The Rural Institute has a long history of providing Education and Training to our community.
CURRENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS
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Leadership education in family-centered healthcare
is a training program for people passionate about providing comprehensive and collaborative care to children with special health care needs.
The Rural Institute partners with URLEND to support trainees as they pursue leadership skills training over a nine-month period. URLEND provides in-depth training via seminars, clinical observations, and research projects. URLEND trainees become leaders in their field with a strong foundation in evidence-based, family-centered, community focused, and culturally sensitive care. Because inclusion is central to URLEND goals, each cohort, as well as URLEND faculty, includes family members of individuals with disability and self-advocates. Together, trainees move beyond discipline boundaries to provide optimal services to children and youth with special health care needs.
The digital version of the URLEND brochure is available.
Contact: Molly Kimmel
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Supporting Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs
This project will increase the capacity of the DPHHS Childrens Special Health Services to support children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) to transition successfully into adulthood. Activities will include expanding the Rural Institute Consumer Advisory Council to include CYSHCN representatives; developing and providing four webinar trainings on topics related to the transition needs of CYSHCN; expanding the Montana Transition Listserv to include CYSHCN partners (hospitals, specialty and regional clinics); disseminating health care transition-related information via the Montana Transition Listserv, the Transition and Employment Projects website, and other websites; creating a collection of real-life health care transition stories families can use as an advocacy tool; and evaluating and updating a health care coverage guide for families and youth.
Contact: Kim Brown
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Promoting transition into adulthood
The Rural Institute has focused on customized community employment for youth with significant disabilities since 2000. We have developed and implemented unique models of transition planning that evolve as we learn from the youth and families with whom we work.
transition activities promote:
- Customized Employment strategies for youth with disabilities
- The use of Social Security work incentives for students
- Transition planning for middle school students
- Collaborative funding across agencies to create individually-driven employment supports
- Self-employment as vocational experience or as a post-school outcome
- Self-determination for youth as we empower them to identify strengths and skills
Contact: Kim Brown
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Resources and assistance to school systems and people supporting children with deaf-blindness
The builds capacity and infrastructure so students with dual sensory impairments are identified early, receive education accommodations, and have support for transition into adulthood. While the Montana Deaf-Blind project does not provide direct service, we do provide resources, training, activities and information to families, schools and support staff working with a child with a dual sensory impairment.
Contact: Kim Brown
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Outreach, Connections, and Training for Early Childhood Providers
This project aims to coordinate outreach, make connections to assistive technology (AT), and provide ongoing training and technical assistance to early childhood providers across Montana. It focuses on universal design for learning for improved inclusion of children with disabilities and learning differences in these settings.
Contact: Molly Kimmel
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Collaborating with the American Association on Health and Disability to Promote Awareness and Guidance
The disability community has historically been excluded from research studies. The All of Us Research Program wants to change that. All of Us honors the vision of "Nothing 老虎机攻略 Us Without Us" by inviting people with disabilities to contribute to research advancing individualized treatments and care for all. The All of Us Research Program is helping to promote health equity and inclusion through this effort. The RIIC will collaborate with the American Association on Health and Disability to promote awareness of the AoU program in Montana and provide guidance on inclusion strategies for reaching rural people with disability.
Contact: Meg Traci
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Information and resources to support independent living nationwide
The national IL-NET Training and Technical Assistance Center is operated by the Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) based in Houston, Texas. The Center is a collaboration with the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL), and the Rural Institute. The Rural Institute supervises the Technical Assistance Coordinator in supporting the technical assistance and training needs of national Centers for Independent Living and Statewide Independent Living Councils.
Contact: Paula McElwee
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Supporting Vaccination Education and Promotion
The Aging and Disability Vaccine Collaborative (ADVC) funded by the USAging is meant to support vaccination education and promotion activities (e.g., community vaccine clinics, in-home vaccinations, transportation to vaccination sites, and mobile clinics) and to promote vaccine and wellness outreach and education for older adults and people with disabilities. This project focuses on the Flu, COVID-19, Pneumococcal, RSV, Shingles, and Tdap vaccines. In Montana, project partners include Montana University System (MUS): 老虎机攻略 Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities (老虎机攻略 RIIC), MonTech Assistive Technology Program, 老虎机攻略 Skaggs School of Pharmacy, 老虎机攻略 School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, and Montana State University College of Nursing. Montana Centers for Independent Living: Summit Independent Living, Ability Montana, and Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT).
Contact: Meg Traci
Past Education Programs
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Supported and promoted inclusive early childhood environments
1987 - 2012
The Child Care Plus Center was based at the Rural Institute from 1987 to 2012. The nationally-focused Center supported and promoted inclusive early childhood environments.
Child Care Plus is no longer an active project. However, the materials are still relevant. To address the needs of a broad audience, Rural Institute staff updated several Child Care Plus resources in 2021. All of these materials may be downloaded and reproduced for non-commercial purposes.
The updated views expressed in the updated resources may not reflect the original Child Care Plus purpose, or the official position of the Rural Institute, or the 老虎机攻略.
Contact: Contact Us
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A multimedia exhibit to promote awareness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Right To Know campaign
2009
Breast cancer is a major public health concern for all women, including women with disabilities. "Every Woman Matters: Portraits of Montana Women Living with Disabilities" (EWM) is a multimedia exhibit to promote awareness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Right To Know campaign.
Contact: Meg Traci
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Investigating and addressing rural barriers to COVID-19 vaccination
The Rural Disability Hub for COVID-19 Vaccination Outreach project focuses on ways to improve vaccination and masking practices, particularly among people with disability in rural communities. The project will promote community-informed materials and outreach strategies and share recommendations for addressing barriers to vaccination. Focus groups from varied communities will provide insight into effective approaches.
The Rural Disability Hub will disseminate materials and strategies through disability, health care, public health, and other partners at the local, state and national levels.
Contact: Andrew Myers