Maangaar Voices in the news
Stories about our families, our programs and the Maangaar movement, from local newsrooms to national television. Journalists will find our media kit, logos and press contact below.
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Inside our Sunday lessons at FOSS Swim School in Burnsville, where Somali mothers and caregivers of autistic children are learning to swim, many for the first time.
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Coverage
In Nairobi, Hamza Mohamed shares his journey as a father and his work to bring Maangaar Voices to Africa, and explains what Maangaar means.
Community
Read the story →Board chair Anisa Hagi-Mohamed is featured as a keynote speaker at the Refugee Health Conference, with a profile of her work as co-founder of Maangaar Voices.
Refugee health
Read the story →Parents of children with disabilities describe missed school and therapy amid immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Anisa Hagi-Mohamed explains why online classes are not a solution for children who need in-person support.
Education
Read the story →A report on the death of a St. Cloud student after a medical emergency at school, quoting board member Samsam Mohamed on the family’s search for answers.
School safety
Read the story →TVAfter a 7-year-old died following a medical emergency at a St. Cloud school, Somali parents and advocates met online to share their fears. Board member Samsam Mohamed speaks to the family’s search for answers.
School safety
Watch the story →A documentary about autism in the Somali community that features Maangaar Voices and the Maangaar movement. It has screened at the Saint Paul Art Crawl and through SPNN’s Doc U program.
Storytelling
Watch on YouTube →A profile of Anisa Hagi-Mohamed among the 2025 Bush Fellows, noting that she and others helped coin maangaar, “unique mind.”
Leadership
Read the story →We endorsed SF 3040, which adds adaptive and one-on-one swimming lessons to Minnesota’s Family Support Grant, Consumer Support Grant and CFSS programs.
Policy
Read the testimony →Urging the committee to reconsider $1.2 billion in proposed cuts to disability services and to restore full funding for waiver programs.
Policy
Read the testimony →Our testimony on protecting EIDBI services and the culturally responsive providers immigrant families rely on, with personal testimony from board member Samsam Mohamed.
Policy
Read the testimony →Our board chair, Anisa Hagi-Mohamed, was awarded a prestigious Bush Fellowship to further her work, and our collective work, around disability inclusion, justice and awareness.
Leadership
Read the profile →ArticleAn older sister of a brother with autism points to the inaugural Maangaar Summit as she calls on the Somali community to change how it sees mental health and disability.
Mental health
Read the story →TVAfter recent drownings, autism advocates and parents formed a task force and called on state leaders to help keep children safe.
Water safety
Watch the story →ArticleAfter two Twin Cities children drowned, advocates renewed calls to protect autistic children, who can be drawn to water.
Water safety
Read the story →TVAt the Minnesota Capitol, advocates including Board Chair Anisa Hagi-Mohamed called for free swimming lessons after two autistic children drowned.
Water safety
Watch the story →TVCommunity members launched a petition asking for free swimming education for vulnerable children across Minnesota.
Water safety
Watch the story →RadioA radio segment on research showing far higher autism diagnosis rates among Somali children in Minnesota, and how families navigate a diagnosis.
Research
Listen to the story →TVA national report on research into rising autism diagnoses among Somali American children, and what families face.
Research
Watch on YouTube →ArticleCoverage of the inaugural Maangaar Summit in Bloomington, where Somali families gathered around a new word for autism: Maangaar, “unique mind.”
Maangaar Summit
Read the story →VideoThe full Sibling Panel from the first Maangaar Summit, recorded by Somali TV of Minnesota.
Maangaar Summit
Watch on YouTube →TalkBoard chair Anisa Hagi-Mohamed’s TEDx talk on how the words we use about disability can transform lives.
Language
Watch on YouTube →Anisa Hagi-Mohamed on her Kalsooni affirmation cards, pictured at the 1st Annual Maangaar Conference, which she helped host, and on creating more positive Somali language for autism.
Language
Read the story →On new state grants for culturally responsive autism services, and how Somali families increasingly use Maangaar, “unique mind,” as the word for autism.
Language
Read the story →RadioA radio conversation with Anisa Hagi-Mohamed about creating Maangaar and what the word means to families.
Language
Listen to the story →ArticleHow Somali parents, professionals and linguists created positive terms for autism, including Maangaar, “unique mind.” Board chair Anisa Hagi-Mohamed is featured. Also republished by MPR News and the Star Tribune.
Language
Read the story →GuideA bilingual Somali–English guide for parents of children with disabilities, from the Disability Inclusion Project. It uses Maangaar for autism and credits Anisa Hagi-Mohamed as an author and artist.
Resources
Open the guide →For journalists
Everything you need to write about Maangaar Voices. Download the full kit as a PDF, or copy what you need below.
Download the media kit (PDF)Short version
Maangaar Voices is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers autistic people and people with disabilities in immigrant communities, and their families, through storytelling, supportive spaces and education. Its name comes from the Somali word Maangaar, meaning “unique mind.”
Long version
Maangaar Voices is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers autistic people and people with disabilities in immigrant communities, and their families and support networks, through storytelling, supportive spaces, education, person-centered practices and advocacy for policy and systems change.
Founded in 2024, it builds on nearly two decades of grassroots advocacy by Somali parents and allies. Its name comes from Maangaar, a Somali word meaning “unique mind” that offers an affirming way to talk about autism.
Its programs include Wellness Wednesdays, a weekly virtual support group for women in the disability community; private swim lessons for Muslim women with FOSS Swim School in Burnsville; Inclusive Faith Spaces, with sensory-friendly Eid and inclusive dugsi classes; the annual Maangaar Summit; and Maangaar Media, which shares the community’s stories.
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