Arts Access Newsletter Summer 2002

Artists discuss joys, possibilities, barriers of a 'career in the arts'.

"If you want my advice about pursuing a career as an Artist, the first thing I'll tell you is: Don't do it ... unless you absolutely cannot live without making your art - whatever it is...music, dance, painting, drawing, sculpting, film, literature, poetry, theatre, performance art, outsider art...whatever.

If you're thinking about going into the Arts for the money or because you want to be famous ... DO NOT DO IT. If Rich & Famous are your fundamental goals, get out of the Arts and get into information technology.

If you're thinking about a career in the arts because you know that making your art is something you absolutely have to do - that you will wither away and die if you don't do it - then my advice is equally simple. Don't mess around about it - DO IT. And do it to the absolute best of your abilities."

And with that, Jaehn Clare opened The Art of Employment Careers Forum on March 25 in front of 85 artists, arts administrators and vocational rehabilitation counselors.

Her talk, entitled A Career as an Artist Ain't an Easy Row to Hoe, set the tone of the two-day gathering at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center and provided a jumping-off point for the forum's subsequent presentations and discussions. Forum attendees heard from Minnesota artists with disabilities who have had various degrees of success in the arts. Scott Nelson, Deb Helmke-Wodtke, Billy Golfus, Leslye Orr, Kevin Kling, Theresa Wanta, Taras Dykstra and James Livingston spoke about their passion for their particular art forms and some ways they had been able to pursue that passion.

One of the highlights of the forum was the time devoted to performances. On Monday evening Rebecca Kragnes offered some of her original, ethereal piano compositions; Nic Zapko shared a series of silent performances using mime, gestures and movement; Kevin Kling wove evocative and hilarious personal stories; and Joseph Baird closed the evening performing his compositions for voice and guitar. Each demonstrated the quality, personal artistic passion and dedication with which Jaehn had opened the forum.

Day two included presentations on PASS programs and other topics of interest to artists with disabilities by two representatives from the Social Security Administration. The afternoon was shared by Chris Osgood from Springboard for the Arts and Robyne Robinson from KMSP-TV. Chris took participants through a process of identifying career goals and developing a plan to achieve those goals. Ms. Robinson informed the group how to get the media's attention when presenting their work to the public.

Before departing, each forum participant wrote a personal work plan - goals identifying what they wished to accomplish in their artistic careers. Arts administrators and rehabilitation counselors wrote goals about opening opportunities to people with disabilities in the arts and becoming more aware of the issues preventing people with disabilities from pursuing the arts. Attendees committed to returning for a half-day gathering October 5 to share their progress on work-plans and map out strategies for continuing their personal efforts.

Forum organizers at VSA arts of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Arts Board were extremely pleased with the engagement of all of the attendees and the quality of the presenters and performers. Amy Frimpong and Gail Burke at the MSAB and the VSA arts staff look forward to reconvening in October to hear how the forum has sparked career progress.

The forum was the first of three state forums this year being sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, VSA arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Career conferences will also be held in September in Maryland and New Mexico. Additional funders for Minnesota's forum were American Express Financial Services and the Office of Disability Services at the University of Minnesota.

One of the resources made available to Art of Employment attendees was the new publication, Putting Creativity to Work: Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities. This 360-page book tells the stories of artists with disabilities working around the country and provides many resources to individuals seeking to make the arts a career. The book is available FREE from the Social Security Administration. To order a copy, FAX a request for Putting Creativity to Work, ICN # 342351, to 410-965-2037. Include your name and address. Or, VSA arts of Minnesota can send you the book in ASCII format (plain text, no pictures or graphics) on one PC-compatible diskette.

As reported in the Winter issue of Arts Access, the VSA arts 2003 Annual Meeting and Leadership Institute will be hosted by VSA arts of Minnesota. The event's location has changed from Minneapolis to St. Paul, where leaders from VSA arts affiliates around the country will convene at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel on June 17-22, 2003. Look to future editions of this newsletter for more information on this exciting event.

In July, visitors to the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis will be able to enjoy a collection of works by Minnesota artists with disabilities. Dennis Behr, Danny Gayder, Rita Soeffner, Jon Leverentz, Mari Newman, and others will be featured in the Tip of the Iceberg exhibit in the Waterfall Gallery, on the lower level.

Do you know of individuals or organizations who have made "exemplary achievements in enabling people with disabilities to participate in the arts"? If so, nominate them to receive an Arts Access Award from VSA arts. The nomination deadline is August 30. Awards will be presented this fall.

Ten Minnesotans with disabilities who are developing skills in art forms have been awarded $200 Emerging Artist Grants by VSA arts of Minnesota. Recipients can use the money to take classes to develop their artistic skills, improve their business or marketing skills, or buy materials to continue their artistic efforts. Selected by random drawing from qualifying applicants, this year's Emerging Artist grants go to:

Loretto Allee, Tonka Bay, painting; Elena Blaisdell, Inver Grove Heights, graphic design; Kay Cooley, Burnsville, mixed media; Terry M. Mayer, Minneapolis, jewelry; Mark Muldrow, New London, glass & pottery; Danelle Pogorels, Coon Rapids, painting; Marion C. Reil, Bemidji, painting; Tracy A. Ross, Ely, writing; Marie Scaletta, Golden Valley, watercolor; Jess Triska, Duluth, drawing, digital art.

Two additional discretionary grants of $200 each were awarded to emerging student artists in school settings. The recipients are Ray Peterson and Damarcus Belcher, both of Minneapolis.

The deadline for the next round of Emerging Artist grants will be in April 2003. The other major grant offered by VSA arts of Minnesota, the $1000 Artist Recognition Grant, which a review panel awarded to six artists with disabilities in 2001, will have a fall 2002 deadline.

Art by seven visual artists with disabilities is on display through June at Vision Loss Resources, 1936 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis. Featured are photographs by Pamela R. Veeder, mixed media by D. Costandine and Sonia Gonzalez, watercolor and India ink by Theresa Wanta, all of St. Paul; acrylic by Bill Borden, White Bear Lake; graphite and marker by Mark Veblen, Minneapolis; and acrylic and mixed media by Matthew J. Zimdars, Stillwater. The works are available for sale.

A new exhibit will go up in July. Artists with disabilities are eligible. If interested in a 4-month exhibit, stipend and opportunity to have your work seen and possibly sold, send information about your work along with slides/photos if possible to VSA arts of Minnesota, or e-mail to jon@vsaartsmn.org.

Contact our office also if your organization may be interested in sponsoring an exhibit of artwork by children or adults with disabilities.

VSA arts of Minnesota will conduct a jam-packed professional development workshop for teaching artists working in K-12 classrooms on Thursday, June 27 at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley.

Topics will include:

• working with students with challenging behaviors in both self-contained special education settings and inclusive educational settings;
• what is special about the special education system and those served by it;
• practical adaptations as guided by assistive technology specialists;
• sharing accommodation stories and strategies;
• understanding the idea of a rubric;
• discussion on what participants would like to see offered in this area.

The $15 registration fee, including continental breakfast and lunch, is due by June 21. For details, contact Kristi Gaudette at VSA arts of Minnesota.

The Sister Kenny Institute's 39th Annual International Art Show included over 300 works by artists with disabilities this spring at the Abbott Northwestern complex in south Minneapolis. VSA arts of Minnesota presented Encouragement Awards to two Minnesota artists: Marjory Johnson Wood and Sara Harris. Marjory is pictured here with her two pieces, "Colors of Angels Dancing" (below) and "Souls to Heaven" (above). Both awards were in the amount of $100. Congratulations! It was a great exhibit opportunity for artists with disabilities.

"Most people think deaf artists can't function in a hearing world. They make me work harder to be the best artist possible." Taras Dykstra, interview in The Palette, Fall 2001.

The visibility of Deaf artists in Minnesota was raised in March and April when three Twin Cities libraries prominently exhibited their work.

Photography by Taras Dykstra, a former VSA arts of Minnesota board member, was featured in two large tabletop display cases on the main floor of the Minneapolis Public Library.

Work by nationally acclaimed Deaf artist Chuck Baird was displayed at the entrance of Merriam Park Branch Library, located across the street from the Thompson Hall Deaf Club. The library maintains an extensive collection of books about Deaf culture. Baird is now working at Gallaudet University on paintings for the Deaf Way II - an international symposium on Deaf culture to be held in July. He is expected to visit Minnesota this fall.

The Dakota County Library exhibit featured work by both professional and student artists. In addition to photographs by Taras Dykstra and a watercolor and pastel drawing by Ellie Fildago, there were 22 pieces by eight students from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault. The student works were selected by art teacher Carol Anderson.

Library personnel commented favorably on the exhibits and their viewers' responses. Each display featured an educational component such as "Myths about Deafness" and "Facts about Deafness." Follow-up exhibits coordinated by VSA arts board member Paul Puerzer are planned for October.

Thanks to library staff members and all artists for their participation and to Paul for his initiative!

American Express proudly sponsored VSA arts of Minnesota's recent forum, The Art of Employment, at the University of Minnesota. At the intersection of two of American Express' philanthropic focus areas - Cultural Heritage and Economic Independence - the forum was a natural fit for the company's support. In fact, American Express and the Social Security Administration had teamed up to support publication of the book which all attendees received, Putting Creativity to Work.

Locally, American Express supports several organizations that focus on employment opportunities for people with disabilities, including Lifeworks Services and Opportunity Partners, and has received several awards, including the National Business and Disability Council's 1999 Employer of the Year Gold Award of Honor. Through the company's DisAbili-ties Awareness Network employees have the opportunity to learn more about disabilities and workplace issues, as well as support community initiatives and personal growth.

American Express congratulates VSA arts of Minnesota on a successful forum, and VSA thanks American Express for its partnership - part of which provided artist scholarships to attend the forum!

Expressing Freedom is a juried exhibition for artists ages 16-25 living in the U.S. who have a physical, cognitive or mental disability. Art entries should illustrate how some aspect of "Expressing Freedom" relates to the artist. Ten cash prizes, including a grand prize of $10,000, are sponsored by VSA arts with generous assistance from Volkswagen of America, Inc. All entries must be postmarked by June 15. For details, visit VSA arts (www.vsarts.org).

On April 23, forty elementary school students embarked on "Adventures in the Arts" at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. The purpose of the festival was to promote self-achievement through the arts in conjunction with VSA arts of Minnesota's mission statement. Saint Paul public school students experienced a full day of activities.

Participants used alternative art tools and methods in order to create a mural with artist Marianne Szot. Wearing paper booties, the young artists used pogo sticks to add their "stamp" of approval to the group mural. Augsburg theatre student Andy Langenfelder engaged students in expressing themselves in amusing and challenging theatre ways as they moved across the stage.

Artists Aura Walker and Melina Weir guided students in making rhythmic instruments for the drum circle finale. These "tempo tools" used creative materials such as jingle bells, plastic eggs, ribbon, markers, paper plates, corks, seeds, paint, glitter and recycled plastic bottles.

During the drum circle finale, led by Bill Webb, the students came together in a large group to experience the satisfaction of collaboration. Students were reminded that we all have a voice, and we can use our voices independently or in union with others.

A special thanks to Augsburg College Music Therapy Department faculty and students for their energy and hard work in making Adventures in the Arts a success. A great time was had by all! In fact, one participant exclaimed, "This is the best day of my life!"

Adventures in the Arts was made possible by generous grants from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning and from VSA arts.

VSA arts of Minnesota awarded 14 mini-grants to Minnesota schools during the 2001-02 school year. Funded by the Jade Foundation, the Anne Jack Memorial Fund, Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning, and VSA arts, the $500 mini-grants made possible the following projects:

At Como Park Elementary in St. Paul, students created masks and costumes, worked on developing rhythms, and created an original script. The activities stimulated their language development and provided ways to communicate their thoughts and emotions in performing before an audience. The project helped meet music and arts graduation standards for second and third graders. In another project, Como students learned about Deaf Culture, American Sign Language and clay sculpture. The students' artwork is permanently displayed at their school to serve as a visual reminder of the diversity in the school and community.

Students in the Washburn High School Resource Adaptive Program (WRAP) in Minneapolis created a puppet show to address their concern about being included with the rest of the student body. Teachers and artists emphasized the importance of understanding each other's artistic intents and listening to and respecting each other's creative impulses. The partnership addressed several Profile of Learning standards.

Lake Harriet Community School in Minneapolis used photography to create a collaborative experience for students in both the WINGS Program (Working Into Natural Group Settings) and the regular education program. The equipment and activities were modified to afford the greatest degree of accessibility possible.
Webster Open School (Minneapolis) and Mississippi Horizons School (Brainerd) collaborated with Dance Partners to provide interactive dance classes for students with disabilities via video teleconferencing. Students interacted in real time with each other, participated in group dances, learned new dance concepts, improvised duets with partners over distance and viewed video clips from the interactive exchange.

Other recipients included: Highland Senior High School, St. Paul; Patrick Henry and Roosevelt High Schools, Minneapolis; Osseo and Hosterman Strive Program, Osseo; Oltman Junior High School, St. Paul Park; State Academy for the Blind, Faribault; Elk River Area High School and McGregor High School.

Congratulations to all teachers, artists and students who made these residencies a success! For information about mini-grants for the 2002-03 school year, contact Kristi Gaudette at VSA arts of Minnesota.

Saint Cloud, Minneapolis Springtime with the Arts Festivals offer time to perform, learn Community Education programs serving adults with disabilities came together in April to perform for each other and to learn new skills in art, music, movement & drama. VSA arts collaborated with Gail Erdmann at North Junior High School in St. Cloud and Beth Lasley at North High School in Minneapolis. Thanks to all presenters and participants!

When Lisa Skluzacek was growing up in Northfield, her family started her on a path of volunteer service by participating in an organization called SERTOMA (Service to Mankind). The family had a history of hearing impairment so they worked with local organizations to provide hearing screenings and training for those who worked with the hearing impaired. They also supported the local Special Olympics and worked at fund-raising activities.

Lisa's parents are still involved in this organization, and she has gone on to volunteer for many community efforts as well as provide transportation and errand services for family members and neighbors with physical disabilities.

This openness to volunteering - and her friendliness toward fellow bus riders to and from work in downtown Minneapolis - resulted in her joining the VSA arts of Minnesota board of directors. On the bus she became friends with its Executive Director Craig Dunn and learned that he was looking for people with corporate connections to help the organization grow. Since she worked as a project manager at Pillsbury and enjoyed the arts and working with develop-ing people to greater potential, she agreed to join the board.

In April that connection provided tangible benefits to VSA when Pillsbury, newly merged into General Mills, donated office furniture and storage cabinets to VSA from their former downtown headquarters. Past visitors to our humble offices won't recognize the place now - it looks great!

Lisa's experience with many volunteer efforts makes her a valuable addition to VSA's public relations committee. She has led her General Mills department in volunteer day for Special Olympics each year at the state competition. She has been a big sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters for two years, has chaired regattas for the Lake Harriet Yacht Club, delivered Meals on Wheels, participated in General Mills' Corporate Choir and been a member of the Minnesota Food Share Food Drive committee.
Lisa was active in the arts when, as a student, she was involved in bringing live music to the University of St. Thomas campus. She worked with many local artists from coffee house entertainers to large dance bands. Her enjoyment ranges from orchestra and opera to Billy McLaughlin and Brian Setzer. Also a fan of locally produced and acted theatre and performance art, Lisa says, "We are lucky to have such ground level support for the arts here (in the Twin Cities)." In visual art, she especially enjoys three-dimensional art. "I have been working on some pieces made from gourds," she says. "They never seem finished to me."

If she were to summarize her philosophy, Lisa says, "I believe in Mike Hammer's saying about the hard stuff being the easy stuff and the soft stuff being the hard stuff in almost every life situation. We need to work harder on making the soft stuff easier to enjoy. Art definitely falls into the soft stuff. It is harder to quantify, to value and to fully understand the impact of our efforts. VSA is a group that works at giving this 'soft stuff' value to everyone."

Her goal? "That everyone has access to fulfillment of his or her dreams and that we all open our minds and hearts to work towards those dreams."

Two members of the VSA arts of Minnesota Board of Directors have submitted their resignations.

After seven years on the board, and three years as president, Eric Peterson resigned in April. An actor, director and disability rights activist, Eric has made invaluable contributions to the board and the Program Committee, on which he will continue to serve. Eric lives with his guide dog Shawn in South Minneapolis, where he chaired the Linden Hills Festival in May.

Wendy Harbour, who has been a strong activist within the Twin Cities Deaf community and joined the board last year, resigned because of plans to move out east.
Rachel Parker, a long-time Program Committee member from Minneapolis, has also resigned.

Thanks, all, for your service to the mission of VSA arts!

Interested in getting involved on a committee, the board or in other volunteer roles? Call us!

A new movie complex in Minneapolis will be the first in Minnesota to use new technology to serve movie patrons who are deaf or blind. Crown Theatres are part of a new development on "Block E," at 600 Hennepin Avenue between the Target Center, City Center, First Avenue and the Hennepin Center for the Arts (where VSA arts of Minnesota has its office). Crown and McCaffery Interests, the project developer, have agreed to pay for state of the art equipment at two of the 15 screens.

Advocacy Worked:

The Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities last fall examined the plans for the entire building project and made accessibility suggestions for the site's hotel and the stadium style theatres, which will have ample seating areas for wheelchair-users and companions.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires assistive listening devices in auditoriums of 50+ seats, but does not require additional technological accommodation in offering accessible prints or projection equipment. Thus, when Crown management initially indicated they would not implement new technology for blind or deaf patrons, the advisory committee donned advocacy hats and contacted the city council, which had provided a $38.5 million public subsidy. City councilwoman Lisa Goodman, audio describer Mari Griffin and others made calls. The story hit Skyway News and Minnesota Public Radio. In early May, Crown and McCaffery agreed to pay for making one auditorium accessible each.

Margot Imdieke, chair of the Advisory Committee, said, "It really was a community-wide effort. We had the local Disability Advisory Committee, the State Council, MCIL, VSA and others, some members of the City Council, the Mayor's Office, and interested members of the community who were all working together. It really demonstrated how strong we are when we get organized."

Changing Technology:

Now the issue is WHICH new technology to invest in. Tom Becker of Crown Theatres says, "We don't want to put a system in place that won't be used. We want to explore what is out there."

The Minnesota Commission on Deaf and Hard of Hearing will be working with the Advisory Committee to obtain opinions from the Deaf and hard of hearing community to determine which system would be best supported by the community. They plan to meet with Becker on June 18.
The industry standard at this point appears to be DVS Theatrical and Rear Window Captioning. Developed by the Media Access Group at WGBH in Boston (www.access.wgbh.org), they are licensed at 50 screens across the country at a cost of $12,000 to $15,000 per auditorium. Until now, Minnesotans have had to drive to the Mayfair Theatre in Wauwatosa, WI, to experience this technology.

DVS Theatrical is an infrared system that broadcasts detailed narration of the movie's visual aspects, not just the soundtrack and dialogue. Patrons who are blind or of low vision hear the descriptions through headsets which they pick up when they purchase their ticket.
Rear Window Captioning is an enhanced closed caption system for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing which doesn't interfere with what other moviegoers see. Seating is limited for optimal reception.

The WGBH system could serve 45 people per film showing. Crown is looking at it and other options, knowing that movies are not yet all captioned or coded with audio description, and that technology is continuing to change rapidly. For decades, the industry standard has been that films come to theatres in a 35 mm film format. Films are now shot differently (digital, video or 35 mm) and played back on non-standard equipment. Prints with DVS or open captioning, which can be seen on the screen like foreign film subtitles, often take several extra months to be released.

A sign of changing times is the new George Lucas film Star Wars, which is the first completely digital production, from the filming to the showing on new digital projectors. Crown is testing this system at four of its screens elsewhere in the country. Becker says that if this system is perfected and becomes "the new standard," it would offer more options to presenters and patrons -- viewers could use headphones to receive the film in different languages, get audio description or captioning, etc.
Crown Theatres anticipate an August opening of their downtown Minneapolis movie theatres. They anticipate having the new technology installed by then, and able to be moved between auditoriums. If audience response is good, they may make more screens accessible.

Other Options:

The new AMC Theatres at Eden Prairie Center will offer screenings of open captioned movies, in addition to assistive-listening headsets, and they are considering the WGBH system.

Columbus, Ohio movie clubs of blind individuals arrange for audio described movie nights. An audio describer transmits verbal descriptions of the movie's visual elements.
This transmitter and headset system is used at many theatre and dance performances throughout the country. It has especially heavy use in the Twin Cities, where the Guthrie Theater provides the transmitters and headsets, and VSA arts of Minnesota publicizes the audio described shows and those interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL). As more movies become accessible, VSA will include their showings in its calendar listings.

For More Information:

(To receive these performance/ film listings by phone, e-mail, website or brochure, contact the VSA arts of Minnesota office.)

By Craig Dunn, Executive Director, VSA arts of Minnesota.

A number of years ago, 29 to be exact, my dad sent me a letter responding to some angst that I had written him concerning life as a freshman and being away from home for the first time. He began his letter with this heading. Since I am pretty sure that nothing new is going to grow atop my shiny pate, I will be using this title as a nod to Dad when I address Arts Access readers. In honor of Father's Day (which was my birthday 47 years ago), I begin.
We have had an unbelievably productive winter and spring here at VSA arts of Minnesota. From taking two staff and four artists to Georgia for the Artist in Residency week-long training to conducting two community education festivals for adults to renewing a collaborative festival for children with Augsburg College to presenting a two-day forum on careers in the arts for people with disabilities, it has been a very busy four months for our staff. We now look forward to catching our breath a little bit and planning for the coming program year that begins in September.

Our year has been successful because of strong program partnerships, a strong organizational vision and financial support that has allowed us to do the things that we are supposed to do. However, as you may know, the coming year holds challenges for us as we look for new sources to replace some of the funding that will be lower due to the drop in foundation investments and a tighter state budget.

Given the above reductions, it is very important that our summer annual fund drive be productive. If we have not had a donation from you in the last year, you may be receiving a letter from me or one of our board members in coming weeks. Please respond with a generous contribution if you possibly can. The people whose lives we touch with the arts deserve no less than the best that we can offer. Your donation will allow us to reach even more people with even more programs in the year to come.

Thanks!
P.S. If you don't receive a letter later this month, feel free to use the donation form.

People Inc. will present the 8th annual Artability at Apollo Oct. 3-5. Minnesota artists with mental illness are invited to submit work in photography, watercolor, pen & ink, collage, acrylic, pastel, oil, etc. by Friday, Sept. 12. Artists can also attend free workshops this summer at Apollo, l25 N. Dale Street, St. Paul, in watercolor, photography, drawing, pricing/presenting art and matting/framing art.

For more information or to register for workshops, contact Karen Kasel, Jessica Reynolds Cook or Hal Genther at 651-227-6321.

Many people are aware of their rights as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but few realize they also have responsibilities to maintain the integrity of the law. A forum on Friday, July 26, the 12th anniversary of the signing of the ADA, will help you learn ADA do's and don'ts, hear how recent changes affect you and ask questions of the experts.

Rights & Responsibilities under the ADA and more will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Anne Sullivan School and Communications Center, 3100 East 28th St., Minneapolis. The free event will include speakers, workshops, exhibit hall and available lunch.

At 9:30 a.m. keynoter Judy Heumann, former Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, will discuss "How the ADA is changing as a result of current legislation: an insider's perspective." At 3:00 John Wodatch, Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, will address "Your Rights and Responsibilities and how the DOJ decides which cases to take on to best benefit the disability community."

Workshops at 10:45 are Working with Personal Care Attendants; Self Advocacy - what to do, how to do it and is it appropriate; and a Q & A with Judy Heumann. Workshops at 1:15 will cover Service Animals, Gaining Legal Protections, How to Start Working, and Building Access - What's Required?

Register by July 12. Send your name, address, city, state, zip, phone, e-mail, top two choices for a.m. and p.m. workshops, and access needs (Braille, tape, large print, computer disk, interpreter, other) to:
ADA MN, c/o MCIL
1600 University Ave. W. #16
St. Paul, MN 55104
Or fax to: 651-603-2006.

Due to space limitations, you may not get your first choice of workshops.

For more information or an official registration form, contact Cindy at ADA MN, 651-603-2015, 1-888-845-4595, TTY 651-603-2001 or cindyt@mcil-mn.org. Businesses or nonprofit organizations interested in exhibiting at the conference should contact Abby at 651-646-7588 or e-mail pmn@isd.net.