Organization: For all
regions of Minnesota EXCEPT the Twin Cities Metro Area, you can view the
directory alphabetized by either disorder or condition, or organization name. This
will change over the coming months, so that eventually all resources will be
listed by type, like the Twin Cities Metro Area pages. In all cases, listings
are split into sections by region of Minnesota,
and each region has its own page. Here is how I divided them up. (Clicking the
links below will take you to the regional listings organized by disorder or
condition name. From there, you can easily get to them alphabetized by
organization name. Clicking the Twin Cities Metro Area link will take you to the
page with resource types A-C: Accessibility Improvement through Counseling
Services.)
Northwestern Minnesota
includes the following counties: Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater,
Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall,
Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, RedLake, Roseau, and Todd. Northeastern Minnesota
includes the following counties: Aitkin, Carlton,
Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis. West Central
Minnesota includes the following counties: Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas,
Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stearns, Stevens,
Swift, and Traverse. East Central
Minnesota includes the following counties: Benton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs,
Morrison, Pine, and Sherburne. Southwestern Minnesota
includes the following counties: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson,
LeSueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles,
Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, Sibley, Watonwan, Waseca, and Yellow Medicine. Southeastern Minnesota
includes the following counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower,
Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona. Twin Cities Metro
Area includes the following counties: Anoka,
Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott,
Washington, and Wright. (As this
region has the most listings, I have split it into four sections.)
Listing Headings: Each listing for the greater Minnesota pages is labeled in the following
way, from left to right (even on pages where column headings aren't visible):
Organization name
Disorder or condition
Resource type (these are
explained below)
Region of MN (this should be
the same for every listing in each section)
Address
City
State
ZIP code
Phone number
Additional phone number(s),
if applicable
Fax number
Email address, if available
URL (Web address, if
available)
Explanation of Resource Types: This tells you what each
organization's main function is, to the best of my knowledge. Organizations
that have more than one main function usually have more than one listing. The
categories are my creation, and although I hope they make sense, they're
admittedly somewhat arbitrary. So, to make sure it's clear what I mean by each
one, here's a brief glossary!
Accessibility improvement.
For organizations that work on making the rest of the world more
easily accessible to people with disabilities, especially physical ones.
Examples: Access for All, Access Project, Minnesota Ramp Project.
Adoption/foster care. These
organizations provide information on adoption and foster care, and/or
connect prospective parents with potential adoptees or foster children.
Examples: Adopt America
Network, Children's Home Society of Minnesota.
Advocacy. Organizations
that help clients and their families to advocate for themselves
effectively, in all areas of life. Examples: Arc of Minnesota, Advocate for the Blind,
Cornerstone Advocacy.
Arts. Performing arts
organizations especially for people with special needs. Examples: VSA Arts
of Minnesota,
Interactive Performing Arts.
Assistive technology. Organizations
that produce tools to help people with disabilities improve their
functioning. Examples: Visionics, WilliamsSound,
MarbleSoft.
Chemical dependency
recovery. Organizations, usually residential, that support people in overcoming
chemical dependency and substance abuse. Examples: Hazelden, Pine Manor.
Counseling service. Organizations
that provide counseling to individuals and groups, generally around
personal mental health issues. Examples: ChrysalisCenter
for Women, Northern Pines Mental Health.
Day care. Organizations
that provide care or treatment for people with special needs during the
day. Most of the day care organizations listed currently are for adults,
but I will add those that care for children as I become aware of them.
Education and support. Formal
organizations that educate the public about a disorder or condition, and
provide a range of support services to people with that condition. Nearly
every disorder-specific organization in the directory falls into this
category (for example, United Cerebral Palsy, American Lung Association of
MN, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder, MN Organization
on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), as do some that serve people with disabilities
in general (for example, Courage Center).
Food service. Organizations
that prepare and deliver food to people with special needs.
Food shelf. Organizations
that collect and distribute food for families and individuals in economic
need.
Government agency. Departments
within the government that provide public services to special-needs
children, youth, and families: for example, the Special Education division
of the MN Department of Education; the MN Department of Human Services;
the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities; and county human
service offices.
Health care. Hospitals
and clinics, or organizations that help people gain access to medical
care.
Health education/harm
prevention. Organizations whose focus is to promote healthy behaviors
and reduce harmful ones. Most of these organizations target children and
young people directly. Examples: Center for Violence Prevention and
Control, Prevention Alliance,
Face to Face.
Higher education
disability service. Offices of Minnesota's
colleges and universities that provide support services to students with
disabilities. In addition to current students, high school students with
disabilities who are thinking about college may find it especially helpful
to have contact information for these offices.
Home health care. Organizations
that provide care for patients at home.
Housing. Organizations
that help people with disabilities find houses or apartments, or that have
residential units crafted especially for people with disabilities.
Human service agency
(non-government). These are
private organizations that provide a range of human services. Examples:
Lutheran Social Service, Goodwill Easter Seals, American Red Cross.
Independent living center.
Organizations that help people with disabilities learn skills for
successful independent living. Examples: Semi-Independent LivingCenter; all member facilities of
the Minnesota Centers for Independent Living (MACIL).
Information and referral. Organizations
that serve as clearinghouses for resource information. Examples: Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Information and Referral; DirectAbility.com; FirstCall Minnesota.
Legal. Organizations
that provide legal counsel and related assistance to people with special
needs. Examples: Legal Aid Society; MinnesotaDisabilityLawCenter.
Medical equipment. Suppliers
and distributors of equipment for people with disabilities.
Organ procurement and
transplantation. Organizations that find organs for prospective
donors. At this time, LifeSource is the only such organization listed
here; I hope to add more in future.
Physical/occupational
therapy. Organizations that help people with disabilities to improve
their daily physical functioning.
Professional provider
organization. Organizations that regulate and supervise the activities
of professional care providers in Minnesota.
Examples: Professional Association of Treatment Homes (PATH); Care
Providers of Minnesota;
Council for Exceptional Children.
Publishers. Books,
magazines, catalogs, and other material of interest to people with
disabilities. Examples: Access Press; Disabled Dealer; Nekola Books.
Research. Organizations
that conduct formal studies of disability-related issues, with the goal
of improving service availability and delivery as well as the
overall success of people with disabilities. Most of the University of Minnesota's
listings fall into this category, and many focus significantly on children
and adolescents with disabilities. Examples: Institute on Community
Integration; Center for Chronic Illness and Disability; Institute for Health
and Disability.
Respite care. Organizations
that provide temporary care to relieve parents or other full-time
caregivers. Example: Range Respite Care and all Crisis Nurseries.
School. Educational
facilities especially for students with disabilities. Examples: MetroDeafSchool; the MinnesotaStateAcademy for the
Deaf.
Shelter. Facilities
for people who need a safe place to stay temporarily. Examples: Sharing
and Caring Hands; Alexandra House.
Shopping and delivery
service. Organizations that buy and deliver groceries or other
supplies for people with disabilities. Example: Store to Door. (More
listings are needed here also, especially in greater Minnesota.)
Sports and recreation. Organizations
that provide adaptive or therapeutic sports or camp experiences for people
with disabilities. Most of those listed here are especially for children
and young people. Examples: Victory Riders; American Sledge Hockey
Association; CampHeartland;
Wilderness Inquiry.
Support group. Groups,
generally private and informal, where members provide emotional support to
each other for a common set of issues. Examples: Alcoholics Anonymous;
Emotions Anonymous; Children Are People.
Transportation. Organizations
that provide rides or adapted vehicles for people with disabilities.
Examples: Metro Mobility; Handi-Cabs; Rollx Vans.
Treatment/care residence. Facilities
that provide medical, psychological, and/or behavioral support to people
with special needs other than chemical dependency (that has its own category).
Examples: All PATH facilities; Homeward Bound.
Vocational/career service.
Organizations that provide work-related counseling and training.
Examples: Rise, Inc., FlexWork; Employment Innovations; Opportunity
Partners.
Wish-granting. Organizations that grant
the wishes of children and young people with life-threatening conditions.
Examples: Make-a-Wish; Wishes & More.
Youth/child development. Organizations
providing a range of services to promote healthy development and success
in children and young adults. Examples: Phyllis Wheatley Community
Services; Kaleidoscope; Center for Early Education and Development.
A Quick Word About the "General" and "Universal"
Condition Categories...These are the only condition/disorder names that
probably are not self-explanatory, and here's what they mean.
Organizations with
"general" in the disorder/condition field serve a broad range of
people with disabilities or illnesses: for example, CourageCenter,
DirectAbility.com, all health-care and transportation facilities, and most
adaptive/therapeutic recreation providers.
Organizations with
"universal" as the disorder/condition label serve everyone,
including people without disabilities. Many focus on helping people who
face adverse conditions such as violence, poverty, homelessness, and
hunger. All human service agencies at the county, city, and neighborhood
levels fall under "universal," as do most of the child- and
youth-development organizations. Some of these organizations focus
particularly or exclusively on American Indians, African Americans, Asian
or Pacific Americans, migrant workers, native Spanish speakers,
gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender people, or women, and I have indicated
where this is the case.
In the few cases where I was unsure of the population served by an
organization, I coded it as "universal," thinking it was better to
label it too broadly than too narrowly. If more specific information is
available, however, I welcome it!
Where to Go From Here? Options Beyond the
Directory
I hope sincerely that everyone who visits this site can find at least one
significantly helpful resource. But in case you don't, or would like
information or support beyond what you find here, some next steps to think
about are:
Pay close attention to what
you (or your child) excels at and likes best, and work on improving skills
in that area. Teachers, researchers, parents, and kids with special needs
agree unanimously that this is VITAL to helping kids succeed, and a main
purpose of this directory, in fact, is to make it easy to find resources
that will help promote that success! Is there a school subject you (or
your child) is particularly good at? A sport? Art, music, or dance? Using
computers? Getting along well with other people? Or is she/he (or are you)
just very smart and/or very nice overall? Whatever your (or your child's)
special skill is, build it up and use it -- and if you already do, way to
go! Then, think about how you (or your child) can use those skills to
succeed in other ways.
Visit the Websites of
national organizations relevant to your or your child's needs (assuming
you have regular Internet access). Not only are these often goldmines of
useful, current information, but many have ways for you to connect with
other parents or children in the same situation. The Jade Foundation's
links page can take you to some of the most thorough national and
international sites, for both general and specific disability issues.
Talk to:
your
pediatrician, nurse practitioner, psychologist, or other health-care
providers you trust;
your
clergyperson and/or youth group director;
your
county social workers, or other local human-service staff you find
compassionate and trustworthy;
your
child's (or your own) teachers;
neighbors,
friends, relatives, and other special-needs parents or kids!
Any of these folks can
provide support, encouragement, options you may not think of, and a place
to try out your own ideas...and they will help you remember the most
important thing of all...
...YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There are thousands of children and families in Minnesota, the rest of
the nation, and the world in VERY similar situations to your own, and they are
experiencing many of the same events and emotions you are. Having -- and being
-- a young person with special needs is a very complex experience, and often a
tremendously stressful one -- few people in this situation would deny that! But
that stress can be managed...and sources of support, encouragement, and
information can give you and your family the tools to do that and to succeed.
And I hope this directory will provide at least a few of those tools for you!