NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 4766
Volume 33, Number 11
November 2022
WWW.ACCESSPRESS.ORG
Voter aid is available on Election Day
FILE PHOTO
A voter using a wheelchair arrives at the polling place. Parking is signed and available. The front doors are easily accessible at ground level, with a paddle to hit. Hallway access is clear. But the room where the voting machines are located has steps to get inside. A voter who has visual disabilities arrives at the polling place. The machine that helps with ballot marking is broken. The head judge makes the voter wait for a long time before assigning two other election judges to help. The voter misses a paratransit ride back home. A voter with a speech disability arrives at the polling place. The voter has never been under guardianship, never been convicted of a felony and has voted in the precinct for several years. But an election judge openly questions whether the voter is qualified to cast a ballot given the speech disability. A voter arrives at the polling place, with a friend to help mark a ballot. That friend doesn’t agree with the candidates the voter wishes to support and wants to mark the ballot against the voter’s wishes. A residential facility worker and residents arrive at the polling place. The worker has brought the residents to vote, but the head election judge will not let the worker vouch for the residents. Now what? These scenarios are all too familiar to people with disabilities. When a polling place challenge or an accessibly violation emerges, Election Day resources are available. But voters must be ready to call and take quick action. By law, polling places are required to be accessible. In 2020, 76.3 percent of people with disabilities in Minnesota voted. That’s 344,164 people. That means another 106,902 people didn’t vote, according to the Rev UP Minnesota coalition. It’s not known why those voters stayed home. But worries about polling place access are real and may be a factor. Making sure polling places are accessible is the work of local election officials. People with disabilities and their allies also play key roles. Justin Page, attorney at the Minnesota Disability Law Center, outlined the resources available at a recent Rev UP MN forum. The center has a hotline to call on Election Day if voters face problems. It is 1-800-292-4150. Some of Minnesota’s Election Day work is proactive. “On Election Day we recruit numerous volunteers across the state to go to polling places,” said Page. “We have a tool we came up with in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s Office that allows volunteers to check and make sure that polling places are accessible.” These volunteers check for steps, too-narrow doorways and hallways, working ballot marking machines, proper signage and overall polling place access. Complaints can be addressed in different ways on Election Day. VOTER AID To page 4
NEWS DIGEST
Self-advocates are hoping for the return of in-person state capitol rallies this session.
Preparations for 2023 session take place in face of uncertainty by Jane McClure The clock is ticking toward the start of the 2023 Minnesota Legislature. Disability advocacy organizations and their allies are putting the finishing touches on legislative proposals. The session starts January 3 so there isn’t a lot of time left to get bills ready and into the hopper. 2023 is a budget year so there is much work ahead. The Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MNCCD) had its full proposals due October 21, after initial meetings earlier this fall for review. MNCCD will announce its 2023 priorites soon. Much focus will likely be on issues around the state’s support staff shortage. “The crisis just continues to get worse,
especially in direct care,” said Vicki Gerrits, executive director of Minnesota First Community Solutions. Advocates will be back with an array of familiar asks, including higher wages, the ability for staff to be compensated for driving time, overtime pay, training and more. Competitive wages continue to be worrisome. Preparations for the 2023 have gone on under a cloud of uncertainty. The November 8 election features every state constitutional office on the ballot, from the governor on down. Every state House and Senate seat is also up for grabs. As the 2022 session ended, Republicans in the Senate had a 36-31
Support Access Press NewsMatch Page 4 Cutbacks compound woes Page 2 Disability hiring adds value Page 5 Grant winners announced Page 6 Hamm Clinic celebrates move Page 8
2023 SESSION To page 3
Learn about our new website and NewsMatch effort Learn about the new Access Press website and support our fundraising efforts at an upcoming virtual event, Access Press Presents: Digital Transformation at 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 15. The event is free. Sign up in advance at the Access Press home page, at www. accesspress.org But first, read a message from Holly Anderson, our executive director, on page 4 of this issue. The November event is also when Access Press announces our fund drive and matching dollars through the NewsMatch Program. Disabilityfocused journalism is more important than ever and we need everyone’s support for Access Press to continue its mission of serving Minnesotans with disabilities. All donations are tax-deductible. Event sponsors are still welcomed. Contact Anderson at 651-644-2133 ext. 3 or holly@accesspress.org The November 15 event features Belo Miguel Cipriani. The digital inclusion strategist is passionate about making online spaces accessible. Cipriani is blind and is an award-winning author and newspaper columnist. In 2018 Cipriani founded the publishing house Oleb Books, which focuses on publishing writers with disabilities. Through his digital access consulting firm, Oleb Media, Cipriani has helped countless organizations
Belo Miguel Cipriani including Access Press build inclusive websites and apps. HuffPost referred to him as an “Agent of Change,” and SF Weekly named him one of the best disability advocates. Access Press has been able to benefit from Cipriani’s vast experience in the work on our own website. Cipriani uses assistive technology that many of our
readers use. After he became blind, Cipriani began to use JAWS (Jobs Access With Speech). JAWS utilizes synthesized speech and Braille to allow users to read information as it is displayed on a computer screen. He also uses a digital recorder to document his thoughts and an application that reads back to him what he is typing on his laptop. With the use of assistive technology, Cipriani has been able to reinvent himself as a writer and digital access consultant. Cirpriani’s work puts a spotlight on the need for online news media to be accessible. That can be a challenge with the wide array of disabilities people live with. The newspaper board and staff are pleased to unveil a new website, which has been months in the making. “Our goal at Access Press is to have a website that is accessible to readers with a wide range of disabilities,” said Editor Jane McClure. “I myself live with multiple disabilities and understand all too well the need for good web design. Many websites are a frustration for me to use. Hand movements can be difficult, or I get thrown off by flashing messages. Type that cannot be easily magnified is another problem.” While there will always be readers WEBSITE To page 4