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Weavers interact, create, teach, sell
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A group of women at TSE in the St. Paul area got their feet wet in Japanese weaving several years ago, and have now progressed to teaching the creative skills at the White Bear Center for the Arts and selling their creations at the center, and at art events.
“I’m proud of them, going from kind of a personal art skill to selling your stuff, and now they’re teachers and getting paid to do it,” said Dan Rietz, vice president of TSE, Inc.
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In this issue:
Strib ignores MOHR
Letters to editor needed
MCIL rep speaks to guardians
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Commensurate wage explained quite well
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In the news ... Star Tribune and Voc Rehab
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MOHR members' important work ignored
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An October 25
Star Tribune story called attention to Minnesota's Vocational Rehabilitation Services unit, with its rationing of services for people with disabilities and VR’s need for greatly increased funding. The key question is implementing federal law designed to move people with disabilities into the competitive workforce, by interviews and job placement with young people coming into the system and those who are now working for nonprofit providers, MOHR members. The contributions of these organizations should not be demeaned or ignored because of the work done in placing people in jobs and in training and supporting them in employment. “Private providers have been innovative, forward thinking and efficient,” said Mike Burke. “We are rewarded with looming budget cuts, and then ignored by the
Star Tribune in its coverage of this issue.” Watch for more on this from MOHR.
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Parent/guardian meeting covers WIOA, MCIL role
ProAct, Inc. hosted a meeting with parents and guardians of adults with disabilities in its Eagan program and invited Jenny Schwartz with the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living to speak. MCIL is is set to interview about 6,500 parents and guardians in the state who are currently working for the special minimum wage about the possibility of seeking competitive employment. The focus is on people who are 25 or older, or younger workers who started on the special minimum before July 23. She said MCIL is an unbiased neutral, and that people can check "no" on a form to designate a desire of the person to continue working for the special minimum wage. Interviews like these are set to occur annually.
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Metro members alert: please submit questions
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MOHR is asking its metro area members to submit questions about WIOA and questions and feedback about meetings with the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living. John Wayne Barker with Merrick, Inc. will compile and submit them to Kim Peck, director of Vocational Rehabilitation Services with the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The goal is to get some answers in December. Deadline is December 1. Please contact Barker by email at jwb@merrickinc.org
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Letters to the editor needed, how you can help
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Messages supporting choices for Minnesotans with disabilities need to be spread far and wide, and you can help by sending a letter to the editor to your area newspaper. Tightly written, to the point opinions in keeping with newspaper guidelines have the best chance of being published. MOHR will soon have some samples to get the process rolling in the members area of its website. Scroll down to the bottom at
mohrmn.org and login to access these resources.
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View the latest MOHR video featuring Jen Reiter, a parent of an individual with disabilities. She is involved with the Minnesota Families and Advocates Coalition.
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Maintaining choices, impacting lives
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