Access Press

More than a half a million people with disabilities live in Minnesota. There isn’t a regular disability beat covered in mainstream newsrooms. Yet every year people with disabilities face state cutbacks on much needed assistance, challenges finding care providers, and employers that don’t understand what accommodation means. Parents struggle to get the help they need from schools and the community for their children with mental health, developmental and physical disabilities.

With more than 30 years of providing disability-focused news and information for Minnesota's disability community, Access Press promotes the social inclusion and legal rights of people with disabilities by providing a forum for news, features, opinion and conversation to benefit people who are often invisible and marginalized in mainstream society and the people who care for them.

We have lived experience with disabilities, and are governed by a board of directors representing Minnesota's disability community. We're one of a few multi-disability-focused publications in the United States and we don't do the typical journalism that is patronizing or focused on pity.

Minnesota policy makers rely on Access Press to find out what issues are important to our community. Service providers use Access Press to reach community members.

When you invest in Access Press you are investing in the entire disability community. People with disabilities depend on us. Disability organizations depend on us. We need your help to continue this important work. 

 Your gift will help us build and grow our outreach, online, through social events and through out Minnesota. With your help, we will build a stronger, yet accessible online presence. We will build a social media strategy that will include live features of social media like Twitter Chats and use Instagram’s IGTV, Facebook Live and other social media to extend our presence and offer different ways to access our important journalism, be a part of the conversation on a pressing issue, or learn more about a Bill proposed at the State Capitol. 

Our website will be re-built to include more news and timely information. We will ensure every part of our website is created to be accessible to people with disabilities. We will expand our Twin Cities and greater Minnesota distribution sites and subscriptions with the goal of reaching people wherever they are. 

We will introduce new social and educational events that are accessible and give people with disabilities, as well as the greater disability community, the chance to connect before hearing from current newsmakers and experts on timely issues important to them. 

We are seeking funding to support continued operations. Here are some focused needs.

• $30 pays for a one-year subscription for a reader who cannot otherwise afford our print edition. While much news is online, Access Press still has many readers who rely on a print newspaper. A donation of $30 per year helps those readers get the paper delivered to their homes.
• $150 covers the cost of mailing our newspapers to Greater Minnesota news stands for a month.
• $250 covers the cost of maintaining a Twin Cities area news stand for one year.
• $500 covers our freelance writers and photographers for two issues.
• $1,000 allows us to allows us to begin our Web redesign and expand our offerings online.

Thank you for supporting quality, disability-focused journalism. We use every dollar wisely with a focus of reaching more people with disabilities and the people who love them. Thank you for supporting Access Press!