation emissions. www.CompUSA.com

Devices for theLegally Blind

It is estimated that only 24percent of persons who arelegally blind are able toefficiently read Braille; forthe others, there is voiceoutput.

Optical Character Recogni-tion (OCR)OCR scans printed materialsand provides voice outputtranslation or creates a textfile. JAWS and OmniPagehave built-in keystrokes formaking the software workwith the technology. Other-wise, there are stand-aloneprograms such as Open Bookand Kurzweil 1000. www.CompUSA.com

Tactical DisplayThese slim, portable displaysinstantly transform screendata into 8-dot refreshableBraille. Three sizes—40, 65and 80 cells—are available tomeet all access needs. EachPowerBraille includes effi-cient screen-reading software,which has an on-line Grade 2Braille translator. Thumb-controlled rocker bars areused to operate the device.www.synapseadaptive.com/

Screen ReadersThese devices allow one tooperate a computer entirelyby listening to what is

occurring on the computermonitor. Voice output can becustomized (for pitch, speed,special software scripts andlaptop vs. desktop computers)for the amount of informationspoken. www.freedomscientific.com

Braille EmbosserThese devices print in Braillerather than text using softwarewhich interprets the text, mathor graphic. Warning: theseprinters are noisy! Some areable to print on both sides ofthe paper. www.freedomscientific.com

Talking Watch and/or ClockFeatures include time, calen-dar, alarm and timer.www.Maxiaids.com

Braille NotetakerThis device looks like a smalltypewriter with only six keys.One product, Braille ‘n Speak,combines speech with astandard Perkins-style (Brailleformat rather than QWERTY)keyboard. The Braille ‘nSpeak includes word process-ing with spell check and otherfeatures. Its built-in speechsynthesizer gives voice outputand text which can be putdirectly into the memory. Justpress a single command forinformation to be read back.You may use Grade 1 orGrade 2 Braille through a six-key input mode. www.freedomscientific.com

Global Positioning System(GPS)GPS uses satellite communi-cation to pinpoint your loca-tion. The technology enablesyou to reach buildings andstreets easily with voicenavigation. Best of all, it’sportable and can be placed ina backpack. www.gps-talk.com/

Although the unemploymentrate for people with visionimpairments and blindness ishigh, a person can obtain a

challenging position by sell-ing his or her personal skillsand accommodation ideas.These are just a sampling ofthe products now available tomake your work site moreaccessible. Many others,available on the Internet, aretailored to a particular field ofwork If you use a littlecreativity, your job optionsare great. ■

Jeni Mundl is the AssistiveTechnology Specialist atCourage Center.

Spirituality and Disability

The Gift Of Acquiescenceby Ellen Houghton

My message this monthis best described by

this quotation: “What liesbehind us and what lies beforeus are tiny matters comparedto what lies within us.”

This was illuminated for memany years ago while I wastalking with someone whoholds a very dear spot in mylife. She is a woman who, inher sixties, was given theopportunity for a new mar-riage. She had previouslyburied two loving husbandswho were in ill health for thegreater part of those mar-riages and was about to marrysomeone who was 14 yearsher senior. Even though hewas more alive and healthythan men much his junior, sheknew her chances of theheartbreak of burying a thirdhusband were great. They hadknown each other throughpast marriages and hadwatched each other’s kidsgrow from infants into matureadults. They both loved totravel and her lifelong desireto do that was finally beingfulfilled.

I had two contrasting conver-sations with her before themarriage. The first was whenshe made her announcementand sounded as giddy as ateenager. The other was notso joyful. This secondconversation was about plan-ning the “technical” side of

the wedding ceremony anddealt with her feelings aboutthe compromises, emotions,disappointments and so on oftwo people who both heldstrong, old-fashioned reli-gious feelings toward theirindividual doctrines—hersProtestant, his Catholic. Shehad graciously given up herchurch as the site for thewedding, but when con-fronted with some verbiagethe priest planned to use in theceremony, she felt as thoughshe was being asked tocompromise to the point ofthreatening “her principles.”

When I heard this laststatement, I found myselfthinking this could be one ofthe happiest times in her life ifshe could look beyond thisone small hour and concen-trate on the rest of their futuretogether. I mentioned thatregardless of what the priestor anyone else says or does, itdoes not reflect on her as aperson and what her valuesand ideas are. The priest is asright in his beliefs as she is inhers, and true friends andrelatives already know herbeliefs by her actions—not bysomeone else’s words. Obvi-ously, this is easier to say than

for someone to actually do,but what stress we put onourselves by worrying aboutothers instead of being securein the knowledge that weknow who we are—and that’sultimately all that matters.

It must be at this point—whenwe are so confident in who weare—that we can exhibit thetrue sense of “turning theother cheek.” We can give agift of our acquiescence toanother—when it will notharm us—since in the largerscheme of things, it reallydoesn’t matter. We knowwho we are and what webelieve—isn’t that enough?

I was once in a relationshipwith someone who held thephilosophy that we can workat having a good relationshipby giving in to the otherperson when his/her need todo something is stronger thanour need to not do it—always,of course, if it will not beharmful to our growth andhealthfulness. Once again,this is often easier said thandone, and defining a “greater”need can be very subjective.But then, perhaps, the processof talking thorough the needsHoughton - cont. on p. 8

December 10, 2002 6

The Check Is In The Mailby Derek VanderVeen

I have something of an ego.Appearances mean a lot to

me, despite my attempts tomake people believe other-wise. In fact, my ego fuelsmost of the decisions I makethroughout my day. I’lladmit, too, it was originallydue to my disability. I felt likeI had to do twice as well aseverybody else just to proveto them, and to myself, that Iwas an equal. Over the years,though, it’s become less anego thing and more just a partof who I am. Because of mypersistence to ignore myhandicap and do anythinganybody else can do, thoughoccasionally with a little moreeffort—such as holding a realjob, being part of and workingto sustain a real relationship,living independently—mostpeople who know me nowwill not even acknowledgewhat I can’t do because theyonly see what I can do.

This is why it’s so frustratingwhen I come up againstsomething that I actually haveto “tackle” to accomplish—asimple, everyday job thatinvolves so much effort, andpossibly even personal injury,that it can blow all my self-esteem out of the water andremind me that no matter how

hard I try, I can’t undo the factthat I’m handicapped. Evenafter that feeling is gone, thereare times when the situationthat brought the feeling oncan’t be ignored.

Recently, I had a verynegative experience whiletrying to open the package ofa new product, Colgate Sim-ply White, the whitening gelyou brush on your teeth. Thepackaging was, dare I say, notvery accessible. The heat-sealed plastic outer box pro-vided no method or instruc-tions for opening it. Therewere no pull tabs, no strips totear to create an opening.Nothing. Somebody with apair of hands that doesn’tfunction like those of theaverage person had no wayof opening it. Finally, Igrabbed the scissors andjust tore into it. And if you’veever tried this, you know thatplastic isn’t the easiest mate-rial to cut with ordinarykitchen shears. During thiseffort, my grip slipped andthe edge of the plastic whichI’d managed to penetratewith the scissors swipedacross my wrist, giving me anapproximately one-inch gashjust below the joint.

My first instinct was to drive,in a snit, to Target and returnthe product—but I realizedthat driving probably wouldn’tbe a good thing consideringthe frame of mind I was in,and also Target was not thefocus of my anger. They arejust the middleman. My beefwas with the manufacturer ofthe product in question. Afterscreaming obscenities (I livealone, so I didn’t offendanyone) and stopping thebleeding, I called the com-ment line on the bottle.

Of course, I had to read thephone number through thepackaging because the bottlewas still in the plastic casing.

The man with whom I spokegot quite an earful. I can bequite an eloquent speakerwhen the situation requires,but piss me off and my dociledemeanor gives way to anunbleeped Jerry Springerscript. I’ll no sooner takeanyone else’s feelings intoconsideration than censor my-self. Through all the rantingand raving, I basically toldhim I was a disabled Ameri-can who’d just injured him-self “on the product. No. Noton the product. On the blatantand ridiculous overpackaging

the corporation feels theymust provide to protect us.”He listened and apologized,saying that there was nothinghe could do, himself, but thathe would send my complaintsto his supervisor. (I got thesense he was doodling a lovenote to his mistress through-out the conversation.) Havingcalmed down a bit, I slippedback into eloquence mode. Ithanked him, left my name,address, and phone numberwith him—and hung up.

A week later, I received acheck from Colgate-Palmolivefor the purchase price ofthe product.

Initially, I wanted to shred thecheck. It was such a cop-outresponse to cover their collec-tive behinds and let themthink they had rectified thesituation. Unfortunately, it’snot that easy. A simple checkfor less than five dollars mightrelieve the symptoms of theirheadache, but the tumor thatcauses the headache is stillthere. This is a war betweenthe consumer and the manu-facturer, because I know,handicapped or not, peopleare growing tired of theimpossible and wastefuloverpackaging that corporateAmerica has used increas-ingly over the last two

decades since the Tylenolscare.

So this column has no realending or solution at thepresent time. But now thatI’ve taken the first steps ofengagement, I can assure youthis won’t be the last battle. Iwill continue to pursue thisbecause there are many otherproducts out there that I havepersonally had trouble with,and many beyond that which Ihaven’t even dealt with yet.Everyone needs some kind ofadvocacy campaign. Maybethis will be mine. ■

Vulpine Adaptive Wearby Kevin Kinney

Vulpine - cont. on p. 7

I was a quiet, creative youthwho dreamed of outdoor

adventures. During my yearsat Penn State, I took up arange of outdoor sports fromclimbing to hang gliding.Because I had little money, Imade most of my gear. Aftergraduation, my passions tookme to Boulder, Coloradowhere I worked day jobs andsewed at night. My skillsgrew, but there was little hopeof making a living.

Large companies flood Ameri-can stores with gear for able-bodied, 5’10" males like me.

To set myself apart, I madecustom clothes and packs. Ifound little satisfaction orprofit competing with thegiants of the industry. Thenon September 9, 1995 at11:45 a.m., I saw a youngwoman in a wheelchair. Shewas making her way in theworld with ill-fitting clothes,and a huge backpack draggingbehind her frame. She was myinspiration. I founded VulpineAdaptive that month.

Since I had no industrialexperience I took factorysewing jobs to learn the trade.

I also immersed myself inadaptive sports to determinewhat people really needed.My big break came in 1997,when I settled in Duluth withmy fiancée.

I met Eric Larson, director ofCourage Duluth. We bothunderstood the roles of recre-ation in personal develop-ment, communities and re-gional ecosystems. CourageDuluth offers year-round ac-tivities for individuals of allabilities, so the participantsare an invaluable source of

7December 10, 2002

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If you can’t find spacefor a computer lab that

students with disabilities cango to, then create a portablecomputer lab that can go tothe students. That’s the ideathat came to Phil Kragnes(photo), the University ofMinnesota’s Adaptive Tech-nology Specialist. Aptlytitled Lab in a Bag, the pilotprogram—the first of its kindin the nation—made its debutOctober 28. The programserves students with disabili-ties taking courses on the St.Paul campus only. (Althoughthere are four computer labsfor use by students withdisabilities on the Minneapo-lis campus, none exist on theSt. Paul campus.)

Kragnes searched for spaceon the St. Paul campus inwhich to establish an adaptivetechnology lab for studentswith disabilities, but had noluck. Endeavoring to provide

access to information andinformation technology forstudents with disabilities onboth Twin Cities campuses,he came up with the Lab in aBag idea.

“If we cannot create a labspace for people to go to, weshould make equipment thatcan go to the people,” he said.

With an investment of nearly$37,000, Kragnes created sixLabs in a Bag. Four include alaptop computer equippedwith a modem, a standardnetwork card and wirelessnetwork capability; a flatbedscanner; speech recognitionsoftware and a headset fordictation and hands-free com-puter operation; and atrackball, an optical wheelmouse and other pointingdevice options that make iteasier for students to moveabout the screen and interactwith the computer. Theremaining two bags contain acomputer loaded with adap-tive software, but do notinclude a scanner or a headsetfor speech recognition. Thisallows equipment to beswapped among bags, in-creasing flexibility and de-creasing cost.

The Lab In A Bag programworks much like checking out

U Of M Pilot Program:Lab In A Bagby Bob San

books from the library. Stu-dents can check out a bag for aperiod from a day to up to onesemester. Staff with disabili-ties can also check out theequipment for conferences orother employment-relatedneeds. Borrowers are respon-sible for the well-being of theequipment. The Lab in a Bagcan be carried like a briefcase,worn like a backpack orpulled on wheels like manytraveling luggage bags seen inairports.

Kragnes does not know ex-actly what the demand for theLabs will be, but if it goes wellhe will consider expandingthe program. “It’s an ideawhose time has come,”Kragnes said. “Today’ssociety is more and more onthe go. To me, if you addportability, you add moreflexibility.”

For more information, contact(612) 624-4082 or [email protected]. ■

Mixed Blood Theatrejoins with Interact

Theatre to bring back theformer’s most oft-requestedshow, “The Boys Next Door,”by Tom Griffin. This produc-tion, running from December4 through December 29,marks the first time actorswith disabilities have everperformed lead roles in theshow.

The play provokes laughterleavened with appropriatesentimentality and immenseaffection as it tracks the livesof four adult residents of agroup home who need to becared for and cared about. Asseen through the eyes of astaff supervisor, their tales arecourageously honest and pro-vocative, yet funny and ulti-mately uplifting.

Directed by Warren C.Bowles, “The Boys NextDoor” features Peter Goldbergas the obsessive-compulsiveArnold Wiggins; DamonHollingsworth as the low-functioning Lucien P. Smith;Andréé Samples as the schizo-

phrenic golf instructor BarryKlemper; Eric Wheeler asNorman Bulansky, a man withDown syndrome who is en-amored of doughnuts; andJason Lausche as Jack, thestaff supervisor (originallyportrayed at Mixed Blood in1988 by Don Cheadle).

Mixed Blood produced theplay in 1988 and 1992—itearned rave reviews andbecame one of the company’sbiggest audience hits. Withthis production, Mixed BloodArtistic Director Jack Reulerhas joined with InteractTheatre’s Artistic DirectorJeanne Calvit, leader of theorganization whose mission isto create art and challengesociety’s view of disability.“Mixed Blood’s purpose is tochallenge artificial barriers topeople succeeding in Ameri-can society. That has histori-cally manifested itself inracial and cultural issues.‘The Boys Next Door’ is oneof several productions ex-trapolating that mission toinclude disabilities,” saysReuler.

“The Boys Next Door”According to director Bowles,“‘The Boys Next Door’ givesthe nondisabled audience anappreciation for the lives andstruggles of people withdisabilities, but this produc-tion is allowing us to take thisa step farther. We’re not onlyrecognizing the daily livesand challenges of peopleliving with disabilities butwe’re allowing them to speakfor themselves. The Interactactors have brought incred-ible insight to this production.They have a special view of itbecause they have lived it; it’stheir lives.”

Tickets for show are now onsale at (612) 338-6131 or atwww.mixedblood.com. Therewill be an audio-describedperformance on Friday, De-cember 13 and an ASLperformance on Friday, De-cember 27. All performancesare at the Alan Page Audito-rium in Mixed Blood TheatreCompany’s historic firehousetheatre, located at 1501 SouthFourth Street on the WestBank in Minneapolis. ■

VULPINE - Cont. from p. 6feedback. They tested the firstAccess Mittens, with full-length zippers that allow foreasy dressing. They alsohelped me develop footwear,hats, and now, children’sclothing. To this day, thestaff, volunteers and studentsprovide both inspiration anduseful criticism.

Duluth is a great provingground because of its climate.Dressing for the weather issimple if you’re able to useany of the thousands ofgarments available in stores.To make good adaptive gar-ments, I had to step back andask “how do you get into thisin the first place?” Well-placed zippers and conve-nient adjustments make all thedifference when it comes toaccessibility. People of allsensory, cognitive and physi-cal abilities appreciate ease of

use. I avoid external flaps,complicated folds and pro-duce ergonomically shapedgarments with room to move.

I also evaluate the realisticneeds of my customers. Mostwinter boots are fine forshoveling snow, but theirbulky shells are heavy, diffi-cult to put on and conductcold. I decided to use foamsoles and a lightweight alumi-num/plastic honeycomb fab-ric in Vulpine boots. For acustomer who doesn’t walk,this easy access footwearretains body heat, folds flatand weighs only a few ounces.

Finally, I determined thatVulpine Adaptive, LLC willremain small. Cheap labordrew many larger companiesoverseas years ago. Theirprofits are staggering. Whatwas once a strong U.S.

industry is now made up ofsmall shops who focus on lowvolume and high quality. Myadvantage is flexibility. Ireally listen to my customers,and I have the ability to makewhat they need.

People may gasp at thethought of paying $85 for apair of mittens. What theydon’t realize is that this is arealistic cost for skilled labor,overhead and materials. Thereare no bargains for tailoredouterwear, and you won’t findit at a discount retail store.

Vulpine is a true cottageindustry. I decided not to rentwork space, and convertedmuch of our small house into ashop. When you ring ourphone/fax at 218-525-9836,you may spook our cat. Ourwebsite at http://www.vulpineadaptive.com takes shape

from the clutter of the livingroom. To me, a power lunchmeans four miles of trailrunning with our dog.

Vulpine Adaptive has grownto have a life of its own. Still,it wouldn’t exist without mypassion for the outdoors andmy desire to do somethingmeaningful with the skillsI’ve developed. Each daybrings bigger challenges, butgreater satisfaction. I don’tthink it will ever get easier,but I wouldn’t have it anyother way. Feel free to calland chat—the cat needs theexercise.

Other contact information forVulpine Adaptive: 4337Tioga St., Duluth, MN 55804;[email protected];kkinney@charter mi.net. ■

Diamond Hill Townhomes

We are currently accepting applications for our waiting list atDiamond Hill Townhomes, a great property located near theMpls. International Airport.

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

We have a large number of mobility impaired accessible unitsand we are scheduling appointments for persons in need of amobility impaired accessible unit immediately.

To schedule an appointment please call (612) 726-9341

December 10, 2002 8

NOTICEREQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

SAINT PAUL PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCYSECTION 8 PROJECT-BASED

RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The Saint Paul Public Housing Agency (PHA) announces the availability of up to 81 unitsof federal rent subsidy under its Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance Program (PBA).The PHA wishes to improve the existing rental housing stock and increase the supply ofaffordable rental housing available to low income households. Proposals will be acceptedfrom owners, developers or other ownership teams who agree to rehabilitate or constructdwelling units for occupancy by tenants eligible for Section 8 rental assistance, or fromowners of existing rental housing who agree to lease units to eligible Section 8 participants.

Upon acceptance and approval of the proposal, and completion of the construction orrehabilitation if applicable, the PHA will provide rental assistance to eligible Section 8applicants who agree to live in those units. Financing for the construction or rehabilitationof the dwelling units must be arranged independently; as such funds are not availablethrough the PHA. The property must be located in the city of Saint Paul. Owners must bewilling to enter into a Housing Assistance Payments Contract with the PHA for a minimumof one year and maximum of ten years.

PHA goals for the program are to contribute to the upgrading and long-term viability of thecity’s housing stock; increase the supply of affordable housing and locational choice forvery low income households; integrate housing and supportive services; and promote thecoordination and leveraging of resources.

The PHA, through this RFP, does not promise to accept any proposals and specificallyreserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any formal proposal requirements,to investigate the qualification and experience of any proposer, to reject provisions in anyproposal, or to obtain new proposals. Proposals which do not meet basic programrequirements or which are not sufficiently detailed or in acceptable form may be returnedfor completion or rejected by the PHA.

The PHA is accepting all applications through the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency(MHFA) SuperRFP process, scheduled for release December 2, 2002. You can obtainmore information and an application and guidebook by contacting the MHFA Multi-FamilyDivision at 651-297-3294 or 1-800-657-3701, checking the MHFA web site atwww.mhfa.state.mn.us. Applications are due to MHFA no later than 4:00 p.m. onFebruary 6, 2003.

Note: The PHA may have the opportunity to access “Hollman” Section 8 Vouchers for useas Project-Based Assistance. The PHA will accept proposals for the use of HollmanSection 8 PBA units until further notice. This is a separate allocation and review processfrom the regular PBA program described above. Additional regulations apply to HollmanVouchers. Proposals for Hollman PBA units in Saint Paul can be sent directly to the SaintPaul PHA, not MHFA. Questions about Hollman PBA units should be directed to BarbaraSporlein at 651-292-6175.

Ellen Houghton—desktoppublisher of Access Press—owns Presentation Images, acompany assisting others inthe selection, development,and implementation of theproper media needed toconvey their messages. Addi-tionally, she was the pub-lisher/editor of “SteppingUp,” a discontinued newspa-per which helped othersexplore their spirituality.

of each is where true under-standing develops.

This also brings to mind theconcept of being “used,” bygiving in too much, too often.Isn’t being used a state ofmind? Eleanor Rooseveltsaid: “Nobody can make youfeel inferior without yourconsent.” I interpret thisconsent in a “self-talk” man-ner more than through actualwords. We choose—by howwe think and perceive things—whether or not we are beingused.

It occurred to me that thesituation above can be summedup with an analogy of stonesin a stream. Think of thestones as human beings andthe water as life. We canrelax, let go and experiencelife by floating with the water,or we can dig in our heals andlet the water erode us and thenultimately pass us by anyway.I personally feel it is more funto float with life and experi-ence all of its joys and beauty.In order to do this, though, wemust begin the journey withan open mind, ready to learnfrom the lessons we arefortunate enough to be given.

Well, enough of my outlook

HOUGHTON - Cont. from p. 5

to attach hard numbers to theiranecdotal tales of success.

For Bakken, the addition ofsuch services is a means to anend: improved communityhealth. By providing othercommunity resources whereindividuals can benefit frominformation or classes tomake better informed lifechoices, the overall health ofthe community improves.Solid research and a focus onoutcomes will help drivepolicy changes to financiallysupport these efforts. Sowhile the services and oppor-tunities are focused on theindividual, they are providedwithin the context of abroader vision and set ofidentified goals.

Components of the Venturaadministration’s vision im-proved the lives of peoplewith disabilities, but werelimited by the governor’sattention to them. In Hawaii,Bakken’s vision continues tobreathe daily toward thebetterment of all Hawaiians,one individual at a time, allpistons firing simultaneously.■

TSCHIDA- Cont. from p. 4on life. Looking back now,

the wedding and marriagewere wonderful for all parties.Mom and Ray had a veryfulfilling marriage, which un-fortunately ended much toosoon with Ray’s passing.Mom, however, was left abetter person for having takena chance and looking waybeyond that one hour of thatone day. She grew in moreways than I could ever list andhas been left with terrificmemories—created all overthe world—and many joysfrom her union with Ray. Ifyou asked her, she would tellyou that her gift of acquies-cence for that one hour gaveback to her more than shecould have ever imagined. Asis often the case, when wechoose to give from our heart,we receive tenfold. ■

Mark your calendar now for

Working Togetherfor Change

2003 Se l f -Advocacy ConferenceApril 25 and 26, 2003

Join self-advocates and allies from across the region

at this important gatheringCall Kathy at ACT today

for information on the conference and to purchase buttons:

651-641-0297ACT

Advocating Change To g e t h e r

B l a ck and aqua laminated BUTTON $3 (left) and enamel on brass PIN $5 (right) supports the confere n c e.

State Council OnDisability Awards

At its annual fall luncheon, members ofthe Minnesota State Council on

Disability presented awards recognizingthe work of organizations and individualsfrom several communities around thestate. Past members were recognized fortheir work on the Council as wereindividuals who have distinguished them-selves with their efforts to increase thequality of life of people with disabilities inMinnesota.

Past members recognized for their years ofservice on the Council included JeffBangsberg, New Hope; Melanie Fry,Plymouth; Diane Garasha, Duluth; andMickey Kyler, Crookston.

Distinguished Service Awards were pre-sented to two organizations: ReubenLindh Family Services Parenting Pro-gram, Minneapolis and Chisago CountyHome Health Aides and Homemakers,Chisago City.

Distinguished Service Awards were givento the following individuals: JeromeDjam, Employment Services MarketingDirector at Chisago Lakes AchievementCenter; Karen Moore, Accommodations

Manager for Northwest Airlines; LaurelFrost, St. Paul Mayor’s Advisory Commit-tee on Disability; and Virginia Richardson,Manager of Parent Training at PACERCenter.

Educator of the Year Award was presentedto Steve Dahlstrom, teacher in theBloomington Public Schools.

The Recreation Award was received byErin O’Hearn L’Allier, “Access to Fitness”program coordinator at Miller DwanMedical Center in Duluth. Laura Doyle ofthe MN Department of Human Servicesreceived the Public Personnel Award.

Minnesota Wild Hockey received theAccess Award, presented by JohnSchatzlein, Council vice chair.

The U.S.D.A Food Safety InspectionService in Minneapolis was recognized asEmployer of the Year by Joan Willshire,Council chair.

Cliff Miller of New Hope, first executivedirector of the disability council, receivedthe Chair’s Award. ■

9December 10, 2002

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COMMENTARY - Cont. from p. 2

touch on our third questionabout his future plan ofaction.

Proper terminology andawareness of audience arealso important when writing.Pawlenty did include a para-graph about “Working Incen-tives.” Now I’m no expert,but that is the first time in overa year at AP that I’ve heardthat phrase used over “workincentives.” But perhaps thatis nitpicking. What is moretroubling about the sameparagraph is that he goes on toexplain what I recognized asMA-EPD and ends with “Thisprogram is known as the MAfor Employed Persons withDisabilities Program.” I thinkhe loses point for insultingreaders, many of whom knowmuch more than he on thetopic, by telling them some-thing in such an obviousmanner.

Another Pawlenty quotation:“Community Services: TheHouse made a significantcommitment to move dis-abled people from institution-based to community-basedservices, which will allow formore healthcare options.”This paragraph is in directcontrast to the one on MA-EPD as it gives no details. Iguess I’m just never satisfied.

Finally, Pawlenty’s emptyfinal sentence: “If electedgovernor, I will continue to bea vocal advocate for addi-tional reforms.” This isinaccurate, as you can’t con-tinue something that none ofthe preceding paragraphs showthat you started. Oh well, atleast he got around to using an“I.”

Coleman

The first thing that struck mehere was the word repetition.In the first two paragraphsalone, there are two instancesof “passion” and three of“fair(ness).” Any teacherwho sees such repeated vo-cabulary is instantly suspi-cious of a lack of substance.

Plus I believe it is unseemly torepeatedly call oneself “pas-sionate” about a cause. (Icontrast this with how manygrieving citizens sincerelydescribed Paul Wellstone as“passionate.”) Going on, thethird paragraph is where theword “American” gets beatento death. Again, besidesshowing a limited vocabulary,I don’t like the use of wordsthat are supposed to cause aknee-jerk patriotic reaction.Norman’s final word theme isone of “doors,” as in openingthem and beating them down.Puh-leeze!

Early on, Coleman tells usthat he was a prosecutor in theHuman Rights office of theMinnesota Attorney General,where he “fought discrimina-tion on behalf of disabledMinnesotans.” Oh, nowwe’re getting somewhere—but wait, another Republicaninstance of no details given.

Next stop: Mayor of St. Paul.Coleman says he “workedclosely with [his] AdvisoryCommittee for People withDisabilities.” The only ex-ample he gives of their“vigorously pursued improve-ments” is complete skywayaccess. Now I know thewinters are bad and thissounds like an honorableeffort, but what about educa-tion, employment, health care,and so on? Just to make sure Iwasn’t judging too harshly, Ichecked with Tim, AP Editorand a St. Paul citizen with adisability—he agreed thatother things should be higheron Norm’s list than skywayaccess.

Coleman goes on to mentionconcerns that he has heard:equal housing and rentalopportunities (good), a desirefor shared recreational activi-ties (OK) and full access toparks and trails (OK, but apossible overlap with the lastitem). Apparently this recre-ation/park issue is really bigfor Norm as he devotesanother paragraph to it lateron. Because he never tells

exactly why he mentions it somuch, it comes off soundinglike the only point that keepssurfacing in his brain. In myexperience, students whocircle a subject like this arelost because they have littleelse to say.

Midway though his “speech,”there is a major shift—itsounds like a relief writer hasstepped in to add some oomphto Coleman’s start. A changein voice is always a red flag toa teacher. Suspiciously, it isright when he mentions hisbenefactor, the president, andBush’s New Freedom Initia-tive. Perhaps the Colemancampaign was just cutting andpasting some stuff from D.C.Well, whoever wrote it needsto work on adding moredetails, too. One examplegiven as a major area ofinterest is: “Improving Ac-cessibility to Voting forAmericans with Disabilitiesby working with Congress toeliminate all barriers to votingfor Americans with Disabili-ties.” Hmm, lots of Ameri-cans (but not much else) inthere as well.

Coleman finishes with a grandstatement of the obvious: “ASenator’s job is to listen to hisconstituents and present theirinterests in Congress.” Thanksfor that news flash.

There was one interestingomission in Coleman’s piecethat I would never haveknown about if Paul Wellstonehad not died. In Access Press,

most of the other senatorialcandidates mentioned howdisability had touched theirlives through people theyhave known. Even whilespeaking to the disabilitycommunity, Coleman ne-glected to mention his twoinfant children who died of acongenital hereditary disabil-ity. Yet when he wanted toportray the upstanding, griev-ing competitor afterWellstone’s death, I neversaw or heard him withoutnoting his mention of thoselost infants. Without belit-tling the effect of these losseson the lives of the Colemanfamily, I have to wonder whyhe chose to use that examplein such a calculated manner atsuch a late date in thecampaign.

Whether written by the candi-dates, staffers or someone inD.C., the messages ofPawlenty and Coleman havesome critical gaps in them thatthe disability community—and others—should remainaware of. (Personally, if I hadbeen a staffer reading thesesubmissions, I wouldn’t havelet either of them out of thecampaign office as written.)Let’s hold Pawlenty andColeman responsible for re-viewing their priorities, giv-ing us more details, showingthat they are personally ac-countable, proving that theytruly know their constituentsand their needs, and nothiding behind empty words.■

“Medicare’sMidlife Crisis”by Jim Czechowicz

People with disabilitiesoften report that access to

health care determines whetherthey can work or not. Somemay even say that freegovernment health-care-for-all is tantamount to greateremployment of persons withdisabilities.

But “be careful what you wishfor, you just may get it,” isTwila Brase’s and SueBlevins’ response to thenotion of a universal, single-payer, Canadian-style Medi-care system here in the U.S.

Brase, a registered nurse, isthe founder and director ofCitizens’ Council on HealthCare (CCHC), a Twin Citiesnonprofit organization dedi-cated to the analysis andmonitoring of health carepolicy.

Blevins is founder and presi-dent of the Institute for HealthFreedom, a nonpartisan, non-profit think tank in Washing-ton, D.C. She developed herinsights into health caresystems though years ofhands-on experience as aregistered nurse in the UnitedStates and Canada. She isauthor of the recent book,“Medicare’s Midlife Crisis.”

According to Brase andBlevins, a Canadian-styleMedicare system could havethe unintended effect ofactually limiting the choicesand access to health care (andemployment) of people withdisabilities.

In her book, Blevins revealsthat:

• In 1965, the government’sactuaries estimated thatMedicare’s inflation-adjusted, 2001 hospitalcosts would be about $9billion. The actual 2001costs: $66 billion.

• Medicare now has over130,000 pages of gover-nment regulations. Medi-care requires thatparticipating doctors andproviders navigate througha labyrinthine code ofreimbursement proceduresthat provide career-threatening sanctions forunintentional or accidentalnoncompliance.

• The popular notion thatMedicare reduced povertyamong the elderly isinaccurate. Blevins’ re-search shows that becauseof demography, technologyand other reasons, povertyin the U.S. was in decline ata similar rate well beforethe advent of Medicare.

• Medicare patients arealready having troublefinding physicians to treatthem in more than half thestates, according to theAmerican Medical Assoc-iation website. The LosAngeles Times recentlyreported that because ofinadequate reimbursementrates and fear of governmentpenalties, six of 10 primarycare physicians will nolonger accept Medicare inColorado and Washingtonstate.

Blevins’ diagnosis? “35 yearssince its inception, Medicarehas still not met its initialpurported goal of reducingseniors’ [and persons withdisabilities’] out-of-pockethealth care costs.”

However, if more and biggergovernment health caredoesn’t equate to more accessand better care, how do weimprove Medicare and healthcare in the U.S.?

Blevins’ prescription? Medi-care reforms should:Medicare - cont. on p. 10

December 10, 2002 10

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The following performances will be Audio Described (AD) for people who are blind or have lowvision, or interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Accessible Performances IN BRIEF . . . .

Deaf Resources And News

MN Program Loans Phone Equipment

NAMI-MN Award Winners

“American Deafness-RelatedResources” lists contact in-formation for deaf associa-tions/clubs; service organiza-tions; education, employ-ment, interpreting, health,and addiction services; legalhelp; mental health services;companies selling technicaldevices/books/videotapes;captioning groups and much

more. “International Deaf-ness-Related Resources” isalso available.

For price, payment informa-tion and an order form, go towww.signersnetwork.comand click on “Deaf Interna-tional” or go to http://members.roger.com/signnet/DI.html).

Organizations who serve thedeaf are invited to submitlistings in the areas above.Listings are free. Submis-sions will automatically beincluded in “InternationalDeafness-Related Resources.”Extensive news, and U.S. andinternational links are alsoavailable via the website. ■

The Telephone EquipmentDistribution (TED) Programloans phone equipment topeople who are hard-of-hearing, deaf, or have aspeech or mobility impair-ment. The program providesequipment on a long-termbasis at no cost.

In November, The NationalAlliance for the Mentally Illin Minnesota presented anumber of awards at its annualmeeting. Among them wasthe Consumer Advocate ofthe Year Award recognizing aconsumer who has shownleadership in NAMI and has

To qualify, you must live inMinnesota, have a disabilitythat limits your use of astandard phone, have phoneservice in your home (or haveapplied for it) and meet familyincome guidelines.

For further information,

call 1-800-657-3663 orTTY 1-800-657-3513. Youmay also send an e-mailinquiry to [email protected] or visit thesite at www.tedprogram.org. ■

supported and advocated forother consumers.

This year, Pete Feigal andMelanie Groves were therecipients. Feigal and Grovesgive tirelessly of their timeand talent to break down thestigma of mental illness.

They visit schools, churches,community forums and thelike to raise public awarenessof mental illness.

For more information on theawards, call 651-645-2948.■

Fully Committed; runs11/22-1/5; AD Thurs., 1/2,7:30; Jungle Theater; Mpls.;612-822-7063; www.jungletheater.com. The story of anactor working as a telephonereservationist in a trendyManhattan restaurant whomust cope with the absurddemands of his patrons and atemperamental French chef.

42nd Street; runs 12/17-1/5;ASL/AD Sat., 1/4, 2:00;Ordway Center for the Per-forming Arts; St. Paul; 651-224-4222, TTY 651-282-3100; www.ordway.org. Win-ner of the 2001 Tony Awardfor Best Musical Revival, thistimeless, inspiring tale tells

how adorable Peggy Sawyerrose from chorus girl toBroadway star.

The Circus of Tales; ADSat., 1/18, 8:00; Theatre de laJeune Lune; Mpls.; 612-333-6200; www.jeunelune.org.

Queen Nanny!, QueenNanny!; runs 1/17-2/9; ASLFri., 1/24, 7:30; AD Sun., 2/9,2:00; In the Heart of the BeastPuppet & Mask Theatre;Mpls.; 612-721-2535; www.hobt.org. Puppetry, poetry,music and dance bring to lifethe incredible story of a leaderof the Windward Maroons,one of Jamaica’s nationalheroines.

Revelations of Mann; ADSat., 1/25, 8:00; ASL Thurs.,1/30, 10:30 a.m. & Sat., 2/1,8:00; Great American HistoryTheatre; St. Paul; 651-292-4320; www.historytheatre.com. David Mann stars in hisown story about teaching atHill-Murray Catholic HighSchool, where a parade ofdudes and shy starlets audi-tion for his plays and take usinto the frightening innersanctum of the principal’soffice.

For updates by phone, callVSA arts of Minnesota at612-332-3888 or statewide800-801-3883 (voice/TTY).■

MEDICARE - Cont. from p. 9

• Enable people withdisabilities and seniors tosign private contracts withhealth insurance plans anddoctors of their choice. Forexample, Medicare shouldallow Social Securitybeneficiaries to opt out ofPart A Medicare hospitalcoverage and still collecttheir Social Securitydisability and retirementbenefits.

• Provide health insuranceprotection for catastrophicillness, instead of forcingpeople with disabilities andseniors to buy additionalinsurance coverage to fillMedicare’s gaps.

• Encourage younger Ameri-cans with disabilities to set

aside funds for their long-term health care needsthrough instruments likemedical savings accounts.

• Make sure that people withdisabilities and seniors arefree to pay cash for servicesMedicare covers. Theymust be able to enter intoprivate contracts withdoctors and other healthcare providers withoutpaying a penalty.

• Preserve confidentiality ofmedical records bydecreasing reliance on third-party health insurancepayers in general.

• Stimulate competition basedon price and quality of care.In the traditional Medicare

fee-for-service program, theinsurance companies chosento process claims don’tnecessarily have to bidcompetitively for govern-ment contracts, nor do theyassume the financial risksof beneficiaries—unlikeother private insurancecompanies.

Finally, Blevins asserts,“Americans should not beforced into a single-payer,government health care systemthat limits their health careoptions and prevents themfrom spending money ontreatments of their choice.” ■

Jim Czechowicz is a SocialSecurity PASS Specialitst inSt. Paul, MN.

Affordable Rental Housing InformationFor a variety of information on Twin Cities rentals, visit www.housinglink.org. ■

11December 10, 2002

Access To EmploymentEmployment ads are $14 per col. inch; Dec 31 is the deadline for the Jan 10 issue.

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Metropolitan State University invites applications for facultyand administrative positions. Metropolitan State, aninstitution with a history of teaching excellence andinnovation, serves approximately 9,000 students in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Administrative Position• Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

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PROGRAMCOORDINATOR

People Enhancing People(PEP) is a new organizationcreated to address the PCAshortage. Through a State ofMinnesota Grant, PEP willutilize the PCA Choice pro-gram to develop new strate-gies to make PCA work moreattractive. A part-time Pro-gram Coordinator is desiredto work closely with theBoard and recipients to buildthe program. This is a uniquechance for an energetic,collaborative individual toprovide leadership to showhow the PCA program canwork better for all. To applyor for further information, callJim/Claudia Carlisle at 651-455-8691 or e-mail carlisle1231@ msn.com.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Graphic Designer wanted toperform a wide variety oftasks including layout, de-sign, desktop publishing, pre-sentation graphics, photo-library cataloging, archivingand 3-D rendering. Qualifica-tions include 1-3 years experi-ence with a thorough knowl-edge of Quark Xpress, AdobePhotoshop and Adobe Illus-trator. Experience withDreamweaver, Adobe Acro-bat and Powerpoint preferred.Must have excellent writingand strong communicationskills, and be able to workwith employees at all levels ofthe organization.

SRF Consulting Group, Inc. isa fast growing, locally owned,and well established transpor-tation engineering, design andplanning firm. We offercompetitive pay and benefits,including health, life anddisability insurance, vacationand sick leave, and 401(k)/profit sharing. For consider-ation, send your resume toSRF Consulting Group, Inc.,One Carlson Pkwy. N.,#150, Plymouth, MN 55447;fax to 763-475-2429, or e-mail to [email protected]; EOE.

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MISCELLANEOUS

“Words of Love” is a CD bySnoopi Botten, a musicianwith cerebral palsy whowrites and performs inspira-tional songs using a syntheticspeech system. To order, call(612) 872-7233 or visitSnoopi’s website at http://hometown.aol.com/dectalk/myhomepage/index.html.

FOR RENT

Lewis Park Apartments:Barrier-free housing withwheelchair users in mind.Section 8 subsidized. One-and two- bedroom units. Formore information on avail-ability call (651) 488-9923.St. Paul, MN. Equal Opportu-nity Housing.

Holmes-Greenway Housing:One- and two-bedroom apart-ments designed for physicallyhandicapped persons. Conve-nient SE Minneapolis loca-tion. Call (612) 378-0331 foravailability information.Equal Opportunity Housing.

Seward Square Apartments:We are currently acceptingapplications for our waitinglist for barrier-free housing, inMinneapolis, that is federallysubsidized. For an applica-tion, please call (612) 338-2680. Equal OpportunityHousing.

Jo Anne B. Barnhart, com-missioner of Social Secu-

rity, has announced thatmonthly Social Security andSupplemental Security In-come (SSl) benefits to morethan 50 million Americanswill increase 1.4 percent in2003.

“... Inflation continues to below, which is certainly goodnews for the elderly anddisabled,” said CommissionerBarnhart. “Inflation is one ofthe biggest challenges forpeople living on a fixedincome. The annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)ensures that a person’s

monthly benefit doesn’t dropin value over time.

The 1.4 percent increase willbegin with benefits that 46million Social Security ben-eficiaries receive in January2003. Increased payments to7 million SSI beneficiarieswill begin on December 31.

Social Security and SSI ben-efits increase automaticallyeach year based on the rise inthe Consumer Price Index forUrban Wage Earners andClerical Workers (CPI-W)from the third quarter of theprior year to the correspond-ing period of the current year.

Social Security Announces1.4 Percent Increase

This year’s increase in theCPI-W was 1.4 percent.

Some other changes that takeeffect in January of each yearare based on the increase inaverage wages. Based on thatnumber, the maximum amountof earnings subject to theSocial Security tax (taxablemaximum) will rise to$87,000—from $84,900 in2002.

As a result of the increase inthe taxable maximum in 2003,the maximum yearly SocialSecurity tax paid by employ-ees and employers will in-crease by $130.20 each for a

total of $5394. Forself-employed work-ers, it will rise by$260.40 to a total of$10,788. Of theapproximately 155million workers whopay Social Securitytaxes, about 9.7 mil-lion are affected bythe higher wage basein 2003.

For more informa-tion, visit www.ssa.gov and click on the“COLA” header. ■

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-------------------------------- DIAMOND SPONSOR ($500 and above) --------------------------------Case Management Systems, Inc. Rapit Print

------------------------------- BENEFACTOR SPONSOR ($1000 and above) ----------------------------Headwaters Fund HECUA The Medtronic Foundation

-------------------–------------------------------------- IN HONOR-----------------------------------------------------Anne Henry by Karen Adamson • Cecelia Bilbrey-Baer by Patrick J. Bilbrey • Charlie Smith by Tom & Mimi Fogarty • Charlie by Fern Rogstad • Jaehn Clare by Candice Warne

Kyle by Joe & JoAnn Zwack • College of Saint Catherine’s Occupational Therapy Masters Program by Steven Anderson • U of M Occupational Therapy Education Program by Erica Stern

-------------------–------------------------------------- IN MEMORY-----------------------------------------------------Charlie Smith by Anita Boucher • Grandma & Grandpa Laughlin, Shamma & Frank Haas, & Fred Benjamin Jr. by Phyllis & Fred Benjamin III

Bill & Renee Smith by Becky J. Bugbee-Tong • Pete Chevrette by Mike & Jan Chevrette • Troy Fahlenkamp & Valerie Birosh by David Dreier • Mabel Heuer by Dawn DoeringCharlie Smith by Lee Ann Erickson • Bill Smith by Joe & Peg Figliuzzi • Charlie Smith by Andrew Groven • John Hardy by Martha Hardy • Miss Irene MacKaloney by Roger Hoffman

Charlie Smith by Barbara Kane • Ruth Riggs by Corbin Kidder • Charlie Smith by Tracy Kochendorfer • Charlie Smith, our cousin, by Henry Pattridge & familyUncle Bill & Aunt Renee Smith by Mary & Henry Pattridge • Charlie Smith by Sister Kenny Institute • Bill & Renee Smith by Helen Thompson

Bill, Renee, & Charlie Smith by Kathy & Paul West • Charlie Smith by Linda Wolford • Tony Lebahn by Linda Wolford

-------------------–------------------------------------- IN KIND (time & services)-----------------------------------------------------Jim Czechowicz • Pete Feigal • Kathy Graves • Anne Henry • Ellen Houghton • Mayor Randy Kelly • Laura Mortenson • Jeni Mundl • Mayor R.T. Rybak • Bob San • Laura Sether

Jon Skaalen • John Tschida • Disability Health Options Committee Members • Disability Law Center • Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities • Mixed Blood TheatreSt. Paul Social Security PASS Cadre

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december 2001 issue

Documents

health care andcontinuing

andpersonal care assistance

state budgetdeficit

state spendinggoes

state taxes

areas ofhealth care

cuts during

community waiver services