The Montana Deaf-Blind Project, in partnership with the Montana Transition Resources Project, welcomes Philip Schweigert, M.Ed, for a two-part webinar series in August. The webinar series is focused on Understanding and Nurturing the Communicative Competence of Learners with Significant Disabilities. Session 1 looks at Recognizing the Communication Abilities of Learners with Significant Disabilities, while Session 2 focuses on Promoting the Communicative Competence of Learners with Significant Disabilities

• More information and registration links
• Download event flier (PDF)

This year, four Montana students completed the Utah Regional Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (URLEND) training in family-centered care for children and youth with special health care needs. URLEND students from five states (Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota) met weekly via video conference to learn how they can provide optimal services to children and adolescents with special health care needs.

Applications for the 2020 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.

More Information and Applications

Dr. Rayna Sage and Lillie Greiman are conducting a one-year project exploring how personal assistance services (PAS) are provided in rural areas. Specifically:

• What barriers do PAS workers experience delivering rural PAS services?
• What strategies do PAS workers use to overcome barriers delivering rural PAS services?

Census data will help answer these questions. Unpublished data indicates rural areas have fewer personal assistance services workers, compared to people with disabilities than urban areas.