Is maintaining the present transportation system important to you? How about access to health care? Are the present systems OK or could they be made better? These are questions you should ask yourself. If you think the current level of service needs improvement or even if you think its adequate, you better get out your pens, paper and start writing letters and making phone calls to the legislators. If they don’t hear from you very soon on these important issues, you can bet they are going to either cut these services or at best leave the amount of funding at last year’s level. Last years funding, in most cases, will have the affect of lowering the performance of the service over time. We will be providing in this issue and future issues the names and addresses of the people who need to hear from you.
I don‘t think most people understand what a letter or phone call means to a legislator or someone “in power”. It changes the impersonal numbers to individuals who are benefiting from the service. Think about it, if you were a
person considering cutting the budget for Metro Mobility and you received a letter from a woman explaining what being able to get out-and-about means in her life. Could you then say “ah, that woman doesn’t need to go to work anymore, cut the funding”. I think it would be hard. Contacting these people on issues that affect you is best way to make a change and hopefully make all of our lives better in the process.
We received a few letters to the Editor this month and a question for our experts. I would like to thank the authors for taking the time to write, and encourage you to ask us about anything. We will try to get you an answer. If you disagree with some-thing ACCESS PRESS said, write and tell us, or if you’re just “mad as hell and you’re not going to take it anymore’ tell us that, too.
….
This issue tries to give you some insight into visual impairment and blindness and many agencies and service serving this community Sensitivity toward people of disabilities is on the rise (ever so slowly). But we all need more understanding. How do you approach someone with a white cane?
I’m happy to say Peter McLaughlin has settled in at his new job as Hennepin County Commissioner and has provided us with his first column. I’m sure he will help us become more aware of what goes on down at the Government Center. If any of you have questions about the county or its programs, send them in, we will forward them to Peter.