Each year at the State Fair, the Minnesota Council on Disability brings members of the disability community and fairgoers together for questions, conversations, and fun. Among the many special guests who appear at our booth, we are proud to feature artists with disabilities. Poet Adina Burke is one of this year’s artists. We are happy to bring you a poem on the State Fair by Adina.
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Outside My Comfort Zone, Yet Included at the Fair
Artist Bart S. Bartholomew reflects on how the State Fair can both push them outside their comfort zone and be a place of inclusion and connection: “[T]he 150-year-old ‘Great Minnesota Get-Together’ is a fantastic showcase of the best butter sculptures, fare on-a-stick, seed art, DNR pond, 104-year-old blue-ribbon winning baker, and talent. Other states can’t compare. As much as my mind screamed, ‘NO!,’ deep down in my heart I wanted to enter the melee and soak up the experience. Why? Even though I knew my circuits would overload and the breaker would blow, I wanted to be a part of something bigger; moreover, like anyone else – most of all – I wanted to be included.
The Great Get Together Includes All of Us
Poet Adina Burke reflects on the universal need for community and inclusion and how these things are exemplified at the fair: “The fair is a greater illustration of this due to the meshing of so many people and mixture of perspectives. I have the opportunity to learn about accessibility through watching others like me and unlike me navigate the fair and how it is they accomplish what they wish to during the delightful and sometimes disorienting event that is the state fair.”
In-Person Community Gathering on Housing and Land Use
Please join the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living and the Metropolitan Council for a community gathering regarding housing and land use. If you are an adult with a disability living in the metro area, come share your unique perspective and vision for the future. Make a difference in your community!
Stepping into that Space: The Capitol Crawl, March 12, 1990
July is Disability Pride Month, a month dedicated to promoting awareness, acceptance, and empowerment of people with disabilities. We also take this opportunity to recognize the societal attitudes and barriers that continue to limit their full participation. This month, MCD highlights the unique experiences and perspectives of people within our community. A guest blog post by MCD Council member Tammy Berberi.
UPDATE: Bothered by Canadian Wildfire Smoke & Haze? Request Free PPE.
Bothered by the Canadian wildfire smoke and haze? The main health concern from wildfire smoke comes from the amount of very fine particles in the air. As we learned during the height of COVID-19, high-quality masks like N95s and KN95s can offer significant protection against COVID. They can also protect against smoke particulates. MCIL’s COVID Community Coordination team can send you a FREE PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Care Package.