Metropolitan Center for Independent Living

08/06/2026

"We are guided by the immutable laws of humanity, which are self-evident, universal, and serve as the basis of a constitutional society in that call to advancing freedom, safety, fairness, human dignity, and the work of caring for one another in pursuit of solving the direct care crisis, transforming the healthcare system and society"

Thank you to MSN for the honor of including MCIL Executive Director Jesse Bethke Gomez among their Top 10 Leading Men in 2026. This honor recognizes the work of MCIL in solving the direct care workforce shortage crisis.

Read Top 10 Leading Men in 2026 on the MSN website:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/top-10-leading-men-in-2026/ar-AA29pqFc

07/15/2026

Important Update: The Disability Pride Festival has been postponed due to an extreme heat warning on Thursday. Thank you for continuing to care for one another. We will be celebrating disability pride together soon.

With gratitude,

ACT

07/14/2026

ADA Minnesota & Metropolitan Center for Independent Living were honored to attend, participate and share information at the 2026 Special Olympics Games Unified Work Summit! The Unified Work Summit “is a call to action addressing the critical employment gap within the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) community.” Check out The Unified Work Playbook (PDF) which indicates critical resources and information for employers and disabled job seekers:

https://assets.2026specialolympicsusagames.org/bb/2a/79e1d7b54b40bf1ca7eef5665bd2/unified-work-playbook.pdf

07/02/2026

As the Primary Care Medical Director for the University of Washington Long COVID Clinic, Dr. Nikki Gentile supports patients and also studies the effects of long COVID, focusing on pain. Click the link below for a comic strip from Public Health - Seattle & King County sharing some of the challenges facing patients and offering suggestions to help patients manage symptoms:

In this comic strip, a clinician at the UW Long COVID Clinic shares her experiences supporting patients whose lives have been upended by long COVID. She also shares advice about what can help.

06/30/2026

The State of Minnesota is in the process of drafting a revised Olmstead Plan. You can read a draft of the plan and learn more about it here: Plan Update / Minnesota Olmstead Implementation Office The Minnesota Olmstead Implementation Office (OIO) explains that the Olmstead Plan aims to ensure that d...

06/22/2026

Today, June 22nd, ADA Minnesota recognizes the 27th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W.

This precedential decision was premised on the Americans with Disabilities Act, and held that people with disabilities must be placed in “community settings rather than in institutions when the State's treatment professionals have determined that community placement is appropriate, the transfer from institutional care to a less restrictive setting is not opposed by the affected individual, and the placement can be reasonably accommodated, taking into account the resources available to the State and the needs of others.”

Learn more on the ADA Minnesota website:

https://mcil-mn.org/27th-anniversary-of-the-olmstead-decision/

05/29/2026

Join us for a statewide conversation to improve awareness, support, and community-driven solutions for post-viral chronic conditions such as long COVID.

05/01/2026

MCIL had a surprise visitor yesterday! After the ribbon cutting for the new Aldi across the street, we were honored to host Mayor Kaohly Her at our building to tell her more about our mission to advance the independent living of people with disabilities by removing barriers and promoting choices.

Our staff was thrilled to meet you, and our Executive Director, Jesse Bethke Gomez, welcomes you to MCIL!

04/30/2026

MCIL had a great time yesterday at the 2026 Disability Advocacy Day at the Capitol! Thanks to The Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities along with numerous other disability organizations for making this happen. It was inspiring to see so many people gathered to advocate for disability rights.

04/24/2026

It's World Immunization Week!

Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives since 1974 — not by accident, but because ordinary people made the decision to protect themselves, their children and one another.

That’s 6 lives every minute, every day, for more than 5 decades. Vaccines work!

Your decision makes a difference. Get vaccinated.