Out of respect for the community’s safety concerns, the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing has decided to move our traditional biennial Lobby Day from an in-person event to a virtual format. We’ve created an exciting, reimagined online event that will be accessible to community members across the state. We've also changed the name to Civic Engagement Day for this year. 

Here are the details:

When

Monday, March 9, 2026 at scheduled times

Agenda

9:30 – 10:30 am, Legislative Panel
Moderated by Alicia Lane. Legislators to be announced.

10:45 – 11:45 am, Public Policy Update
Presented by Alicia Lane

12:15 – 1:15 pm, Civic Engagement Hour
Remarks by Dr. Darlene Zangara, invited policymakers, and community members.

1:30 – 2:30 pm, What Is Civic Engagement?
Facilitated by Jessalyn Akerman-Frank. Presented by Outreach & Civic Engagement Specialists: Jer Loudenback, Kathy Manlapas, Kim Wassenaar, Kyle Laughery, Kyle Littlepage, Pamela Burry, and Patrick Vellia.

Accessibility

ASL interpreters and CART will be provided. For additional accommodations, contact jessalyn.akerman-frank@state.mn.us by Monday, March 2, 2026.

How to register

We will have one link for all day. Attendees can join the parts that they want to attend. Register at the link: Civic Engagement Day registration

Awards

Save the date! We will host a spring Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2026. More details will be shared at a later time.

Plans for 2028

We plan to bring back the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing Lobby Day as an in-person event at the Capitol in 2028. By then, construction at the Capitol Complex will be complete, and we are hopeful that our sense of safety will have fully returned well before that time.