On Monday April 5, our friend and colleague, Chris Clasby, passed away. For those who knew and worked with him, he was a remarkable, kind, witty and passionate colleague. Many who didn’t know him have benefitted from his community leadership. Chris loved the outdoors and worked tirelessly to ensure that others could hunt, fish and enjoy nature as much as he did. More than anything, we will miss his friendship and gentle leadership.
In lieu of flowers, Chris wanted memorial contributions to be made to Camp Bullwheel, an organization with a mission that was very important to him. He recently spoke about Camp Bullwheel during a disability and health webinar.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Montana has the 6th highest maternal mortality ratio in the nation. Racial and rural health disparities plague Montana’s health system with 52 of Montana’s 56 counties having at least one Medically-Underserved Area (MEA) designation.
Applications for the 2021 Community Investment Fund are now being accepted! The Community Investment Fund is made available annually for innovative projects that help people with disabilities live, learn, work and play in their communities alongside people without disabilities. Any Montana organization, agency, non-profit group, or individual with a creative idea developed by/with people with disabilities to promote community inclusion is eligible to apply. Please note: due to University contracting requirements, successful applicants will be required to have liability insurance and either Workers’ Compensation coverage or a Workers’ Compensation exemption certificate. To learn more, watch the CIF video and visit the CIF website.
The Montana Deaf-Blind Project is pleased to announce our three-part "Introduction to Deaf-Blindness" webinar series. Register now for these free opportunities to learn about dual sensory impairments from Dr. Susan M. Bashinski, a nationally-renowned expert.
Session 1, What Is Deaf-Blindness?, will introduce a functional definition of deaf-blindness, along with the key questions to be answered in order to determine if a particular learner experiences deaf-blindness. Session 2, Introduction to Vision Loss and to Hearing Loss, will examine vision loss and hearing loss independently and discuss the way in which diagnosticians describe each sensory loss. Session 3, Unique Learning Needs and Building Structure through Routines, will discuss general characteristics of learners with Deaf-Blindness within the context of what communication partners should remember and strategies they should utilize when they meet and interact with them.
Together We Grow (TOG) is “a consortium of modern food and agriculture companies, NGOs, members of academia and the government who have united to focus on building a skilled, diverse and inclusive workforce to make American agriculture a leader for generations to come.” AUCD is an original member of the Together We Grow consortium.
The agriculture industry is facing a workforce shortage. People with disabilities represent a large, untapped employee resource for agriculture-related training, mentorship and job-placement programs.
