The kinds of stories that were doing speak directly to the people in our community.

You know, I spent most of my time out in the field.

I write about people who are vulnerable in our society.

I feel like if I don't get out there and actually talk to these folks, their stories will never get out.

Minnesota had been a leader in service is for the disabled in the state years ago, but it fell behind way.

Owe it to the state, and we owe it to our readers to devote some resource is to this way traveled all over Minnesota from the Iron Range down southwest corner of the state Way found out we had over 12,000 people in these sheltered workshops, more than any other state where they were earning, in some cases less than a dollar an hour.

20,000 Minnesotans consigned the living in remote, isolated places far from their loved ones and families who are waiting months, sometimes years, to get the financial support they needed to lead ordinary lives.

WeII kept hearing over and over again.

We're stuck stuck, stuck.

Minnesota got stuck.

People got stuck as they began to hone.

Their reporting vision was clear for all of us that we had a really robust story series of stories.

We found that we relied on Children.

Workshops more than almost any other state were more group homes than any other state.

People were being denied their civil rights on a very large scale.

Life choices that we all take for granted, where to live, where to work, who you conform, loving, lasting relationships with that was all being denied.

A community of people who have been pushed to the side of our society.

Let's bring them back into the middle and let them tell the story every job I do.

I do believe that wonderful person, wonderful worker deuce A doing is more like a label.

The reader reaction was like nothing I've ever experienced.

Governor stood up and said Way need to reform the system.

Lawmakers stepped up and said, We need to do better and families came forward and told us This is what I've been living.

Thank you for telling the story, you know, Matter of dignity was viewed as the beginning of this focus of ours around civil rights for people with disabilities.