Dear Charlie:

“Access Press” continues to be an outstanding publication – one I look forward to each month. It’s an excellent forum for education and advocacy.

Thanks,

Kathy Bouhardt
Courage Center

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To Access Press:

Members of the Metro Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind wish to express our appreciation for accurate journalism.

As president of the Metro Chapter, I look for items of interest to share with our chapter. At our April 20 meeting we read several articles from the Feb. 10th issue. Our members expressed pleasure in the articles as well as the style in which they were written in.

Judging from the articles, your paper must take great care in reading and researching the subject matter before writing the story. This is refreshing as well as encouraging. I look forward to further issues of your paper.

Sincerely,

Peggy Chong, President
Metro Chapter, NFB of MN

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Dear Charlie:

I always read and appreciate your paper – even if I don’t write you as many editorials as I would like to!

It was nice to see you at the Metro hearing at Holmes Greenway and I think you are doing an excellent job of covering the issue. However, I am curious why you haven’t written about Carlson’s plan to cut and change the PCA program.

Lately I have been more than concerned about the future of disabled people. I’ve attended some hearings and kept track of the proposed cuts for Metro Mobility as well as Governor Carlson’s plan to severely cut the attendant care program. As a disabled person I am not only angry but really frightened about my future.

The powers that be don’t seem to realize that cutting these programs is not the same as “simply” cutting a service that costs too much money. They are instead cutting into the intimate personal lifestyle of many disabled people. Cutting Metro Mobility should not be compared to cutting MTC. It may however be comparable to taking away able bodied people’s cars, their only mode of transportation. And the cuts proposed by Carlson for the Personal Care Attendant program are even more disgraceful. It seems that to Carlson and his supporters, a balanced budget is more important than a disabled person’s right to have the personal care he/she needs, a place of his/her own to live an independent lifestyle.

It scares me that these people do not seem concerned about our quality of life. I thought that finally in history disabled people were beginning to be recognized as real, regular, useful, valuable people instead of burdens or sick people who should be kept out of the mainstream. I am writing in an attempt to urge everyone to stand up for disabled people’s equal right to a free independent life, we must make a strong demand or I fear that they will walk all over us.

With much respect,

Nicci Hagenah
Minneapolis