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David Shaw

Voter Education Forum on July 21

The 2022 elections are very important for people with disabilities to participate in. After Redistricting all Constitutional Offices (Governor/Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General) are up for election and all 134 members of the Minnesota House and 67 members of the Minnesota Senate. In addition, all eight Minnesota Congressional representatives will be on the ballot. It is vital that the voices of people with disabilities are heard by candidates during the 2022 election cycle!

Join Rev UP MN on July 21 at 1:00 pm for a Voter Education Forum with Secretary Steve Simon. The virtual event will answer questions about the importance of voting and will provide resources to help you decide which method of voting is best for you! Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3OSxrSz

Red, white and blue images of the American flag and hands placing ballots into a voting box. Text reads: Voter Education Forum with Secretary Steve Simon July 21, at 1:00 PM Zoom Event

MCIL Announces Pioneering PCA Curriculum Program

Pioneering PCA Curriculum Program will address critical direct care workforce crisis while offering meaningful career path and opportunities

May 5, 2022, ST. PAUL: The State of Minnesota, and our nation, face an unprecedented crisis in hiring and retaining direct care workers, also referred to as Personal Care Assistants (PCA). The PCA shortage holds dire consequences.

“For our elders and citizens living with disabilities there is no quality of life unless a well-trained, fairly compensated workforce of Personal Care Assistants and Direct Support Professionals is maintained,” stated Beth Fondell, Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, Board Chair. “The crisis of support has now become an emergency. Recognizing the lack of opportunities for growth and development in this profession has stifled recruitment and increased turnover to levels not previously witnessed.”

Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL), through a committee of stakeholders, is pleased to announce that a groundbreaking solution is underway.

The Bush Foundation provided MCIL a generous $208,000 Community Innovation Grant to help solve the  PCA worker shortage crisis. Those funds support the work of MCIL’s PCA Community Innovation Project committee. The committee collaborated closely for the past three years in a shared mission to create meaningful, lasting reform that deepens career opportunities, attracts more people to new career paths,
and expands the PCA workforce. The committee’s collective effort has resulted in the landmark approach to solve the crisis by planning to develop a first-ever credit-based curriculum leading to the credential of a Certified Personal Care Assistant. Faculty at Minnesota State have also been identified to work on this far-reaching project.

The PCA Certification, based partly on the Independent Living Philosophy, is being developed as a voluntary third tier to Minnesota’s PCA Career Lattice for the 100,000+ PCAs in Minnesota and potentially for the nearly four million PCAs across the United States. Once the curriculum is completed, plans include, in cooperation and concurrence with appropriate institutions, offering this credited curriculum through high schools, post-secondary educational institutions, and workforce training centers, giving individuals direct access to a career offering professional growth opportunities, living wages, and immense personal rewards. The committee is also pursuing a formal PCA apprenticeship program with the State of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Labor, which requires formalized education to be met by the Certified PCA curriculum. The committee is also interested in a PCA service corps education model.

“I do not know of a more severe crisis than what we are experiencing today in the Home and Community Base Services system with so many closings of Group Homes, Nursing Homes, severe worker shortages throughout our Long-Term Services and Supports system including Minnesota’s PCA Programs,” said Jesse Bethke Gomez, MCIL Executive Director. “We need to bring forth solutions such as the curriculum leading to the credential of the Certified PCA. With the development of this new Certified PCA curriculum along with the PCA Rate Framework passed into law in 2021, this is about solving the PCA crisis, and it is also about economic justice for PCAs."

The direct care workforce has the highest percentages of female and diverse workers than any other workforce sector and will see increased demand for services in the coming years. There are nearly 140,000 people employed in the direct care workforce in Minnesota, with the greatest proportion being Personal Care Assistants. The Certified Personal Care Assistant program addresses the workforce shortage while advancing economic equity through an industry-adopted credentialed career.

According to the state’s demographer, 612,000 Minnesotans have a serious disability. Furthermore, Minnesota’s elderly population in 2018 was 865,000 and is projected to rise to 1,262,000 by 2030. Dawn Simonson, Trellis President and CEO, shared, “As the metro region’s Area Agency on Aging, we applaud the development of a PCA curriculum that values the specific needs of older adults who need personal care to live in their home of choice. We appreciated the opportunity to provide input into the curriculum drawing on our perspectives as social workers and other professionals who touch the lives of more than 45,000 older adults every year.”

The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) played a critical role in drafting the Report on “Recommendations to Expand, Diversify and Improve Minnesota's Direct Care and Support Workforce.” MCIL Executive Director Jesse Bethke Gomez was among the technical writers for the Direct Care Workforce Report and served on the committee along with the then MCIL Board Chair Jeff Bangsberg. In March 2018, the Minnesota Omstead Sub-Cabinet approved the report and its recommendations, including “provide tiered credential options and career ladders for direct care and support professionals.”

In response to the report and in recognition of the workforce crisis, the legislature passed into law the Minnesota PCA Rate Framework in 2021, which considers competitive workforce factors such as compensation for similar positions. The new law, together with the Certified Personal Care Assistant program, can solve the equation of how, finally, a formal education program for PCAs, leads to higher, livable wages, long elusive for the PCA sector for the past 40 years.

Jesse Bethke Gomez, MCIL Executive Director: “We are grateful to The Bush Foundation and the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Committee who have helped to create the way forward and to Valerie DeFor, Executive Director of the Minnesota State HealthForce Center of Excellence, within Minnesota State, for her extraordinary expertise and leadership in working with the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Committee and on identifying faculty for the development of the college credit curriculum leading to the credential of a Certified PCA. We are thrilled to embark upon this endeavor as a scalable solution for Minnesota and for the United States.”

About MCIL: The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) is a Twin Cities based nonprofit 501(c)(3) consumer-directed organization founded in 1981. The mission of MCIL is "Removing Barriers, Promoting Choices" and is dedicated to the full realization of Independent Living (IL) philosophy in society by assisting individuals with disabilities in their pursuit of independent living. MCIL is one of eight Centers for Independent Living in Minnesota and is a member agency of the Minnesota Association of Centers for Independent Living. Visit MCIL-MN.org

The Road to Equity: Advocating for and supporting Minnesota’s disability community through COVID-19

MCIL is grateful to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for their recently published story featuring an interview with our COVID Community Coordinators!

"Early in the pandemic, MDH was hearing a need from the disability community to have a stronger partnership and be able to provide more input on decisions regarding the COVID-19 response. As a result, MDH brought together a small team of staff to address the needs and concerns of people with disabilities in Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic. This team, which came to be known as the disability unit, has worked to provide ongoing assessment, community engagement, guidance development, and other critical advocacy related to persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 response. Since then, the work of this team and their partners have expanded to forge new partnerships, meet specific community needs, and engage community members. One partnership that MDH developed was with Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL)."

Read the full article on the MDH website.

(Please note we cannot guarantee the accessibility of outside links and resources)

MNSILC Seeking Youth Submissions

Minnesota Statewide Independent Living Council (MNSILC) is seeking submissions of creative works from youth around the state of Minnesota for their Fall Conference. They are interested in what our youth have to say and they want to hear from them as they strive to create a more independent living environment for individuals living with disabilities. Independent living is having opportunities to make decisions that affect one's life, the ability to pursue activities of one's own choosing - limited only in the same ways that one's nondisabled neighbors are limited.

The Details

  • What – MNSILC is looking for creative works from MN youth.
  • Theme – How can we change the world to make it a better place for people living with disabilities?
  • Reward – All works will be displayed at their Fall Conference as space allows. Selected winners will be published on MNSILC platforms and featured in some of their publications.
  • Who – Minnesota youth up to age 24
  • When – All submissions are due by June 30, 2022.
  • Where to send – Digital submission can be emailed to mnsilc1215@gmail.com and physical submissions can be mailed to MNSILC, 13189 Gladiola Way, Apple Valley, MN 55124.
  • How are winners determined – Representatives of the MNSILC will make the final choices.

What is a creative work?

  • A story
  • A poem
  • An article
  • A photograph
  • A painting, drawing
  • Music or a song
  • A video

Questions?

COVID-19 Vaccination Survey

Your Experience in COVID-19 Vaccination is Needed! 

The Center for Health Equity (CHE) at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University would like to know about your thoughts and experiences with the COVID-19 vaccines. CHE is doing an online survey about perceptions and experiences of COVID-19 vaccination among people with disabilities and their caregivers. If you are interested in participating, complete the anonymous survey using this link: https://go.iu.edu/4liW

You can take the survey if you are 18 years or older; a person with a disability, or a family caregiver or a paid caregiver for a person with a disability; and you live in one of the following states: Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.

The survey participation is voluntary. The survey will not ask for participant’s name or other directly identifiable information, and their responses will be kept confidential. The responses will be released only as part of a group summary in which no individuals’ answers can be identified.

If you have questions, please contact Don Dumayas at (812) 855-2894 or ddumayas@indiana.edu.

This study has been approved by the Indiana University Human Subjects Office (#14316 Perceptions and Experiences of COVID-19 Vaccination among People with Disabilities and Their Caregivers in FEMA Region 5). For questions about your rights as a research participant, to discuss problems, complaints, or concerns about a research study, or to obtain information or to offer input, please contact the IU Human Research Protection Program office at 800-696-2949 or at irb@iu.edu.

National ADA Symposium Stipends

The Great Lakes ADA Center in collaboration with the ADA National Network are excited to announce the 2022 National ADA Symposium. The 2022 National Symposium will be a virtual event taking place May 10-13, 2022.

This year’s National ADA Symposium will feature 51 sessions that include up to date information regarding employment, communication, transportation, emergency preparedness, case law, regulatory updates for government and private entities and the latest on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

The Great Lakes Center will continue its history of supporting participation and attendance from across our six-state region.  A limited number of stipends are available to cover the registration fee for attending the virtual Symposium.

Application and Registration deadlines

Applications will only be accepted from individuals who work and/or reside in the Great Lakes Region (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI).  Applications will be accepted through March 4th, 2022. Notification to recipients will be made by email the following week to enable selected individuals to meet the registration deadline. This stipend is only valid for the 2022 Symposium. Stipend recipients  must complete registration by the May 6th deadline. Visit the National ADA Symposium web site to view the event agenda.  (adasymposium.org)

Applications for the stipend can be completed on-line.  Questions regarding the Symposium and the stipend program should be directed to the Great Lakes Center at 800-949-4232 (V/TTY) between the hours of 8:00am-5:00pm Central Time or by email to adata@adagreatlakes.org

A link to the application may also be found on the Great Lakes homepage, adagreatlakes.org.

February 15th Webinar – The Intersection of Race and Disability

The Great Lakes ADA Center in collaboration with the ADA National Network invites you to register for the upcoming ADA Audio Conference Webinar titled “The Intersection of Race and Disability", featuring Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr, Research Assistant, Institute of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois Chicago.

The lived experience of disability varies, both among people with disabilities and among racial and ethnic groups. Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term “Intersectionality” to describe the experience of living with multiple identities (gender, race, culture, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, etc.). While there has been conversation about some intersections (like race and gender) there have been other experiences that are often overlooked. This session will look at the experience of people of color who have disabilities. Participants will have an opportunity to ask the speaker questions following the presentation.

Date:   Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Time:   2-3:30pm ET (calculate the start time based on the time zone you will be connecting from)

Format:   Zoom Webinar Platform (closed captioning will be provided via Zoom and Stream Text link option)

Cost:   No Charge

Registration Required:   Registration for this session can be found on the schedule page at www.ada-audio.org.  If you do not have an account with our system, you will be required to establish one before registering.

Registration deadline:  Monday, February 14, 2022

CEUs: Certificate of Attendance, ACTCP

Questions should be directed to webinars@adaconferences.org

Upcoming Webinars

The Great Lakes ADA Center invites you to register for these upcoming webinars:

Inclusive Exhibition Design

Featuring Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director, Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) and Jan Majewski, Director, Inclusive Cultural and Educational Projects , Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD).

This webinar will present important issues in designing museum exhibitions to be inclusive for diverse audiences of people with a broad range of abilities and ages, from all societal groups. Topics addressed will include: inclusive physical space and furniture; effective communication of content, including media and digital and mechanical interactives; a sensory environment that is comfortable as well as engaging; and the critical role of staff training. There will be time for participants to ask questions of the speakers following the presentation.

Date:   Thursday, December 9th, 2021

Time:   1-2:30pm

Format:   Zoom Webinar Platform (closed captioning will be provided via Zoom and Stream Text link option)

Cost:   No Charge

Registration Required:   Registration for this session can be found on the schedule page at www.accessibilityonline.org/artsnrec.  (If you do not have an account with our system you will be required to establish one before registering.)

Registration deadline:   Wednesday, December 9th, 2021

CEUs: Certificate of Attendance, ACTCP

Questions should be directed to webinars@adaconferences.org.

ADA Audio Conference Webinar

The Great Lakes ADA Center in collaboration with the ADA National Network invites you to register for the upcoming ADA Audio Conference Webinar titled, “Accessible Technology on Smartphones & Tablets for users that are Blind and Low Vision", featuring Michael McCulloch , President, iBug, Sandhya Rao, Vice President of Training and Special Event, iBug, and Harshid Trivedi, Android Insight Facilitator, iBUG.

Join us for the first of two sessions highlighting accessible technology on smartphones and tablets for persons with disabilities. In this session our speakers will highlight mobile apps used by persons who are blind or have low vision. The session will include apps used for way finding, social media and more. The session will also explore built-in accessibility features of iOS and Android operating platforms. There will be time following the presentation for questions.

Date:   Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Time:   1-2:30pm

Format:   Zoom Webinar Platform (closed captioning will be provided via Zoom and Stream Text link option)

Cost:   No Charge

Registration Required:   Registration for this session can be found on the schedule page at www.ada-audio.org.  If you do not have an account with our system you will be required to establish one before registering.

Registration deadline:   Monday, December 13, 2021

CEUs: Certificate of Attendance, ACTCP

Questions should be directed to webinars@adaconferences.org.

Resources to help you get vaccinated

MCIL is proud to be partnered with the State as a COVID-19 Community Coordinator. In this role, we are working with the State to ensure people with disabilities in Minnesota have access to the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector and other COVID-19 information specific to their communities, including in multiple languages.

Our COVID Community Coordinator page now includes a "How to get vaccinated" section, which includes information about the latest opportunities to get the vaccine and how to get accessibility accommodations.

Click here to learn more.

Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Information

Get vaccinated at the State Fair Community Vaccination Site! This site offers the opportunity for anyone 18 and older to get a single-dose, Johnson & Johnson, shot at the facility. Specifically, the site has a disability and sensory friendly drive thru option, translators available in many common languages as well as ASL, and accepts walk-ups in addition to pre-scheduled appointments.

The site’s final weeks are from May 26 until June 8, when it will permanently close. You can find all necessary information on the vaccination site’s website.