Disability and Progress-November 6, 2025-Zamya Theater!

[00:00:00] Speaker A: KPI.org. [00:01:00] Speaker B: Greetings. You're tuned to KFAI 90.3 FM, Minneapolis, and kfei.org this is Disability in Progress. I'm Sam Jasmin. [00:01:10] Speaker C: I'm Charlene Dahl. [00:01:12] Speaker B: Disability in Progress brings you insights into ideas about and discussions on disability topics. We want to remind you that if you'd like to be on our email list, you may email me at disabilityandprogressamjasmon.com to give us your feedback and who you'd like to hear and topics that you're interested in hearing in the future. Well, we have a plethora of people in the studio tonight, and I want to thank you guys for coming in and giving us your time to educate us on Zamnia Theater and also on your play, Living in America. The waiting list is full. I want you each to please introduce yourselves and tell me just a brief summary about you. And also for the first couple times that you talk, make sure you tell people this is so and so so that they get to know your voice. I'd like to start with Esther. [00:02:10] Speaker D: Hi, I'm Esther and I am one of the directors of the show. [00:02:17] Speaker B: And tell me about you. [00:02:20] Speaker D: Well, I work with Zamnia Theater Project. I've been an actor and performer and dancer in the Twin Cities for a long time, for about 45 years. And I'm also a grandma. [00:02:35] Speaker C: And. [00:02:37] Speaker D: That'S it. [00:02:40] Speaker B: Actually, she's modest. I know there's so much more because there was. Okay, next. [00:02:49] Speaker A: I'm Caroline Manheimer and I am in the show. I've been with Zamia for 17, 18 years. I'm originally from New Jersey and New York City. I was a visual artist. I went to art school in New York and then I came out here and discovered the theater bug and never left. I'm a playwright, director, songwriter, visual artist and performer. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Excellent. [00:03:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:03:22] Speaker B: Next. [00:03:25] Speaker E: Yeah. My name is Gerald Blackbird. I'm from Thermopolis, Wyoming. I'm from the Wind River Reservation. I'm on Northern Plains of Arapaho, and I've been with Zombie now for three years. And I'm an actor. And I do say that they are a very, very down earth team. And I cannot say the better opportunity that they can make somebody happy and come back for more and more. [00:03:48] Speaker B: Excellent. Last but certainly not least. [00:03:54] Speaker C: My name's Shannon. I am from everywhere. I grew up in Honolulu, moved to Ohio, and then kind of lived everywhere and I ended up in Minneapolis about 14 years ago and struggled for a while, but then I found Zamia and I've been with them for about eight years now. [00:04:19] Speaker B: I'm still back in Honolulu figuring why you'd ever leave. [00:04:23] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. It was horrible. And then the middle of Ohio is where we went to, so. [00:04:30] Speaker B: That sounds horrible. Yes, yes. Is that it? Everyone else? There's no one else, right? [00:04:37] Speaker A: That's us. [00:04:38] Speaker E: That's it, yeah. [00:04:39] Speaker B: All right. [00:04:40] Speaker D: Well, there's a lot more where we came from, though. [00:04:43] Speaker B: How big of a group is Zamya? [00:04:46] Speaker D: We have a troop of 12 troop members and a staff of three. Oh, four now there's a four person staff, but we have lots and lots of circles of people that join us as participants. [00:05:04] Speaker C: Right now in this play, I think we have the troop members, the inner troop members who have been with Zwami for a long time. And then we have people that have attended our workshops that we have at the library, and there's what, 12 of them, and we have 12 people that came to our workshops and wanted to be a part of this. [00:05:22] Speaker B: Cool. Tell me a little bit about Zamia and their mission and how it got started. [00:05:30] Speaker E: Well, basically, what I learned from Zamia, from them, is we're a group of people that got together and some of us were homelessness, some of us weren't. And our biggest thing was to start a critical being of a show that we can do and release our passion, our rights of human beings. Talk about it and be about it and show others of not to be shy. Open up your heart, open up your eyes, open up your heart and soul and just be who you are and have fun at it. That's all it's about. Have fun at it. [00:06:07] Speaker D: So our. Our mission statement is that we use the powerful combination of lived experience and artistic expression to inspire communities to work towards housing justice. [00:06:21] Speaker E: Great. [00:06:24] Speaker B: Living in America. The waiting list is full. Looks at the systems that shape where and how we live. So how does disability show up in those stories? [00:06:42] Speaker C: You want to take this? [00:06:44] Speaker A: Go ahead. [00:06:44] Speaker C: I'll take some of it. I'll take some of it. And then Caroline will speak. Disability comes up a lot in the show because it comes a lot up a lot in life. And there's not as many places for people who do have disabilities. So it's already difficult to get into housing, whether it's Housing first or Section 8 or however. But if you have a disability, that makes it even more complicated because you have to have special workers. There has to be certain aspects of the apartment that you're going to be in that are for accessibility. So it makes it a lot more complicated. [00:07:26] Speaker A: Caroline and as for the show, we have several people with disabilities. We have a woman who is part of our troop who has lost her sight and she's performing. And we have someone with autism. I believe there's an autistic diagnosis there. And we have someone who had gotten lead poisoning as a child. And so she's got some challenges. They're great. They're, like, super great. And I wrote a piece on, you know, some disabilities you can't see. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Yes. Hidden disabilities. [00:08:11] Speaker D: Yes. [00:08:11] Speaker A: And I wrote a piece. I was kind of stuck. And my therapist. Yes, I see a therapist. I don't mind it. I don't mind you admitting that. Trust me. You want me to. No, I'm kidding. Anyway, she said, why don't you write about how you get all in your head, and, you know, how your inner voice is just telling you how you cannot do it, and it's so bad that I paralyze myself, and it's really bad. So I did, and I wrote a piece that's really kind of right in the middle of this show, and it's called Analysis Paralysis. And I play the inner voice. Shannon plays the person trying to find a caseworker to get her name on the waiting list for housing. And then we have a woman named Jada who's playing the. All different people who answer the phone. [00:09:08] Speaker B: So that sounds like, you know, going into my next question about, you know, how the production explores barriers faced, you know, by people with disabilities, and when it comes to finding safe and affordable places to live. How. How do you. Is that addressed at all in the show? [00:09:31] Speaker D: Well, I would say it's not. We tell the stories of the individuals who are in the show. So the show is. The script is a conglomeration of people's stories. So while it doesn't. Its intent is not to address disability because there are people in the show who have disabilities. Their stories are there. [00:10:06] Speaker E: Yeah, I'm gonna peek. Back off. What Esther said, what you're asking. Basically, my story is about depression. I've had it as a kid growing up. I still have it, and I have struggled with it, but I don't let it get the best of me. And the whole thing about my story is about what life gave to me as a child growing up on my reservation, the struggles that went through it. Also suicide, not having a home, not having electricity, running water. You know, just natural things for human being to have, for the house at home. And also no schooling what may be. And no food. Well, I'll come to that. It's really hard to say of how you can get out of something by yet not doing drugs or alcohol. Today I'm 15 years sober, so I can say that something in my head, something in my soul, that I can break that cycle and become something better, not only for myself, but for the others out there that are seeing what my life is all about on the path of sobriety. [00:11:03] Speaker B: Well, congratulations. I do know that is not always easily accomplished, so that can. Good for you. [00:11:12] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:11:14] Speaker B: So the play uses, you know, humor and music and real stories, as you said. How do those create elements to help illuminate serious topics like accessibility and equality? [00:11:34] Speaker A: I feel like everyone's looking at me because I'm the dark humor writer. I feel like it can be a really heavy topic. So I don't know if you want to take a date and go, let's go see a play about homelessness. But actually, we are really entertaining because we can slip humor into it. Because life is funny. It just is. Even in the worst situations, you can find humor. At least I can and I do. So I do use a lot of humor. And I'm also a songwriter, so I've written a lot of songs for Zamya as well. [00:12:13] Speaker D: The show's actually pretty funny. [00:12:14] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. [00:12:15] Speaker D: It's lots of funny parts in it. Yes. [00:12:17] Speaker B: For such a serious topics with some. [00:12:22] Speaker A: People, like with Renita, it's like in the delivery, it's so funny and it's maybe not appropriate to laugh, but I can't help it sometimes. [00:12:33] Speaker C: Can I say one thing about that? I feel that with topics that we bring up, they are so intense and heavy and controversial that without bringing some humor into it, people are going to be weighed down with it and maybe not even want to see the whole thing or not be able to receive the information and hold on to it without that humor. And also, I really don't think you can get through life without being able to laugh at yourself and laugh at, you know, the screwed upness of, you know, life sometimes. You know, I don't know how anyone can get through without being able to laugh at that. But yeah, without humor, I don't think our message would, you know, it wouldn't land. I wouldn't land. What we really want is to bring about that awareness about, you know, housing inequity and instability. And we want that message to stick. [00:13:28] Speaker A: And I feel like Zamya kind of has a reputation of doing, you know, using humor, but also teaching lessons. [00:13:36] Speaker D: I think there's also a way when an audience can laugh with the performers. There's a way that it unites. It breaks the barriers between the performer and the audience. And in this case, it's not only breaking the barrier, you know, the sort of fourth wall there, but it also is. It's crossing a boundary between people who are housed and are perhaps unhoused. And so while the people on stage are perhaps people who some of the people in the audience may or may not ever encounter in their social lives, this brings us together socially. The laughter helps us come together socially. [00:14:21] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:14:23] Speaker E: And in my culture, it means that if you tease and pick on somebody and you make them laugh, that means you're doing something right in your heart. [00:14:30] Speaker B: What do you hope audiences, especially those who may not have lived these experiences, take away from this show? [00:14:41] Speaker E: Well, me personally, I want audiences to see that no matter what a person goes through in their lifetime, that they still have a heart, we still have a mind, and we still have our wits on us about who we are as individuals. And I want people to really see what we're about, of who we are and what we show those where we come from as individuals. [00:15:08] Speaker B: Anybody? Anybody else? [00:15:12] Speaker A: What was the question? [00:15:14] Speaker B: What do you want audiences to take away from this show? [00:15:18] Speaker A: Oh, well, I always hope that people will leave knowing a little more, maybe being able to put a face to things. But this show really kind of delves into our backgrounds and what brought us to where we are most of. Most of it. Not all of it, but we also hit on some global responses to homelessness and lack of affordable housing, like how they do it in other parts of the world and some history. And then the more personal stories are more growing up in public housing type stories like that. Mine's the only one that I can think of that's more esoteric as opposed to background. But I hope people leave. I always hope people leave thinking, you know what? We're all just a paycheck away, or most of us are, and it could happen anyway. [00:16:14] Speaker B: We're discovering it now. [00:16:16] Speaker A: Yes, we sure are. Yeah. And, you know, it can happen to anybody. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It just. It's. It just is. [00:16:23] Speaker C: May I said something about the question you just asked? Okay. So what I hope is people realize that people hear these buzzwords like affordable housing and, you know, Section 8 and all of this stuff that sounds great when you hear the words, but when the reality of it is explained. Affordable housing, who is it actually affordable to? None of us. You know, the poverty line is quite low, and affordable housing is way more than that. And it is. I don't know if people are aware that just because these buildings came up and they say they're affordable housing, I don't know who they're trying to tailor that to. And I don't think a lot of people realize that. And I don't think a lot of people realize that. Yeah, sure, you got approved for housing and you're on a waiting list, but that might be eight years away before you get in. [00:17:21] Speaker B: So. So I want to step back to something you said in regards to affordable housing. Because that term affordable is in the eye of the beholder. [00:17:30] Speaker C: Right? [00:17:31] Speaker B: So who's it. I like what you said. Who is it affordable to? Is there anybody who knows here like what a general cost is of what they're saying is affordable housing and how does that work? Is it income based? Is it, you know how supposed to be? Anybody want to enlighten me and everyone else? [00:17:51] Speaker C: I can because I'm actually kind of in that position and mine is barely affordable because of what I'm supposed to pay with my income. But like a one bedroom for affordable housing is anywhere from like 1050 to like 1600 for a one bedroom. [00:18:12] Speaker B: I thought that was like a regular one bedroom. [00:18:14] Speaker C: That's exactly. That's what it. That is, that is a regular. But that is like my, my rent is a thousand one fifty and prior I was only paying a small percentage and then housing first was paying the rest. And the county gets. I don't know where they get their information, but because of a mistake like my rent ended up going up to where I was paying almost. I was paying 800 and I don't even make that in a month. [00:18:44] Speaker B: So how are you doing that? [00:18:45] Speaker C: Well, I'm. Right now I have an eviction coming up on the 28th. So my sage manager and director actually made a gofundme because of this. But I am getting it corrected with the county. But I'm not the only one that's going through this. This is so many people that this happens to. And the poverty line I think is like what is it, like eleven hundred dollars or twelve hundred maybe? Do you know right now? [00:19:15] Speaker D: I don't know what it is right now, but I do know that the poverty line was based on the, the, the price of groceries, not the price of housing. And so as the price of housing inflated, it didn't move at the same rate as the price of groceries. And so the poverty line is not based on housing. [00:19:35] Speaker C: Housing. Yeah, even though eggs are $7. It's crazy, but it's only like people who do get housing support through the county or certain organizations. It's only supposed to be a certain percentage of your income. But we're like in this play we're looking at other countries where it's like only 10 of your income instead of 30 or 40 or places that just have mass public housing and they have figured it out. So why can't we? [00:20:08] Speaker E: Hmm. [00:20:08] Speaker B: There is a big question about why can't we. [00:20:12] Speaker C: Right. [00:20:14] Speaker B: This piece was created with people who have lived the experiences that you guys are living with homelessness or housing insecurities. And so what did that collaborative process look like for you guys? [00:20:31] Speaker C: Good. [00:20:32] Speaker D: Well, we hold workshops every. We've been doing this, I think we started in 2018 every Tuesday morning at the Central Library downtown at 8:30 in the morning on Tuesdays. Come join us if you want to. Everybody's welcome. And so we do these like 12 week sessions that culminate in some kind of sharing. And so like two years ago our theme was public housing. And through a series of like people writing, people telling stories, playing games that brought in material, improvisational exercises that brought in material. We compiled a bunch of stories. Some of them are specifically through interviews with people like Caroline said she wrote us more of a like a play, a fictional but based on her experience. So it's a series of these short. In the original cast there were 26 people because it was all the library participants. And we put it together in 12 weeks and performed it once on the stage and pull that auditorium down the library. And then we've now we're refining that script and have less than half the amount of cast for cast. [00:22:09] Speaker B: So how did you make sure that like rehearsals and storytelling spaces were accessible to cast members and people with disabilities? [00:22:19] Speaker D: It's definitely a challenge. We rehearse in the at the library and at Plymouth Congregational Church, both which are accessible spaces. I would say it's definitely a challenge working with actors with disabilities. There's a lot of needs that are specific and we have a very small staff. We are always trying to figure out what can we do to provide the support that's needed in order to help have it easy for people to come to the rehearsals. And each individual needs something different. [00:23:04] Speaker E: Absolutely. [00:23:05] Speaker B: I want to ask about something that you address in the write up of your play and it talks about the one, one of several things, but three specific things that you try to address is what is public housing, why is public housing? And why is the wait list so full? So does anybody want to address this? [00:23:30] Speaker E: Yes, I do. Specifically I want to go back to my people before the colonization of what's going on today. Look at the native Indians, look at the blacks, look at the Mexicans, look at all the minorities when they were here in America and how they were asked to live in America to be free and whatnot, and also build housing and have a teepee or have a tent or it may be to live in mother earth nature under her background, but yet now, today you have to have money to live somewhere, to have affordable housing. What does that word really mean to anybody who knows that? Question is, how can we defy that and how can we uplift it and make it something to where? Make it a right for individual to have their own housing, to live in it and be free and not to be questioned about it. And that's what I think about that. [00:24:17] Speaker B: Anybody else? [00:24:17] Speaker D: Well, I always like to tell this story because I'm old enough to have looked for housing at a time when the waiting list wasn't always insanely full. And so I know that that is possible if we willed it and really wanted that, that we could make the waiting list not full like that. So I. This was probably, I don't know how many years. Well, let's see. My daughter is 38. So about 38 years ago, there was. Here on the west bank, there was a lot of new. What was at those times was called co op housing, but it was public housing. [00:25:01] Speaker B: Okay. [00:25:02] Speaker D: So it was new construction and the waiting list was three weeks. [00:25:06] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Yes. [00:25:08] Speaker D: I knew a lot of people who lived. A lot of people who lived here in the west bank and those public. And I was. As we started to do this project, I was like, well, what happened? What happened to those? Why isn't that model still being used? And was told that there just wasn't funding to maintain that housing. There was funding to build it and get it out there, but not to. [00:25:33] Speaker B: You still had to pay, right? [00:25:35] Speaker D: I did, but it was Section eight. [00:25:38] Speaker B: I mean, it was much less. [00:25:40] Speaker D: Yeah, well, also, things were less expensive in those days. [00:25:44] Speaker B: Well, yes, this is true. [00:25:45] Speaker A: And there were less people here. [00:25:47] Speaker B: Yes, that's true, too. So I'm wondering why you guys think if you could speak to why it's important to have people with disabilities shape and perform these stories rather than having someone speak for you. [00:26:07] Speaker C: Well, I mean, I think it's important because I struggle with, you know, a lot of unseen disabilities. Plus I have a few physical ones. But I want my voice to be heard because it's my voice, it's my story. And these people, they're no different than anyone else except they, you know, we need a few extra things, you know what I mean? But we're no different, so why can't we speak for ourselves? And I think it brings back someone's like dignity and someone's pride and someone's strength to say their own words with their own voice in front of an audience. So I think it's more powerful to the audience and to the performer to do their own, their own thing. Especially about accessibility when so many people are unaware that, you know, like interpreters should be so much more easy to come by and accessibility should be something that is just already there. It shouldn't even have to be asked for. Like at the conference this year, you know, that was full of non profits for all over the state, you know, about homelessness and everything else. Me and my boss at Agate, we actually started an accessibility program because they didn't have one prior to that. So we had a quiet room for people that got overstimulated and had sensory issues. We had to make sure wheelchairs could fit through all of the doors that people would go into to listen to speakers. We got it to where there would be captions like that would come over the phone and on the screen for when speakers were there. And there is an interpreter for every session. And we also had people that were just there to help people not get overwhelmed trying to find something. We had earplugs, fidget toys, you know, eye masks, whatever was needed. And that had never been implemented before. And it's, you know, it's non profits for all over the state. It's huge. There's a ton of people so now every year and as well as Homeless day on the Hill, we're going to be doing that and try to keep improving. And we're always asking for input on how to do it better. I don't know, I just, ever since doing that for the conference, I feel really passionate about the accessibility thing. And I feel that some people with disabilities are looked at as not as capable or whatever. And that's total crap, right? And I feel like we should be the ones that are saying, yeah, we're just as capable and maybe even more, you know, it's just we need the chance to say it and to be heard and to be seen. So that's why I think that's important. Sorry, I went off on a tangent. I'm sorry, but awesome. [00:29:02] Speaker A: I, I feel like this is Caroline. I forgot to do that. I take direction sort of well. I. She just kind of triggered some Things we. What was a couple of years ago, we did a whole thing about rural homelessness, which we call invisible homelessness. And I feel like there is a little bit of invisibility to people with disabilities, and it shouldn't be the case. And one of my favorite things about Zamia is to see people come to our workshops for the first time and see how withdrawn and insecure and not happy and see them keep coming, and week by week, just blossom to the point where it's just like a whole nother person almost. I mean, I can speak for myself. I can speak for Jerry. I watched him blossom. Shannon, too. It's just a beautiful thing. And I think people just want to be heard. And people with disabilities have more stories than most. And I'm a storyteller, so that's my thing. [00:30:11] Speaker C: A good life is not a good story. [00:30:15] Speaker A: True. Very, very true. That's why we're so good at storytelling. [00:30:20] Speaker C: A bad life is a good story. [00:30:23] Speaker A: We're very fun at parties. [00:30:24] Speaker C: Then the. You know, coming out and changing it all, like, that's how it's supposed to end. You struggle, and then you. You overcome, and you show people, like, I can do everything, if not better, so, you know, kick rocks. And that's how I feel. And that's what I feel like is being said by many of the people that we have in our shows. And myself, like, you know, I've been judged. I've been looked down upon, you know, not. I'm not equal, and I'm not capable, and I'm underneath everyone. And I just, you know, when I first started, I still felt like that. But at this point, it's, you know, my bad story. I mean, my bad life became a good story that had a good ending, so. And that's happening for a lot of people, I think. [00:31:08] Speaker A: So, yeah. [00:31:08] Speaker C: It's becoming more recognized that disability is just. It's a thing that happens in life like everything else, and there are ways to make it easier for people. And anyone that even that doesn't have a disability needs certain things to have the kind of life they want to live. So why not everybody? And this is Shannon. So I keep going off on tangents. Sorry. But, yeah, I mean, that's how I feel. [00:31:35] Speaker B: I'm wondering if somebody could talk about what systematic changes you hoped, you know, this conversation will spark by this play and what might inspire, you know, especially around accessibility and inclusion. [00:31:51] Speaker E: Yeah. Jerry, you want to say that this play, hopefully that it gets to somebody out there in the world or in the shows we've gone to for the six shows we'll be doing that somebody out there can actually get inspiration from who we are as individuals, get a storytelling. They can tell something to other people about who we are and they can also create their own little story in their own little world or in their own little town, our city, or it may be. And they can also create something inspiring for themselves and show the world that hey, if they can do it, we can do it too. Come on now, let's get together. [00:32:26] Speaker C: This is what I'm thinking. I think that our, our play will hopefully be seen by someone who works in the Capitol. And it'll either a legislator will end up coming or someone who knows the legislator and you know, they can start writing bills that get passed that actually make affordable housing affordable for everybody and make it so when housing is accessible to anyone with disabilities or not and with low income and that it's not an eight year wait to get into Section 8 and you don't get kicked out for having your cousin stay for a night. Like there's just so much that is wrong with it that needs to be addressed. And I don't think the people that need to hear this are hearing it. And that's the message that needs to get out, is there are things that need to change if it's changed everywhere else. We're supposed to be the richest, smartest, brightest, most forward thinking country out there. So how are we so backwards right now? [00:33:34] Speaker A: I feel like a lot of them do come to our shows, but they come for photo ops. They don't actually do anything afterwards. [00:33:42] Speaker B: So, Esther, I would like to address you for this next one, especially because you've been doing this, what, 40 years teaching and. [00:33:52] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:33:52] Speaker B: So you're fairly sorry, didn't mean to point that out there, but you have, you have vast experience with this and I'm wondering, I just want to address the climate, the climate now, the political climate now is so different probably than any time in our lives that any of us right now who are alive could remember in regards to not just homelessness, but to people with disabilities or people who are lower income, even in many cases middle income. So I feel like the legislation and Congress is so far removed from this. For you as a teacher, where, where are you with this? What, what do you think can be done to kind of bring their awareness? It's not enough, right, for them to see the show because they can go home to their nice houses and they don't have to think about it anymore. So what do you think needs to happen? To. [00:35:12] Speaker D: That's a big question. And I don't know that I have the solution. How I address it is by doing work like this. That's my part in addressing it. I do think that as a young adult, I could not have imagined that this country would come to the place that it currently is. It was kind of unimaginable. [00:35:51] Speaker B: Yet here we are. [00:35:52] Speaker D: And I think that, you know, I really love working with children. I love working with Zami, but I also really love working with children because they're still. And in a lot of ways I feel like if we can raise children who are compassionate and well loved and nurtured, that that's our, perhaps our salvation at this time. I just feel like this country is so backwards and inside out that I don't know. I don't have an answer to that. I know that the reason that I love why I turn to art is because it can make people feel. And that without a heart that feels, nothing can change. [00:36:46] Speaker B: That is correct. Yeah. [00:36:48] Speaker C: I do have a bit of an idea, and it's just a small one. And it's just because at my other job, it's something that we do and that's at the end of every, like, public speaking gig that I do. We tell the folks and hand them, you know, a pamphlet of how to get involved. Like if they want to try to get involved in how to start that. Like whether it's donating or packing, you know, some little bagged treats to hand out or, you know, supplies that people are going to need throughout the winter if they're homeless and hand out all the resource information. And there's people like psp, people serving people. They always need volunteers to serve lunch. We just opened a new shelter for women with agate and we need people to help with meals. I mean, there's so many ways to get involved, even to do little things. Like the little things do become big things and the big things make changes and the more people that are in it are going to continue to learn about it and hopefully get inspired to do more. So, yeah, it's the work we do. [00:37:55] Speaker D: I also wonder if this country could crack the nut of public housing if we could eradicate homelessness so we don't have to be doing all those acts. If we can get people housed, if we can look towards models of other parts of the world where public housing, where people are housed, where poor people live in homes, and where poor people are integrated into the culture at large rather than pushed aside into little areas of the city own their homes. Yeah, and have home ownership and live in community and live in multi diversified income communities that. Yeah. That we wouldn't have to keep wondering how we're going to create enough shelters for people. [00:38:47] Speaker B: I wonder if you have statistics on there's. I mean, obviously not everyone who's homeless has a disability. Not everyone who has a disability is homeless. But is there any statistics on how large of a homeless population has disabilities? [00:39:09] Speaker E: I say I started the veterans myself personally. It's Jerry once again. And it goes on down from there to the minorities, goes to the children, goes to people with disabilities, people build wheelchairs, people that can't talk, people that can't see, people that can only function by listening but can't talk, people that can't move their bodies. It all goes with people that have people that have families that are vulnerable and they can't speak for themselves. And so they put them in a hospital that even more worse for them. So now they're paying insurance bills and emptying bills just to keep that child alive. What not. Because they can't speak for themselves. So it goes best basically back to family values of who you are as an individual and what you really are inside of you. Like what has your parents taught you basically about what life is all about for you are and when you grow up and how you can learn and adapt to doing things by having strategies, but yet learning that strategies and overcoming your coexistence of being that individual. [00:40:10] Speaker A: I have an answer. Okay, so there is nothing specific for Minnesota, but the data suggests that a significant portion of the state's homeless population has a disability. I happen to know that 95% of homelessness homeless people, whether it's chronic homelessness or temporary, have had child trauma. So that's 95%. That's an insane amount. But this says 60% with a serious mental illness and 48% with a chronic physical health condition, which is half. That's quite more than I thought it would be, to be honest. [00:40:53] Speaker D: One other thing that is kind of interesting. I've been told that if you are in shelter, and I'm sure this is true, if you're living unhoused out of shelter as well, that legally you should be covered by the ADA because you are a vulnerable adult. But we do not function as if that were true. But legally it is so. And in other states there have been legal actions that have protected and given services to people who are unhoused, recognizing them as vulnerable adults who are protected by the ada. We tried to do this some years back here and we couldn't get cooperation from people that needed to be doing it with us. [00:41:53] Speaker A: I think about the different shelters that we've done workshops in many, many different shelters throughout the greater Minnesota area and mostly Minneapolis. And always I'll meet at least a few people with disabilities and my heart breaks also the seniors, which is the largest growing group of homeless to have to navigate the shelter system with already, you know, a handicap like that is just. I can't even imagine how strong they have to be to do that. And I know we have tried personally to help people who we've met through workshops to get them out of specific shelters that are just don't seem safe for them. [00:42:44] Speaker C: And it's youth and elderly is the fastest growing population, which is so unfortunate. And a lot of people do. They go into homelessness and they end up getting a disability while homeless. They don't take care of a lot of health issues because of problems that they had at hospitals with doctors being mistreated because they were homeless or you know, didn't look clean or maybe addicted. So they don't want to go to hospitals, they don't want to have things treated. And that can turn into. I knew a gentleman who had like some kind of spot on his brain and it was a tumor and whatever it was pressing on ended up doing something to his eyes and he was unable to see and he did not go in for it and he is blind now. [00:43:34] Speaker A: It's really hard to take your medication religiously like some people really need to when you're trying to figure out how you're going to get a roof over your head. [00:43:43] Speaker B: Right? [00:43:44] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:45] Speaker B: Well, living in America, the waiting list is full. Is your play tell me where, when, what dates? How much? [00:43:55] Speaker A: How much? [00:43:56] Speaker E: November 13th at preview shows at 1:00 o' clock to 3 and then night shows from 6 to 7:30 at the library. First show. [00:44:05] Speaker D: That's the opening show, the preview. I'm going to correct you for a second, Jerry. The Preview is at 2 at the Central Library and the opening of the show is at 6. [00:44:15] Speaker B: 6. [00:44:15] Speaker A: Yep. [00:44:16] Speaker C: And we have six shows, correct? [00:44:18] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:44:18] Speaker E: Y and then there's two more at 325. 825. 825 Arts and off of Victoria University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Then there's going to be one at a old folks home at. What's that going to be? Where's that? [00:44:32] Speaker D: At Emma Norton. [00:44:34] Speaker E: Emma Norton. And then there's going to be another one at the Poland Hall Church on Nicollet. [00:44:41] Speaker D: Westminster church is the 21st and that's open to the public. And the shows at 8:25, which are Saturday and Sunday. What are those dates? They must be 13, 14, 15th, 16th. 16th is a matinee at 3 o'. Clock. The 15th is a 7 o' clock show. [00:45:02] Speaker A: Sliding scale. [00:45:03] Speaker D: Yeah, it's a sliding scale. Anywhere from zero to. I don't even know what the. [00:45:08] Speaker A: Whatever you want. There's no limit. You could have the thousand dollar seats. [00:45:13] Speaker D: So anyways, there's four opportunities, four public opportunities to see the show we're also performing at. But this is not a public show. At Perpich center for the Arts High School. [00:45:24] Speaker B: Can you tell me, is it on your website? How can people find out if they don't, where can they go? [00:45:32] Speaker D: Yes, you can go to our [email protected] and click on the events and it'll be pretty obvious you can. [00:45:43] Speaker A: Or any of our socials too. Yeah, we have all the socials, I think, except TikTok. I don't think we have TikTok. [00:45:49] Speaker B: Tell me, if you guys could leave anybody with some statement that were something that would make a difference, what would you say? [00:46:05] Speaker D: Make a difference in their lives? [00:46:06] Speaker B: Make a difference in homelessness and knowledge of people with disabilities, in what to do for acceptance, anything of that sort. [00:46:17] Speaker E: Yes, Jerry. If anybody out there that has a disability, no matter what, don't let nobody tell you. No, don't let nobody tell you. You can't because you can. And you have the accessibility to move and do things within your heart because you do have voice, you do have eyes and you do have a mouth. You do have ears. Thank you. Aho. [00:46:37] Speaker A: I would say this is Caroline. I would say that as a writer too. Everybody has a story and they're all worthy of being told. And I wish I had enough time in my life to hear all of them and write all of them. [00:46:55] Speaker C: This is Shannon. And one thing I would say was don't hate. Because hate does not create. And that's for anyone who is judgmental or looks down. I mean, if you hate, you're going to be stuck where you're at forever. Because hate does not create. And without creation and creative people, what would there be? No music, no art, no plays, no anything. So you'd be boring, for one. So please don't be boring, don't be judgmental. And you know, be yourself. Because the weirder you are, the cooler I'm gonna like you, for one. But you're interesting. Like people that have quirks or little things. Like, don't hide that. Like you Accept it and embrace it and love it and it's you because you are special and important and be proud of who you are no matter what it is and no matter accessibility issues. Whatever it is like you kick it, but sorry. And you know you can make a change just by talking to somebody. So, yeah, tell your story when anyone's willing to listen. [00:48:05] Speaker A: And all are welcome at Somia. [00:48:07] Speaker C: Yeah, always. Yep. [00:48:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:10] Speaker D: Tuesday mornings, 8:30 at this downtown central library. [00:48:13] Speaker A: I know it's early, but it's worth. [00:48:14] Speaker C: It and it's a lot of fun and we have coffee and sweets, so there you go. [00:48:21] Speaker B: Is there anything you want to ask her? [00:48:24] Speaker C: I appreciate your enthusiasm and your ability to stand up and help because we just don't have people out here that'll help you do Now. [00:48:39] Speaker A: Zamnia Theater Project. Come, come see us. [00:48:42] Speaker B: Well, thank you guys for being on. I appreciate your time. [00:48:46] Speaker A: Thank you for having us. [00:48:47] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:48:47] Speaker C: And everyone come to the show. Thank you so much for having us. [00:48:50] Speaker E: Come check us out. [00:48:52] Speaker B: All right. [00:48:53] Speaker A: Bring a date for Caroline. Speak for yourself, Esther. [00:49:03] Speaker B: This is still KFAI 90.3 FM, Minneapolis and KFAI.org and it has been Disability in Progress. We spoke with Zamya and Theater group who talked about Living in America. The waiting list is full. Their play that is coming up for a handful of days, so please check them out. And if you have any suggestions and want to be on the show or want to talk about topics that should be on the show, please feel free to reach [email protected] Charlene, thanks for coming. [00:49:40] Speaker C: And I think this was one of the better. [00:49:46] Speaker D: Heartfelt groups. [00:49:49] Speaker B: Yes, thank you very much. And this has been Disability in Progress. The views expressed on this show are not necessarily those of KFAI or its board of directors. My name is Sam. I'm the show. I'm the host of this show. Charlene Dahl is my research PR person. We've been speaking with Zamya Group who was partial but not all. Esther, Caroline, Shannon and Jerry. Thank you all for coming on. This is KFAI 90.3 FM, Minneapolis and KFAI.org Again, our email address is disability in progressamjasmond.com thanks for listening. Fresh fruit is up next. Take care. [00:50:50] Speaker A: KPI.org.