Minnesota Memo Winter 2025

The Minnesota Memo
Winter 2025
A quarterly publication of The American Council of the Blind of Minnesota.  The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily the position of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota. They are the views of the article’s author.
Product and service information is provided as a resource only, and not as an endorsement of a particular product or service.
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Nicky Schlender Editor
E-mail: kb0ouf@pcdesk.net
Jennifer Dubbin
E-mail: lyndidog@comcast.net
Michael Lauf: Web Administrator
E-mail: info@myeffectivesolutions.com
Phone numbers of note:
SSB main number:
(651)539-2300
ACBM:
(612) 223-5543 Leave Message
Apple support for people with disabilities
(877) 204-3930
Microsoft support for people with disabilities
(800) 936-5900
Comcast Support for Persons with Disabilities
(855) 270-0379
Instacart For Seniors and Persons With Disabilities
844-981-3433
Amazon’s Accessibility Customer Service
888-283-1678
Audible Support:
888-283-5051.
American Airlines Special Assistance 
800-237-7976
AT&T 
National Center for Citizens with Disabilities (NCCD)
866-241-6568
Delta Airlines  Disability Services
1-404-209-3434 
HP Accessibility Support
888-259-5707
Samsung Accessibility
972-761-7123
For general support in the U.S. contact Samsung at: 800-726-7864 by text or voice.
T-Mobile Accessibility
833-428-1785
United Airlines Accessibility Desk 
800-228-2744
Verizon Wireless National Accessibility Center
888-262-1999
Table of Contents
It Is Almost Here By Janet Dickelman
Treasurer’s Notice By Patty Slaby
Birthdays By Nicky Schlender
Metro Mobility article
By Mary Divine writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press
Prayer shawl instructions By Marian Haslerud
Peanut butter Pretzel bar recipe By Randee Boerboom
Peanut Clusters in the Crockpot By Jennifer Dubbin
Officers and board of directors
Standing committee chairs
It is almost here
By Janet Dickelman
As you read this article it will soon be time for our state convention.  I am pleased to announce that as I write this, we have 40 in-person attendees and 4 people joining us via zoom.
Our auction which will be held on January 19th is brimming with items from gift cards, homemade goodies, technology, jewelry and items for your cat and dog!  A huge thank-you to everyone who opened their hearts and wallets and donated items for the auction! Your generosity will help support ACBM. I hope you will join us via zoom on January 19th at 7:00 PM to bid, buy, and listen to the banter between our auctioneer Catalina Martinez, my reading of the auction items, and Patty Slaby keeping a tally of the winning bids!
If you have registered for the convention, you will automatically receive a link, if you have not, please reach out to Patty and we will put you on the auction list and send you a zoom link.
The convention will open Friday afternoon with a session on essential oils conducted by our own Nickie Coby, a showing of the documentary Possibilities is a documentary film celebrating the legacy of Helen Keller as told through the shared stories of 21st-century voices along with hearing from the composer of the musical score.  Ending the evening will be ComedySportz, a PG improv comedy show based on audience suggestions and interaction.
On Saturday you will hear from state Services for the Blind, Minnesota State Academy, the library, a new program on pharmacy tech, and Metro Mobility. Plus, a panel featuring 5 individuals who came to the United States from other countries, fashion Dos and Don’ts from Blind Girl Designs, a session on artificial intelligence and information about the vending program.
Our banquet speaker is the dynamic and personable executive director of ACB Scott Thornhill.
Of course we can’t forget the vendors, on Thursday January 23 there will be a virtual vendor open house, and you may visit with them in-person on Saturday afternoon.
The final item on our convention agenda is the ACBM quarterly meeting Sunday morning.
In-person registration is $75.00 and includes Friday evening dinner, Saturday lunch and our evening banquet. Complimentary breakfast is available for registered hotel guests. If you plan to join us via zoom registration is $25.00; you will receive all convention zoom links and whether you are registered in-person or virtually you will be eligible for our fabulous door prizes!
If you would still like to get a room at the hotel, our block is full, however reach out to me and I may be able to get you in at the convention rate of $91.00 per day.
Treasurer notice
By Patty Slaby
Attention ACBM Members:
Yes, it is that time once again for 2025.
Your dues are due by March 1st. You can pay at the convention, send a check, go on our website, or call me with your credit card number.
The dues are $15.00. Many of you are already paid for 2025. Thank you for your prompt response.
Birthdays
By Nicky Schlender
This quarters birthday list is very short.
Happy birthday to:
Nancy Schadegg on January 22nd
Al Kitagawa on January 25th
Catalina Martinez on February 29th. 
Driver shortage leads to headaches for Metro Mobility clients in east metro
Riders find rides delayed without notice after contracting company makes ‘operational decision.
By 
MARY DIVINE Pioneer Press
UPDATED: 
December 9, 2024
James Almen, of St. Paul, uses Metro Mobility to get to his doctor’s appointments at the Allina Clinic in Vadnais Heights.  But when Almen, who is blind, tried to book a ride home from his 1:30 p.m. Thursday exam, he was told that he would need to wait an extra 2 ½ hours at the clinic. “They said a driver couldn’t get me until 5 p.m. at the earliest,” he said.
A shortage in drivers led the contractor who covers Metro Mobility’s east zone to cancel pickups last week outside the “ADA zone” between 2 p.m. and 5p.m., he said. The Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines require that the Metropolitan Council provide Metro Mobility service within ¾-mile of any all-day, local, regular-route service:   the federally-mandated ADA service area. The state requires that Metro Mobility serve the Transit Taxing District
— the state’s mandated service area.
Almen, a rehabilitation instructor at Vision Loss Resources in Little Canada, ended up taking a Lyft home. The total charge was $25. Had he gotten a ride from Metro Mobility, it would have cost him $3.50, he said.
“It’s going to be really frustrating and very costly,” Almen said. “It sucks. It’s going to be tough for a lot of people, especially for our clients who come into our facility daily.”
Almen said he is especially concerned that Metro Mobility did not let clients in the east zone know about the change. The east zone includes: Arden Hills, Anoka, Bayport, Baytown Township, Birchwood Village, Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids, Dellwood, Falcon Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, Gem Lake, Lauderdale, Landfall, Lake Elmo, Lexington, Little Canada, Lino Lakes, Maplewood, Mahtomedi, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, North St. Paul, Oak Park Heights, Oakdale, Pine Springs, Roseville, Saint Anthony, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Stillwater, Spring Lake Park, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Willernie and Woodbury.
“It was never announced,” Almen said. “You don’t find out until you actually call, and they tell you. You might have had some appointments planned for a while, too. This is a big issue. If you go to work, let’s say they get you in the morning in St. Paul and bring me to Vadnais Heights. During rush hour, that Lyft ride would be, you know, astronomical.”
Even if Almen waited until after the peak time of 5 p.m. for a ride home, the wait could be much greater, he said. “I work till 4:30,” he said. “Let’s say I decide to wait until 5pm. Well, 5 doesn’t mean 5. It just means that’s when they can start scheduling. So it could be 5:30 or 6.”
Metro Mobility contracts its east zone coverage to a company called Transdev; Transdev officials did not return a phone call on Friday seeking comment.
Transdev officials made the “operational decision” to move non-ADA zone rides out of the peak-time period — 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. — to address a driver shortage,
said Andy Streasick, assistant director for Metro Mobility.
Streasick said that change is likely to continue through the end of the month.
“It’s not set in stone,” he said. “They may make exceptions. I talked with them, and they did clarify that if somebody makes it clear that they have an appointment they can’t move, they will try to do that ride, but they’re trying to move as many rides as they can that are non-ADA rides outside of that peak point right now to address a driver shortage.  We are hopeful that it’s very short term.”
Streasick said he has asked Transdev officials to “do whatever (they) can to avoid denying rides altogether.”
“We really don’t want to deny rides, so if you can negotiate a different time of day, a different day of the week, whatever the case might be,” he said.
“You know, maybe somebody is going to get groceries, and they don’t know that Wednesdays are our busiest day. Maybe if you can have them booked that on a Friday, you know, we can go help them get their groceries. We’re trying to do that kind of troubleshooting.”
The driver shortage in the east zone is especially acute this time of the year, he said. Many people stop applying for driving jobs around the holidays, “from late November and pretty much through December, and that hit them,” Streasick said.
Transdev is currently down about 20 drivers in the east zone, he said.
Editor’s Note” I have not heard that this issue has been resolved as of this writing.
PRAYER SHAWL INSTRUCTIONS
By Marian Haslerud
Materials:

Knitting: Knitting Needle size 11 or 13
-OR-
Crochet: Size ‘M’, ‘N’ or ‘P’ crochet hook
(Based on U. S. sizes – click here for conversion table)
Amount of yarn needed:
 
Knitted: 555 yards (slightly bulky) in the yarn of your choice.
Crochet and larger shawls:
740 yards (slightly bulky) for longer shawls and 60+ stitches

Cast on stitches in multiples of three – 54, *57, or 60.  For example, if you use size 11 needles and cast on 54 stitches, 3 skeins of ‘slightly bulky’ yarn is enough.  Some yarns vary in elasticity which will affect your outcome, as will your knitting tension.  If the yarn you have chosen has a multicolored stripe, be careful when tying on a new skein.  Make sure the color sequence is correct.  Also, tie on the new skein in the body of the shawl, instead of an edge, as the ends tend to show.

*   First Row: k3, p3, to end

*   Second Row:
Always start the next row with the opposite stitch of what you see.
For instance, if the first stitch on the needle is a knit, then start with a purl.
KNIT THE PURLS AND PURL THE KNITS!!!
It should NOT look like ribbing.

*Note: If you cast on 57 stitches you will always start with K3
The same can be said if you make the pattern in multiples of 6’s + 3 (add) stitches
 
A picture containing metalware

Description automatically generated

The Original Prayer Shawl Crochet Pattern © 2022 All rights reserved.
Developed by Rita Glod

Chain 54 stitches or desired width of shawl.
Chain 1, turn, single crochet in each of the stitches to end.  Chain 3 and turn.
Double crochet in top of each single crochet.  Repeat this row 2 more times.
Chain 1 and do 1 row of single crochet to end. Chain 3 and turn.
Do 3 rows of double crochet.  Repeat pattern to end (1 row single, 3 rows double)
End with 1 row of single. Finish with fringe.
Peanut butter pretzel bars
By Randee Boerboom
1 ½ sticks butter melted
1 cup pretzels crushed finely
1 cup Ritz crackers crushed finely
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ½ cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
Line 9 by 13 pan with foil.
In medium bowl combine all ingredients except creamy peanut butter and chocolate chips
Press into 9 by 13 pan
Melt creamy peanut butter and chocolate chips in microwave
Pour over mixture and put in fridge to set up  
Peanut Clusters in the Crockpot
By Jennifer Dubbin
1 24 oz. white bark
1 bar German Sweet Chocolate (green/brown package)
1 bag chocolate chips
1 ½ jars roasted peanuts
Put in crockpot the white bark, German sweet chocolate, and bag of chocolate chips.  Leave on high for one hour and do nothing.  After an hour, turn down to low and stir every 15 minutes for the next hour.  After two hours in the crockpot add the peanuts and stir well covering all the peanuts.  Using a spoon, scoop and place on ungreased cookie sheets.  You should use about 3 sheets per recipe.  Let cool.  You can place in refrigerator or freezer to set faster. 
Once set, remove from cookie sheets and enjoy!
Officers and Board of Directors
President: Janet Dickelman, Saint Paul, MN
Second term ending 2025 | (651) 428-5059
E-mail: janet.dickelman@gmail.com
Vice president: Vice-president: Jeff Mihelich, Crystal, MN
1st term ending 2026 | (612) 381-7163
Secretary: Nicky Schlender, Minnetonka, MN
1st term ending 2025 | (612) 618-4335
E-mail: kb0ouf@pcdesk.net
Treasurer: Patty Slaby, Arcadia, WI
3rd term, ending 2026 | (715) 497-9849
Email: Pattyslaby135@gmail.com
Board Of Directors
Coleen Kitagawa, Richfield, MN
Second term ending in 2025 | (612) 964-2005
E-mail: kitagawa@mysero.net
Jennifer Dubbin, Saint Paul, MN
1st term ending 2025 | (651) 334-8895
E-mail: lyndidog@comcast.net
Ben Durand, Mounds View, MN
1st term ending 2026 | (763) 784-8796
Charlotte lang, Bloomington, MN
1st term ending 2026 (952) 300-2188
Mike Vining, Minneapolis, MN
Second Term Ending 2026, (612) 408-7652
mevining@peoplepc.com
ACBM Standing Committee Chairs
To reach any of our standing committees, see chair info below.
Membership: Mike Vining
(612) 408-7652
E-mail mevining@peoplepc.com
Budget and Fundraising: Patty Slaby
(608) 323-3614
Email Pattyslaby135@gmail.com
Advocacy: Ken Rodgers
(612) 817-4760
kenrodgers@comcast.net
Editorial Committee: Nicky Schlender
(612) 618-4335
E-mail kb0ouf@pcdesk.net
Social Committee: Colleen Kitagawa
(612) 964-2005
Email: kitagawa@mysero.net