[Minnesota Council on Disability logo]
[light acoustic music]
[Circle with “Disability Pride!” and the Minnesota Council on Disability logo on a background of the colors of the Disability Pride flag.]
[Minnesota State Fair logo]
BART: My name is Sherry Bartholomew, but you can call me Bart.
[Text at bottom of screen: KeepMovingForwardMN.com]
I love classic cars, especially Mopar cars. This here is my beasty. She’s a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner. And it’s a unique color called Hugger Orange, which is a very vibrant red, much like the sunset in the summer. And it has some fancy pin striping in yellow and black. I love getting out and seeing people’s faces ight up when the engine revs or when they pass by. A lot of people scream out the window at me, “Hey! Nice car!” So to know that I can affect and improve someone’s day just by driving my car, that makes me happy and makes them happy, you know? It’s the ripple effect.
My day kind of looks like any other day now since COVID. Before, I used to go to a place called Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts and there were over 80 of us artists, both in the visual department and the performing arts. I was a visual artist. I still am a visual artist. Now, I get up, I go to my dining room table, which is my art studio, and I hop on to Zoom, see my friends from Interact. We connect through there and we create art from there.
The point I’d like to make is that we are here. We’ve always been here. We’re tenacious and we’re never going away. It’s a fact of life.
[For remainder of Bart’s segment, scene switches between them speaking and photos of them.]
Keep Moving Forward was–it was something I said yes to and it was in the beginning stages of me learning my communication style. Linda asked me to come and do the State Fair event and that was my first major event. I hadn’t been to a State Fair in over a decade, and I didn’t do social outings. It changed me. We connected through the heart. I almost left, but we took the time to step back and discuss things, talk about things, what was happening. And I ended up going out, and it’s made me a fiercer advocate not only for myself, but for others around me who need a voice, who need people to know and understand what’s happening.
I can’t choose just one critical issue. Just about everything is critical with the disability community. We’ve been pushed aside, coddled, ignored, and everything is connected like a spider web. If you touch one area, it affects another area. So we need to do a major overhaul. I’m a realist, so I know that we’re not in a perfect world. I would say, give us the power that we need as a community and we can impact, not only our local community, but also the community at large, other populations, and the world.
We’re inventive, you know. We don’t look at things the same way as others who are so “normal.” We’ve become pretty ingenious in getting what we need done accomplished. So I’d say, hand the reins over. You’ve tried, now it’s our turn.
ADONIA: Hey, my name is Adonia Kyle. I’m born and raised in Minnesota, and I live in North Minneapolis.
[Text at bottom of screen: KeepMovingForwardMN.com]
Well, I’ve been a dancer my whole life. So dancing is always how I express myself. It’s how I meditate, how I get through feelings. Music is my life. Music is my life force. So listening to music, whether it be, you know, 2000s alternative music or rock or Metallica or hip-hop and classical music, as well. Anything to do with music or making people smile, those are all my memories.
If I could make one point to people listening to this event, that a point would be that so many people are living with disabilities and so many of them are left out. There’s a huge gap and a huge amount of people that are left to fall between the cracks. And most of those people are BIPOC–they’re Black, they’re Indigenous, they’re queer, they’re gender nonbinary, they’re trans. And all of us don’t have care, and we aren’t recognized as having a disability. And that needs to change.
Telling my story and Keep Moving Forward has impacted me because for the first time in my life I felt heard, I felt recognized as a person with a disability, and I feel like I have a voice and I’m able to put a megaphone to other people who don’t feel like they’re heard.
The critical issue that the disability community faces right now is that we have to work to prove that we’re disabled. And if we can work we’re not disabled, and if we’re disabled we can’t work. So we’re stuck in this place of eventually causing self-harm and huge damage to our body and our minds and our souls because were not considered disabled. And people are left out and they’re left without assistance, and we need help.
We need to be recognized as people, people that love and that are sexy and smart and dance, which is why my saying is, “Disabilities can be [BLEEP] fabulous,” because they are.
[For remainder of Adonia’s segment, scene switches between them speaking and photos of them.]
If it were a perfect world, disabled people would be counted as people. They would be seen as the beautiful, dynamic community that we all know we are. We need to be seen as humans. We’re not less than. We’re not more than. Just like when it comes to Black lives, Indigenous lives, and other POC, trans lives, everyone in marginalized communities–we just want to be seen as human and we just want to have rights. That’s it. It’s not that hard, really.
It is gonna be OK and you can still do all the things that you dream of. Just because you struggle and are in pain doesn’t mean that you’re less than, doesn’t mean that you can’t live your dreams. And you are amazing and you’re loved and you’re talented and you’re worthy.
[lively music]
[Minnesota State Fair logo, Minnesota Council on Disability logo, Disability Pride! circle]
SPEAKER: Inclusive Higher Education.
TAMMY: Welcome, everyone. I’m Tammy Berberi, MCD Council Member, and I’m happy to join this event today from my office at the University of Minnesota Morris, where I teach.
MARY: A national inclusive higher education movement began in 2008 to expand college options for students with intellectual disabilities. Minnesota is lagging behind. Students with intellectual disabilities who attend post-secondary education are more than twice as likely to be employed, live in homes of their own, and rely less on government supports like SSI and vocational rehabilitation.
Widening the pathway to post-secondary education will ensure Minnesotans with intellectual disabilities have the opportunity to pursue their careers, live the life of their choice, and more fully contribute to their communities. This will strengthen the Minnesota workforce, contribute to the Minnesota economy, and lead to long-term cost savings for the state. We are determined to widen the path for students with an intellectual disability, to have access to post-secondary education–a gateway to opportunity that has been narrow and impassable for far too long.
We are advocating for the passage of the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Act to support Minnesotans with an intellectual disability and make inclusive higher education a priority.
GAGE: Hi, my name is Gage Robinson. It has always been my goal to go to college. School has always not been easy for me. In my younger years, I spent most of my day in a self-contained classroom.
I love to learn. I just learn differently, and it may take me a little longer. Currently, my options are limited. I need more choices to go to college and be successful. I want to be seen as capable. I am. I want to keep learning. I am a lifelong learner. I am more than a disability. I am a son, a brother, a nephew, a friend, an athlete, a self advocate, a public speaker, a non-profit leader, a woodworker, a prospective college student.
I am advocating for expanding inclusive college options for students with an intellectual disability, like me. All Minnesotans with an intellectual disability are worth it. Thank you.
MARY: Senator Hoffman, we want to welcome you to our conversation, and we thank you for your ongoing support for the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Act legislation.
SENATOR HOFFMAN: When Paul Wellstone said, “We all do better when we all do better,” “We all” means we all, right? We’ve got to be inclusive about our conversations. I know as the incoming chair of Human Services, I don’t know all my jurisdictions, but I will guarantee you this—intersectionality in conversations about how we’re doing and what we’re doing and how we’re including people with disabilities across the spectrum is going to be key and priority in my life, and it has been since my days in the Bush administration in 2001 to 2004 when I was on the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council.
I love the fact that, you know what? You know, disability is just a normal, natural occurrence in Minnesota and in the world and in the nation, right? And you’re saying you just want to be there and do what you want with other people. There’s an inclusivity in that, and I appreciate your words and I appreciate you. So thanks, Gage.
GAGE: Thank you.
[light music]
[Images from various Minnesota Council on Disability events. Text at bottom of screen: #MCD50.]
[upbeat music]
TREVOR: Hello, everyone. My name is Trevor Turner, and I’m the public policy director for the Minnesota Council on Disability. And I will be bringing today a legislative update from the 2021 legislative session.
The 2021 legislative special session has now officially ended, as of July 1st. And our legislators narrowly avoided a government shutdown by reaching budget deals to fund government operations and services for the next two years. Minnesota is unique among state governments because it is the only state government with a split legislature with the DFL, or Democrat-controlled House, and the GOP Republican-controlled Senate. This means that bills and budgets must have support from both political parties in order to pass, which can be difficult when discussing controversial or contentious topic, especially on how the state should spend its budget. Policy and lawmaking are hard, but this is intentional because it ensures thorough debate of bills and policies, and political stability.
This year was a good one for disability policy and legislation because the number of disability wins this year is unprecedented. We saw great policies and reform in public transportation, employment protections, improved access to health care, expanded disability services, education, and much, much more. I will highlight some of those newly passed pro-disability legislation. However, it is by no means an exhaustive list.
The state budget was passed, over 14 omnibus spending bills. These bills are each a collection of smaller policy and budget provisions that determine how much money each state department and agency gets over the next two years and how they can spend it. One of the first omnibus bills to pass was the transportation omnibus bill. The transportation is important for the disability community, especially for public transit. Because Minnesota is a car and driver centered culture, getting around the state can be time consuming, difficult, or even impossible for many Minnesotans with disabilities. Fortunately, Metro Transit received continued funding from the Minnesota General Fund in addition to a $57.5 million appropriation for improved and expanded rapid bus transportation. They also received $5 million toward improving biking, walking, and rolling paths. Metro Mobility also received continued funding through the Minnesota General Fund and also ensured funding through the year 2027.
The pandemic affected a lot of people with disabilities, especially students with disabilities. And in the education omnibus bill, policies and support for students with disabilities and special education recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was passed. It also received Seizure Smart Schools program, which requires training and action plans regarding seizures in schools, and finally, mental health education and resources from evidence-based instruction. The judiciary and public safety omnibus bill might have been one of the most debated bills of the session, largely because of the police reform provisions that were introduced.
[upbeat music]
[Minnesota State Fair logo, Minnesota Council on Disability logo, Disability Pride! circle]
[Images from various Minnesota Council on Disability events. Text at bottom of screen: #MCD50.]
SPEAKER: Employment and Retention of Employees with Disabilities.
ANDY: Hi, my name is Andy Christensen, MCD council member from Northfield. I’m a white man with a beard wearing a red sweatshirt. I’m sitting here in my home office. This segment features a conversation between citizen advocate Aaron Weikum, and Representative Mike Frieberg. To begin, here’s Aaron’s experience.
AARON: Hello, everyone. My name is Aaron Weikum. I’m a large man with brown hair, a brown beard, and a black shirt. I’m an independent, autistic adult and autism advocate, and I also work as a vocational rehabilitation services professional. I’m here today to highlight the immense barriers Minnesotans with disabilities face finding and maintaining integrated competitive employment.
While I’m fortunate enough to be employed in a position I love, this has not always been the case. I’ve lived in poverty for most of my life, and I have experienced unlawful disability discrimination in education and employment environments. In some cases, it has been explicit and actionable, like being told by a prospective employer that an autistic person cannot do a specific job or being berated and called the R word by a supervisor.
However, as with racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, in most instances perpetrators go unpunished and victims receive no redress.
About 85% of autistic Americans are not engaged in competitive employment. And most who are are underemployed, working part time with limited benefits or otherwise being paid less than similarly situated neurotypical employees with equivalent qualifications.
Connect 700, the state’s initiative to hire and retain public servants like me with communications-impacting disabilities at parity with the general population, has not been properly implemented. County and local governments and other public entities, like school districts, where most public sector positions are found, do not participate in Connect 700. And few, if any, have developed equivalent initiatives to recruit and retain persons with disabilities. And in the private sector where most Minnesota jobs are found, there is no incentive to hire and retain workers with disabilities.
On the contrary, most employers systematically screen out or pass over applicants with disabilities despite this being illegal and costing them highly qualified talent. There lies before us now a historic opportunity to address this.
[Minnesota State Fair logo, Minnesota Council on Disability logo, Disability Pride! circle]
ANNOUNCER: Partnership Resources Incorporated.
[Sign language interpreter. Text at bottom of screen: #MCD50.]
Dupree had a radio show with KFAI group ad that raised awareness of disability issues. While attending the Transition Plus program for Minnesota Public schools, for Minneapolis Public Schools, he started a talent show for people with disabilities.
Dupree likes to sing and freestyle rap his own songs. Currently, Dupree is an apprentice teaching artist with Upstream Arts and also serves on the governor’s council on developmental disability.
We will hear Dupree’s rap piece, “My Testimony,” which dropped on Spotify and numerous other music outlets last week. Images that will appear during the piece will show a smiling, African American man with a robust build in a short sleeved white shirt with dark pants and cross necklace. Behind him are evergreens and other trees in full autumn color of the yellows and dark reds.
[“My Testimony” by Dupree]
DUPREE: Yeah. LightLord Records. Dupree, “My Testimony.” And the truth
will set you free. Ha, ha. Look, check it out.
Came out the womb, knew I was special
God’s arms around me and wouldn’t let go
At 2, I entertained for my family
Not knowing a year later, I’d see tragedy
Changed my life forever, made my mom faint
Brain damage, exposed to lead paint
With my life hanging on by a thread
Thank you God for the U, ’cause I would have been dead
But I’m here, so God has a plan
To keep me out the system, uh, Grandma Ann
Can’t forget Jackie, Uncle Kelly
For doing what they seen to fit, to protect me
When life give you lemons, you got to find shade
On to AZ, sunshine and lemonade
My situation went from bad to worse
This is my testimony, why I put God first
My testimony, it’s all about me
Dupree, my truth will set you free
Life dealt the cards, and I’m all in
First obstacle, survive lead poisoning
My testimony, it’s all about me
Dupree, my truth will set you free
Life dealt the cards, and I’m all in
First obstacle, survive lead poisoning
Growing up, living life on the run
Rules were no fun, all ’cause I was young
As I got older, focus my energy
All things are possible through Christ in me
Not to be a victim, love is the key
Thanks to Tyler Perry for influencing me
Shout out to T-Plus, time to shine
Showcase my talent, truly divine
Partners and policy, leaders today
Heart and Soul Award in 2008
I’m living my best life, a census superhero
With my team overcoming obstacles
My testimony in this rhyme I spit
Makes my testimony as an advocate
I want to thank God for saving my life
And give me a Savior in Jesus Christ
My testimony, it’s all about me
Dupree, my truth will set you free
Life dealt the cards, and I’m all in
First obstacle, survive lead poisoning
My testimony, it’s all about me
Dupree, my truth will set you free
Life dealt the cards, and I’m all in
First obstacle, survive lead poisoning
I want to thank God for giving me my aunt and uncle, for not running away anymore, for growing and being on leadership teams. You know, not to be the victim. God is good. I want to thank the growth that He gave me. Everything. Speak your testimony, y’all. Speak your testimony. Speak it.
‘Cause the testimony is the key. The truth will set you free. It’s all about you. Thank you, God. In Jesus’s name, amen and amen.