The 2018 Community Investment Fund ($2000) award will be shared by two recipients, Flathead High School in Kalispell and Quality Life Concepts in Great Falls.

Flathead High School will use the money to help purchase supplies for their Braves Coffee Company School-based Enterprise. This new business will feature students with and without disabilities working side-by-side to plan, market and operate the coffee company. Several community partners are collaborating with the high school to provide personnel training, discounted supplies, and mentoring. 

Quality Life Concepts will apply their award toward expenses for their Community Recreation Co-ed Softball Team. The 40-person team includes clients with disabilities served by QLC, staff, and community members. All team members play, rotating throughout the game so that everyone has a turn at defense and at batting. They also have a team photographer who takes pictures for the team’s Facebook page.

Learn More about the Community Investment Fund

University of Montana Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities

Joins NIH in Launching the All of Us Research Program to Advance Precision Medicine

On May 6^th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will open national enrollment for the All of Us Research Program - a momentous effort to advance individualized prevention, treatment and care for people of all backgrounds, including people with disabilities. The All of us Research Program is a historic effort to gather data from one (1) million or more people living in the United States to accelerate research and improve health.

After working for several years as a research assistant for the Montana Disability and Health program at the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, and completing her Master’s in Public Health at UM, Helen Russette went to work for the Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD). There, she aided in the development of a community health needs assessment (CHA) process that fully includes representatives of marginalized populations. She recently shared this work in February 2018 article published with co-author, Robin Nielson-Cerquone, MJ, MCCHD Accreditation Specialist, on the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) website.  

The article, “An Inclusive Community Health Assessment Process,” details steps taken to ensure inclusive and meaningful participation in the process. Recruitment strategies to increase the diversity of participants and the positive outcomes are described. In fall 2018, Helen, who grew up on the Rocky Boy Reservation (Chippewa-Cree Tribe), returned to UM as a doctoral student in the School of Public and Community Health Sciences.

Congratulations to Molly Kimmel, a 2017-2018 URLEND Graduate! Molly will stay on next year to coordinate URLEND training, research and clinical service opportunities for Montana trainees in various locations across the state.

Molly completed over 300 hours of didactic, clinical and research hours. She is an occupational therapist at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, MT. We are DELIGHTED to have Molly join the Rural Institute family.

For more information about URLEND, visit: www.urlend.org

April 10th Webinar, Tuesday, April 10, 2018
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM MDT
Reserve your webinar seat now

It is never too early to start thinking about and planning for your child's future, especially if your child experiences a disability and will need ongoing support to access their quality adult life.

Intended audience:  Parents and other family members of youth/young adults with disabilities, teachers, and individuals who support young people in their transition to adult life.

The University of Montana’s School of Journalism presents a film about children in Montana diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their search for help and structure after aging out of the school system and entering adulthood.

Free screening, Friday April 13, 6:00pm – 7:30pm, Screening followed by Q & A

University of Montana Campus, Continuing Education Conference Center, James Todd Building, Room 204

The Montana Transition Resources project, funded by Children’s Special Health Services, is pleased to announce four webinars scheduled for the 2018 school year. Interested individuals may participate from their own offices or homes, and there is no registration cost for any of the sessions.

Transition from School to a Full Adult Life Part 1: 3/27/18 from 1-2:30

Transition from School to a Full Adult Life Part 2: 4/10/18 from 1-2:30

Alternatives to Guardianship: 5/1/18 from 1-2:30

Healthcare Transition: TBD from 1-2:30

This project is funded in whole or in part under a contract with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Department.

View PDF of calendar

March 27th Webinar, Tuesday, March 27, 2018
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM MDT
Reserve your webinar seat now

It is never too early to start thinking about and planning for your child's future, especially if your child experiences a disability and will need ongoing support to access their quality adult life.

Intended audience:  Parents and other family members of youth/young adults with disabilities, teachers, and individuals who support young people in their transition to adult life.

Author: Martin E. Blair
Executive Director of the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, and Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning, The University of Montana

https://theconversation.com/stephen-hawking-as-accidental-ambassador-for-assistive-technologies-70627

"For us, Hawking was a valuable role model for more than the next generation of scientists. With his recognizable wheelchair and computer-generated voice, he demonstrated the value of technological solutions to liberating the voice of those with physical and communication disabilities."

The Utah Regional LEND, or URLEND, is a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) training program that serves five states: Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Professionals from these states are trained to move beyond discipline boundaries to provide optimal services to children and adolescents with special health care needs.  URLEND brochure (PDF)