Retiring State Representative Lee Greenfield of the 11th District (Minneapolis) was honored for his work on behalf of Minnesotans nearly 1 million citizens living with a disability. On July 11th, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Technology for People with Disabilities, the Minnesota STAR (System of Technology for Achieving Results) Program, and United Cerebral Palsy of Minnesota (UCP) presented Rep. Greenfield an award for his achievements especially for those people using assistive technology (AT) in their work, education, or community lives.

Greenfield has been in the forefront of disability-related legislation during his tenure of 21 years as a House Representative. For instance, in 1997 he carried a report to the legislature urging them to fund augmentative communications devices (AAC) not covered by Medical Assistance. Also, Greenfield has chaired committees addressing home-based services and personal care attendants. Additionally, he helped fund a study which led to the development of the Minnesota Assistive Technology Loan Network (MATLN), a web-based database developed by STAR and UCP. MATLN serves as a valuable resource for organizations and individuals to find AT devices on affordable loan and exchange terms.

Greenfield’s support of the STAR Program has helped ensure that required services and emerging technologies are increasingly available to consumers. As the organization responsible for providing Minnesota with federal funds for development of AT, the STAR Program offers the public a variety of grants, training sessions, and personal advocacy for people with disabilities in need of AT.