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The Minnesota Council on Disability has dedicated a new high-tech, fully accessible conference room to a fierce advocate for disabled people, Margot Imdieke Cross. The room, in an office building on the corner of Snelling and University Avenues in St. Paul, features numerous accessibility components.
“We have special toileting equipment that allows people to be here for longer periods of time without needing to bring additional people to support their needs,” said David Dively, Minnesota Council on Disability executive director. “We have special assisted listening devices that help people with various kinds of hard of hearing or deafness that don’t use sign language."
In addition, the first-floor conference room features specialized video monitors.
“We’ve configured the screens so that people who are joining remotely and people who are in the office watching the people remotely can all see each other,” Dively said. “If any of them use sign language, we can actually zoom in on that.”
In 35 years with the council, Imdieke Cross helped make Minnesota more accessible at state parks, major sports venues, the State Capitol and many other places.
At an event announcing the dedication, several speakers talked about Imdieke Cross’ commitment. Although she was known as a fierce advocate who always carried a measuring tape to make sure spaces met accessibility requirements, she was also known for her persuasion skills.
“It wasn’t just her dedication that got her noticed, that got her attention, that made her so effective,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon, who got to know her when he was a legislator. “She knew how to work with people, not to make them adversaries or enemies, but to sway them to her point of view.”
For now, the new conference room will be available only to state workers, but Dively says it will eventually become available to the public.
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