Celebrating Independence

Every year, our country celebrates its independence on July 4^th. We commemorate the nation’s freedom with parades, picnics, parties, and fireworks. At SSB, we want to celebrate YOU and your independence – not just for a day, or a month, but all year long! Our mission is to facilitate the achievement of vocational and personal independence by Minnesotans who are blind, visually impaired, or DeafBlind. Whether it’s through the Senior Services Unit, the Communication Center, the Workforce Development Unit, or the Business Enterprise Program, the staff at SSB strives to help you achieve your personal goals. We can assist you in small ways and big ways – from hand-held magnifiers, bump dots, and training - to helping you land a new job or advance your career. Together, we celebrate your achievements and applaud every step you make in your journey to vocational and personal independence. Connect with SSB to start or continue on your path to independence.

Help Grant a Wish of a Lifetime

Wish of a Lifetime has a mission to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling older adults’ dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages. They envision a world in which society embraces aging and the inherent wisdom that accompanies it, where older adults are celebrated for their accomplishments and sacrifices, and where intergenerational connections are part of our daily lives. Wish of a Lifetime grants life-changing wishes to older adults and inspires people to redefine aging in America. Wishes are submitted via their online application form. Anyone can submit a wish, and all applications are reviewed carefully by their wish team. Become a Wish Nominator by submitting an application for a deserving older adult in your community. From volunteering to sending Valentine’s cards, there are other ways to become involved with Wish of a Lifetime. Click here for more information on how you can help.

Learn more about this fabulous orginization here.

Participate in a MSU – Mankato Study

A student research team at MSU-Mankato is seeking to conduct a survey of legally blind individuals. The topic of the survey is accessibility of navigation and mapping technologies. The survey is a simple web-based form and participants can typically complete the questions in less than 30 minutes. It is about 40 questions long. The survey is completely anonymous and anyone who is legally blind and at least 18 years old is able to participate.

Click here to join the study. 

Share Your Experiences in a Georgia Tech Study

CSAVR is a partner in the ACCESS PD RRTC at Georgia Tech. They are studying the assistive technology and/or accommodations impact on employment outcomes for minoritized populations. They are seeking individuals to interview about their experiences. They are recruiting Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people with physical/motor disabilities to share their experiences with non-traditional jobs (e.g., freelance, contract, temporary, etc.). They are looking to understand how assistive technology and/or accommodations impact employment outcomes for minoritized populations. They will interview participants over Zoom or by telephone. The interview will be scheduled at a time that is convenient for you and will take approximately 90 minutes. You will receive $50 as compensation for your time.  

Who can participate? To participate in the study, you must be:  

1. 18 years of age or older  
2. Be fluent in English or be an ASL-user  
3. Have an upper and/or lower body physical motor disability 
4. Use assistive technology and/or accommodations for work 
5. Be employed in a nontraditional job(s) 
6. Currently work in the U.S. 

To be considered, please complete the screening questionnaire.

Join the MN Council on Disability

Why join the Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD) as a council member? It's a unique opportunity to shape policies and initiatives that promote access and rights for individuals with disabilities in Minnesota.

Be a part of shaping the future of disability policy as we engage policymakers, government leaders, and the public to make a positive difference. The Governor appoints council members from all over the state to represent the interests of the people. Council members provide guidance and oversight for MCD as we advise the Governor's office, the legislature, state agencies, and the public on various disability issues.

If you are someone who has a disability, someone who works with people with disabilities, or a family member of a person with a disability, council membership may be for you!

To learn more about applying, visit Council Openings.

Catch Up on Summer Reading

Go on a summer adventure with the National Library Service! The NLS Summer Reading Program is in full swing now through August 9^th. It is a celebration of reading, learning, and fun for all ages. The NLS Summer Reading Program hosts story times, an author talk, activities, music, and more! This year, they have scheduled events and online activities that readers can enjoy at their own pace. You must register for each event you wish to attend. Click here to learn more.

Get your BARD Tech Questions Answered – July 11^th

The Many Faces of BARD program on Thursday, July 11, 2024, will be an Open Forum. This is a patron favorite during which the BARD Tech Support team will take as many questions as possible for the entire program. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. central time and last for one hour. This program will be recorded.

Date: Thursday, July 11^th  

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 pm

Location: Online

Click here to join.

Come to the Disability Pride Festival on July 18!

Advocating Change Together (ACT) empowers groups of people with disabilities to take control over their lives while also working to break down barriers that prevent the larger disability community from living, working, and playing side-by-side with everyone else.

Advocating Change Together (ACT) is hosting their second annual Disability Pride Festival on July 18! This fun and free event is from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the North Lawn of the Minnesota Capitol.  ACT will be sharing more event updates on their Facebook page.

Engage in a Public Forum

The Minnesota Department of Commerce (MDC) is responsible for designing and administering Minnesota’s Home Energy Rebate programs and is committed to ensuring access to low- and moderate-income households. These rebates will help households make energy improvements, like upgrading appliances to efficient electric models, adding insulation, and modernizing home wiring systems to support home electrification.

MDC wants to ensure that Minnesotans with disabilities are able to provide their input and learn about Home Energy Rebate programs.  If you have any questions, please feel to reach out to Kat Hovland, Energy Information Center, kathleen.hovland@state.mn.us or 651-539-1018.

Minnesota's Home Energy Rebates Public Engagement Opportunities

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is hosting six in-person public forums for the public and interested stakeholders to inform the design of Minnesota’s Home Energy Rebate (HER) programs. These forums aim to gather local perspectives, insights, and priorities from those who will benefit from the program, with a particular focus on ensuring inclusivity and reaching populations often underrepresented in decision-making processes. These are open to all Minnesota residents, especially those with an interest in energy efficiency or who work in the energy efficiency sector, including utilities and contractor workforce; non-profits, community-based organizations and advocacy groups; and renters, homeowners, and landlords.

• Mankato, July 16, 2024, 6-8 PM, at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. Learn more and register here.
• Minneapolis, July 17, 2024, 6-8 PM, at Urban League Twin Cities. Learn more and register here.
• St. Cloud, July 18, 2024, 6-8 PM, at St. Cloud State University, Atwood Memorial Center. Learn more and register here.
• Fergus Falls, July 23, 2024, 6-8 PM, at Fergus Falls Public Library. Learn more and register here.
• Bemidji, July 24, 2024, 6-8 PM, at Bemidji State University Bookstore. Learn more and register here.
• Duluth, July 25, 2024, 6-8 PM, University of Minnesota Duluth, Kirby Student Center. Learn more and register here.

Tune in to a Subcabinet Meeting - July 23

The Olmstead Subcabinet is made up of 12 state agencies and entities, plus the Metropolitan Council. Subcabinet members work together to make sure the state follows the Minnesota Olmstead Plan.

This is a meeting where Commissioners and other state staff discuss work being done related to the Olmstead Plan. Members of the public are welcome to observe the meeting virtually or in person.

The July Subcabinet meeting will be hybrid. You can join in person or through Zoom. This meeting will have ASL and CART captioning. For meeting accommodations or to request alternative formats of meeting documents, contact MNOlmsteadPlan@state.mn.us or call 651-296-8081. If possible, please send requests by noon on July 17. Click here to learn more and register.

Location: 400 Wabasha St N, Suite 400, Saint Paul, MN 55102

Attend a Mind, Body & Soul Webinar - July 25

Join the Minnesota Office of Equity, Opportunity, and Accessibility on July 25, 2024, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. for the next Mind, Body, and Soul session as they discuss the intersectionality of accessibility, disability, and aging. 

Register in advance! We are excited to share we will be using Microsoft Teams Webinar and will no longer use Zoom. Teams Webinar has many of the of same features as Zoom, including being able to move into breakout rooms for the facilitated discussion.

Click here to register for the July 25 Teams Webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the meeting.

Contribute to the Olmstead Plan - Public Comment

The dynamic nature of the Olmstead Plan means that goals and strategies are updated regularly. This ensures that goals are effective and promote meaningful change. The Olmstead Leadership Forum is considering changes to three goals in the current Plan. 

The three current goals with proposed changes are:

• Timeliness of Waiver Funding - Goal 1
• Peer Support Specialists Employed - Goal 4
• Students Employed - Goal 3

A summary of the changes can be found on our website. A full report is available here [PDF]. 

If you would like to comment on the changes, email MNOlmsteadPlan@state.mn.us or call 651-296-8081. Comments are accepted through July 28, 2024.

Register for the MN Collaborative Experience Conference

The Collaborative Experience Conference is dedicated to providing the most recent resources, professional development, and collaboration amongst Minnesota's teachers and professionals serving students who are deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing as well as families. This year's conference theme is "Build our Future Together."

The 2024 conference will take place, in-person, on November 1-3, 2024 at Breezy Point Resort. Click here for more information.

Conference registration is now open! Sign up at Collaborative Experience Conference.

Build with Independence

Join the millions of people who love building with LEGO sets. A Boston-based nonprofit helps blind and visually impaired people build LEGO sets independently using text-based instructions. Bricks for the Blind has just had its status as a not-for-profit organization officially confirmed. To celebrate and thanks to a large, anonymous donation, it’s also launched a new website with a library or more than 100 free text-based LEGO building instructions, designed to empower blind and visually impaired people to be able to build LEGO sets more easily.

Update Your Contact Information - NLS is Moving

The National Library Service (NLS) is returning home to Capitol Hill. 

As part of the final phases of relocating from the Taylor Street facility to the main Library of Congress campus in downtown Washington, DC, the new NLS address for mailing will be the following starting Thursday, July 18, 2024:

GENERAL

Library of Congress -National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

{Section Name}

101 Independence Ave. SE - Washington, DC 20540-4960

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

Library of Congress - National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

{Director, Deputy Director, Communications and Outreach or Planning and Innovation Office}

101 Independence Ave. SE, -  Washington, DC 20540-4961

Save the Date – NFB MN Conference

The National Federation for the Blind of Minnesota’s annual state convention is an opportunity for the blind of our state to come together to celebrate our successes, plan for the future, educate ourselves and others, and strengthen our bonds of friendship.

This year’s conference will take place November 1-3. The conference will convene at 8am on Friday and adjourn at noon on Sunday.

Location: DoubleTree by Hilton St. Paul East - 2201 Burns Ave, St Paul, MN 55119

More details will be coming soon, including information on how to book your hotel room.