Vision

To be the predominant source of independent, comprehensive information that enlightens, empowers and improves the quality of life of people living with or associated with all forms of disability throughout the upper Midwest.

Values

• We believe in our role as a catalyst for discussion of critical issues facing disability communities.
• We campaign for full integration of people with disabilities in all areas of life.
• We persist in demonstrating the power of people with disabilities and their allies.
• We galvanize alliances between and among disability communities, knowing these associations serve a greater good.
• We share a desire to educate the non-disabled about issues of importance to disability communities in an effort to promote awareness and systems change.
• We strive for a mutually beneficial relationship with organizations and businesses serving disability communities.

Publisher’s Profile

Access Press, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 41-1845476) dedicated to serving people with disabilities by publishing disability-related news and information. Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, it is the leading disability-focused newspaper published in the United States. Access Press is funded through individual contributions, sponsorships, and paid advertising along with grants from philanthropic organizations.

The first issue of Access Press was published in May 1990. The paper was published continuously on the 10th of each month until April, 2020, when the paper began publishing on the first day of each month.

Circulation

Access Press currently distributes to individuals, libraries, businesses, centers for independent living, community centers and organizations in Minnesota. In addition to the printed publication, the paper is produced in audiotape format using a special radio channel for people with visual impairments. The articles from each edition, as well as a downloadable PDF of the print paper, are posted online at accesspress.org.

• Our print distribution includes over 1,200 subscribers at home or office and about 3,500 copies at bundle drops across the state, for a total print distribution of 5,000 copies.
• The online edition of the paper is emailed monthly, along with weekly e-newsletters, to 1,000 individuals.
• We have over 6,800 unique visitors to accesspress.org per month.
• We have more than 1,800 active Facebook followers.
• Because readers routinely share copies of the paper, the total Access Press readership is much larger than is tracked directly in distribution numbers.

Staff

Executive Director – Heidi Holste
Managing Editor – Joey Carlson
Assistant Editor – John Kuziej
Business Operations – Mary Graba
Advertising – Randall Oldenburg
Web – Lynda Milne
Production – In-Fin Tuan

Co-Founder/Publisher (1990-1996) – Wm. A. Smith, Jr.
Co-Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief (1990-2001) – Charles F. Smith
Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief (2001-2021) – Tim Benjamin

Board of Directors

Tim S. Benjamin
Catherine Hunter – Secretary
Brandon Miller – Treasurer
Lynda Milne – President
John Tschida – Vice President