The month of March marks a time of change and renewal. We move our clocks forward to make better use of the sunlight. State basketball and hockey tournaments close out the winter sports season. In our northern land, we anticipate the return of the robin’s song in the treetops and the shoots of spring flowers pushing up from the thawing ground. We, too, shed our heavy coats and layers, open our windows, and welcome in the sun’s warmth. As we march forward into another season, we can also use this time to get active and move towards making changes and growth in our personal lives and our communities.
Be Part of the Dialogue: Making AI Hiring Tools More Inclusive
Now through March 11, you can take part in a national online dialogue about ways to make artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled hiring tools more inclusive for people with disabilities, including those who may also be members of other protected classes (e.g., race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information). Hosted by the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the online dialogue will gather public input to help PEAT and its collaborators build a profile on inclusive hiring that is based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework. The dialogue is the latest in a series of public-facing events managed by ODEP’s ePolicyWorks initiative. Click this link to join the dialogue: https://inclusiveai.ideascale.com/c/landing
Contribute to the Community: Dakota County Disability Advisory Council
Dakota County is accepting applications for a new advisory council supporting people with disabilities. The Disability Advisory Council will work to make improvements in the community that welcome people with disabilities in all aspects of living and working in Dakota County.
Council members will:
- Use their own experiences to provide technical expertise on disability issues.
- Serve as a sounding board for issues and policy ideas impacting people with disabilities.
- Seek advice from the public in county decision-making that affects people with disabilities.
- Reflect the diverse interests of county service clients and residents.
Dakota County is seeking people with diverse perspectives, identities and experiences to join the 25-member council. Applications are being accepted through March 15, 2024. To apply, visit the Disability Advisory Council webpage at this link: https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Government/CAC/DisabilityCouncil/Pages/default.aspx
Build Your Camping Skills
Join SSB and Wilderness Inquiry for an unforgettable experience as you learn and build community on our educational excursion. Students aged 14 to 22 will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities that build valuable advocacy skills. Skill instruction includes:
- Tent and Shelter Making
- Stove and Fire Skills
- Nature Hiking
Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference, have fun, and enhance your skills as a budding community advocate in the outdoors!
WHEN: Saturday, March 16 from 1-4 p.m.
WHERE: Fort Snelling State Park - Shelter A
To sign up, contact Shane DeSantis at shane.desantis@state.mn.us
Expand Your Horizons
The Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and Blind are hitting the road to host a series of workshop events. The sessions will provide insights into MSA’s programs, mission, beliefs, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about what the MSA does and how they can support you and your loved ones. Their first stop on this journey will be in Rochester. The event is open to parents, families, teachers/professionals working with deaf/hard of hearing and blind/visually impaired children as well as deaf, DeafBlind, and blind community members.
Date: March 16th, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Rochester Public Library, 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Registration information can be found at this link: https://www.jotform.com/form/240533821931048
Show Up for Disability Justice
On Wednesday, March 27th, the Minnesota Council on Disability is co-hosting a Disability Advocacy Day and rally in the state capitol. This will be a gathering of legislators, community members, and activists to continue the fight for Disability Justice.
Come for the pre-rally where you can:
- Check in for the rally.
- Make posters to display during the rally.
- Learn about policy agendas from several disability organizations.
- Connect with fellow Disability Justice advocates.
During the rally, guests will share how bills moving through the legislature will improve the lives of Minnesotans with disabilities. Let your presence be known and fill the Capitol Rotunda for Disability Justice!
Learn more and register for the rally here: https://www.mnccd.org/2024-disability-advocacy-day.html
Share Your Story: Living through the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every American, many to this day. These experiences—be they painful, uplifting, or examples of resilience—represent a rich archive of stories that answer the following question: how will Americans living 50, 100, or 200 years in the future know what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic? The American Folklife Center is proud to announce a new and powerful tool that will help. Created with StoryCorps, the new Archive Activation page empowers anyone with an internet connection to record and upload their COVID-19 experiences, or interview someone else about their pandemic story. Submitted stories will then be deposited into archives of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and made accessible at: archive.storycorps.org, creating a diverse record of Americans’ experiences during this tumultuous time in our nation’s history. We encourage you to participate! The page is open to anyone who wants to tell their COVID-19 story, but encourages submissions from frontline workers, medical professionals, and emergency service specialists. The Archive Activation page is part of the COVID-19 American History Project —a Congressionally mandated project to “collect, preserve, and make available to the public an archive of submitted oral stories of those who were impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic.”
If you would like to share your COVID-19 story or interview a family member about their pandemic experiences, follow the steps below:
Enjoy Community Theater
Follow the yellow brick road in Minneapolis with Lake Harriet Players’ delightful stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved tale, The Wizard of Oz. The performances feature the iconic story and musical score from the MGM film, faithfully adapted for the live stage. They will have audio description services (provided by Rick Jacobson) at the Saturday, March 9 show at 7pm, and ASL interpretation (by Maria Lively and Bee Valentino) at the Sunday, March 17 show at 2pm. Show length is approximately 2 hours. Click here for more information: https://lakeharrietumc.org/lake-harriet-players/
Experience Multisensory Art
Now through May 19th, the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus is hosting The Other Four exhibition. The Other Four assembles a varied display of 16 multimedia works by 21 contemporary artists that forefront the senses of smell, taste, touch, and sound. Exploring the richness of the human experience, the exhibition engages audiences primarily through nonvisual, the other four, senses. The artworks in this exhibition invite visitors to become physically involved and use their whole bodies to experience the show. Learn more about this multisensory experience here: https://wam.umn.edu/other-four
Prepare for College
Please consider joining State Services for the Blind at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities on Friday, April 12th, 2024, for an interactive workshop about assistive technology that blind, visually impaired, and DeafBlind students use for success in college.
What: SSB is hosting a Tools for School workshop for students who are blind and visually impaired to learn about the technology skills needed for success in higher education. Please join us for a day filled with various panels that will cover a wide variety of assistive technology that BVI students use in college!
Who: Prospective and current college student in high school or who recently graduated from high school, parents, and educators!
When: Friday, April 12th, 2024. Registration and additional details will be sent out closer to the event.
Where: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus.
For more information or to sign up, contact Shane DeSantis at shane.desantis@state.mn.us
Learn Braille with Training Resources
The National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM) posted several resources around Braille Training. These resources were grant funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).
- Braille Brain includes a braille training program for teachers, paraprofessionals, and family members to learn braille. Learn more at this link: Braille Brain - Paths to Literacy
- Project INSPIRE is a free, self-paced course for TVIs, paraprofessionals, braillists, transcribers, and others who support braille learners. Click this link to learn more: Project INSPIRE - Paths to Literacy
After learning braille, please look to SSB’s Communication Center to provide you with the books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials in braille for your reading enjoyment. Additionally, SSB’s braille department can convert printed material to braille for students, adults, businesses and organizations throughout Minnesota that request it. Click this link for the application: Application for Free Library Service
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