Readers Write (Nov. 20): Minneapolis skyways, jobs and disabilities, travel to Warsaw

Experts, most of whom come from warmer climes, make occasional forays into Minneapolis for the purpose of explaining to the backwards natives the shortcomings of the skyway system ("An urgent push for friendlier skyways," Nov. 13). Although the skyways teem with foot traffic, providing ready access to shops, offices, food, clothing, medical and dental services, etc., as well as shelter from cold, snow and ice in winter and excessive heat in summer, the experts bemoan the woefully empty streets and loss of the life as enjoyed in other large cities of the world. They bemoan the lack of stairways from skyways to those forlorn streets. Apparently they fail to notice the stairways and escalators at the disposal of walkers in all the buildings the skyways pass through.

They come from far away and get lost in the skyways. People from far away often get lost in strange cities. That has happened to me many times while traveling through strange towns, cities — whole countries, for that matter, but I stop to ask directions, and the natives have unfailingly assisted me. People in Minnesota are also very friendly and helpful (even those hurrying through the skyways) and willing to stop to give directions. Those who are worried about the lost might consider installing skyway signs, just as street signs are helpful to those traversing Minneapolis at the street level.

I wonder if the experts who would deprive us of our skyways ever travel to Venice to advise the Venetians to drain their canals and install sidewalks and light-rail lines.

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One of the ways to make the skyways friendlier is to have properly oriented skyway maps — and more of them.

Each skyway map should be oriented to the direction a person is facing while reading the map. If the reader is facing north, the top of the map should be north. If facing east, the top of the map, east. This way, readers do not have to go through the mental gymnastics of rotating the map in their mind. The maps should be focused on our many daily and event visitors, highlighting hotels, shopping, dining and entertainment.

With friendlier maps, Minneapolis would be better able to host major and minor events as well as the many daily visitors.

A group of advocates, professionals and providers are backing a legislative package of new support services to help people with disabilities explore, secure and keep a job in the workforce. This package should be a high priority for legislators in the 2017 legislative session.

Outside of the State Capitol, there are new efforts underway to connect with job-seekers with disabilities and their families around the issue of making a working life a part of their plan. The Arc and several partner agencies have held and plan to expand "Work is Possible" workshops statewide to raise expectations that getting a job is possible when using imaginative, creative and person-centered strategies. The Arc Minnesota and its alliance partners are crafting new tools to connect job-seekers with helpful tools, expertise and resources to guide their path to employment — one that builds on interests, strengths and potential contributions, one person at a time.

The low competitive-employment participation rate of Minnesotans with disabilities should give all of us the motivation to connect these job-seekers with business leaders who are looking for employees that make a difference. Let's continue to move forward together to make this happen.

The writer is executive director of The Arc Minnesota.

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Some individuals, after gaining skills and experience in a day training program, choose to seek competitive employment, and often do so with ongoing job coaching from day-program providers.

The U.S. Supreme Court's Olmstead decision held that the unjustified segregation of individuals with disabilities was prohibited. The court said public entities are required to provide community-based services to persons with disabilities when services are appropriate, when those affected do not oppose community-based treatment and when community-based services can be reasonably accommodated, considering available resources available and the needs of others receiving services.

The day programs in Minnesota do not violate any of the provisions of the ADA, and generally provide support for individuals who seek to be employed in the community. The very end of the article noted that the Justice Department doesn't prohibit such programs, but that people must be given "a real opportunity to make an informed choice." Currently, participants have the opportunity to make such judgments at least annually.

Minnesota's nonprofit providers of day-training and its employment services believe individuals with disabilities should be free to work in a supportive program environment as part of a program work team or pursue employment in the competitive marketplace. And, these organizations should receive the resources needed to support the right of people with disabilities to live and work as each chooses.

The writer is president of the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation.

Warsaw sports a superb but inexpensive transportation system, with constantly arriving trams and buses, augmented by a fast, modern train and underground system. The many people we met in Warsaw were friendly, and most speak English, the younger people almost fluently. We enjoyed homemade pierogies with a host of different fillings and sauces, plus cabbage rolls (known as "galumpkis" in the Detroit Polish neighborhood of my childhood), and lody ice cream, among the best I've ever tasted. A friend with whom we were traveling wondered how the Polish managed to stay so svelte given the comfort-food diet.

Go see Warsaw — the many English-style parks are beautiful; historic buildings do exist; the people are friendly; the prices are ridiculously low, and you'll get some of the best ice cream you've ever eaten.