Key won't come out

I have a '98 Olds Achieva, automatic. The shift did not go into park. There is a loose (nearly rectangular) metal piece in front of the shift stick. I bent it to get it into park.

Now the key does not come out. The ignition does turn off and on. But I cannot get the key into the lock position. (And while I can turn the engine off, the key does not stay in the off position.)

The accessories are on in the on position. So I disconnected the battery to stop any power drain.

We have a new car on order, but won't get it for a couple of months. We're donating this car, so don't care about trade-in value (the AC isn't working). Can I disable the "BTSI" (or whatever is keeping the key stuck in the ignition)?

I've read that for a similar GM car, there's some button at the bottom of the ignition, under some access panel in the steering column.