Disability services in Minnesota are at a crossroads. Disruptions tied to fraud investigations are creating uncertainty for many people with disabilities and their families, sometimes resulting in service gaps for people who have done nothing wrong.
The Minnesota Council on Disability (MCD) will host “Let’s Talk About Disability Services in Minnesota,” a virtual statewide discussion bringing together Minnesotans with disabilities, caregivers, state agency leaders, county representatives, and legislators to explore how the state can protect public dollars without interrupting essential services.
On this page:
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Time: 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual (statewide)
Note: This event will not be recorded.
The event will feature:
- Lived experiences from Minnesotans with disabilities
- Updates from state and county leaders
- A bipartisan legislative discussion focused on people-centered solutions
Housekeeping:
- Note: This event will not be recorded.
- CART services will be provided in the Zoom event. You may also use StreamText; that link will be provided when the meeting starts.
- ASL services will be provided.
- Chat will be disabled.
Program
Program details are subject to change.
- Welcome: Quinn Nystrom, Event Emcee
- David Dively, MCD Executive Director
- Joel Runnels, MCD Public Policy Director
- Advocates
- Alma Silver
- Cassandra McWade
- Lydia Dawley
- Legislative Panel
- Senator Paul Utke
- Senator Jim Abeler
- Representative Kim Hicks
- Representative Bianca Virnig
- State and Local Leadership
- Heidi Hamilton, Disability Services Director, Minnesota Department of Human Services
- Terry McCabe, Director of Social Services, St. Louis County
- Josh Berg, Accessible Spaces, Inc.
- Closing: Quinn Nystrom
Registration
Thank you for your strong response to this event. Registration is now closed.
Sharing Your Stories
We invited a small number of community members to share their stories during the event. Due to time and capacity limits, we will not be able to take live stories from participants.
All registered participants are invited to share their stories through an online form. We plan to summarize themes and share selected stories during the event. We also plan to share a separate summary with legislators and state leaders after the event. This may include:
- Stories collected from registrants
- Stories shared during the event
- Comments from legislators and state leaders
- Comments from MCD legislative staff
MCD is exploring additional ways for people to share their stories during the legislative session.
Accommodations
If you need additional accommodations beyond CART and ASL, please note those requests on your registration form.