State Representative David Bly, District 25B

Bridge Square in Northfield has always been a place for the local community to gather to observe many social events. On Thursday, June 19, once again people from all around gathered to take part in the “Taste of Northfield.” Local chefs and owners of restaurants provided people with a sample of their culinary fare. I came early to visit with members of the community and from my perspective everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We are lucky to have a place like Bridge Square to use as a center of attention.

Not far from Bridge Square is the Northfield Library. While the vast majority of people were enjoying the “Taste of Northfield” festivities, Sen. Kevin Dahle, Rep. Shelly Madore , and myself hosted a forum on Special Education for special needs children. Nowhere near the amount of people attended this forum as did the “Taste of Northfield,” none-the-less the attendees here were all families of children with special needs, such as autism, handicapped, Cerebral Palsy, blindness, to name a few.

During this event, a young girl by the name of Erin Carlson-Donohoe, who happens to be a huge girls’ basketball fan, read a letter written by our own Brianna Zable, current record holder of career points scored at Northfield High School, given to her a year ago. Erin cherishes this letter like you or I would an autograph signature by Babe Ruth. Erin talked about her experiences as the manager of the girls’ basketball team and her adoration of Bri. Few people will go through life and be fortunate enough to have the positive impact on an individual’s life that Bri has had on Erin’s.

Many other parents attending talked about the challenges their children face every day. They discussed problems they encountered with certain programs and evaluations they are required to complete for their children. They expressed concerns about a “no accountability” policy at the county level. Incidentally and according to Rep. Madore, Dakota County has a very well designed and more adequate funded procedure in place for special needs families. Parents talked about the “lack of funding” response they receive when they try to discuss their concerns regarding their children’s education. Although I understand that lack of funding will always be a roadblock, we must adopt a more positive attitude to address these concerns and how we can make consistent small strides rather than none at all.

In upcoming blogs I intend to discuss more and more the challenges some of these individual families face and why we must address their needs. Each and every one of these mentally challenged individuals is different. Many of you know one or more families that have a son or daughter with disabilities. My hope through this forum will be to make members of this community more aware of the challenges they face.

Instead of having these forums in a secluded room at the Library, we should reconsider and have them in Bridge Square. Making this a social event will provide the community the opportunity to meet the families and the children. I am convinced that when you meet them you will understand their frustrations and their joys.

A society is judged on how it treats its most vulnerable. It is important we show that everyone matters and that we care about creating opportunities for all to participate in our community and contribute in ways they can.