This short list of resources and information is not comprehensive, just a sampling of what is available.
For the most up-to-date information, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus (COVID-19) website.
Join the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) and RTC: Rural for a free webinar to learn about the new Healthy Community Living Program!
Who: Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other organizations that serve people with disabilities
What: informational webinar (free)
When: March 19, 2020 | 1 pm to 2:30 pm Mountain Time
Register here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5427963/IL-Skills-Training-in-A-Click
This webinar will be facilitated by Mary Willard, the Director of Training and Technical Assistance at APRIL.
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On February 28, 2019, RTC:Rural director Dr. Catherine Ipsen presented a webinar for Project E3: Educate, Empower, and Employ, the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Technical Assistance Center for Targeted Communities. Project E3 works with state VR agencies and partners across the U.S. to help people with disabilities from underserved communities achieve their independent living and employment goals.
Ipsen’s webinar was titled “Strategies for Effective Rural VR Service Delivery.” More information, including the webinar slides, can be found on the Project E3 website. The archived webcast will be available soon.
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[Image description: three men are outside talking and smiling. Two give each other a high-five. Probably because they appreciate good ‘dad-jokes’ as much as we do.]
Cultivate some ‘new growth’ in employment for people with disabilities by providing Working Well with a Disability!
Registration for the April 2019 Working Well with a Disability online facilitator training is now open. The training will take place the week of April 22nd. Space is limited, so please only register if you know you can attend.
Registration closes on April 15th, 2019.
Fall is just around the corner. That means back to school, changing leaves, pumpkin spice-flavored everything and… Working Well with a Disability Facilitator Training!
Registration for the September 2018 Working Well with a Disability online facilitator training is now open. The training will take place the week of September 17th.
Space is limited, so please only register if you know you can attend. Registration closes on September 10th, 2018.
Training dates: September 17th – 21st. Training includes online self-study and discussion participation and a live webinar on September 21st.
Total time required: 8-10 hours (estimate) over 5 business days, in addition to time to read the Working Well manual.
Cost: $130 per person. Cost includes a manual in your preferred format.
Registration deadline: September 10th
How to register: Visit Working Well September 2018 Training Pre-Registration Continue reading
Dr. Adriane Griffen, Senior Director, Public Health & Leadership, Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
This webinar for public health and disability service providers about including people with disabilities in public health plans and efforts was held October 17, 2017.
The webinar, entitled Including People with Disabilities—Public Health Workforce Competencies, was presented by Dr. Adriane Griffen, Senior Director, Public Health & Leadership, at the Association of University Centers on Disability. This webinar washosted by The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities and Dr. Meg Ann Traci, RTC:Rural colleague and Director of the Montana Disability and Health Program (MTDH).
This webinar was recorded and you can view the archived video and slides here.
Dr. Griffen provided an overview of the competencies and linkages to public health accreditation and information on local and national resources to help public health organizations strengthen their workforce and better include people with disabilities. The webinar also provided a forum for participants to discuss current resources and strategies being used by others in the field.
The webinar was a Montana-specific version of a previous workforce competencies webinar Dr. Griffen participated in on January 24, 2017. RTC:Rural is pleased to support this webinar as a way to share knowledge between national, state, and local public health professionals and disability service providers about including people with disabilities in public health plans in a rural state like Montana. Continue reading
Unable to attend the Living Well Intro webinar we hosted on August 24, or want to review the information covered? Then you’re in luck—the video recordings are now available to view online. There are two recordings from the webinar:
The first webinar recording features RTC:Rural Training Associate Maggie Lawrence giving an introduction to the Living Well with a Disability (LWD) program. In the video, she introduces LWD program content and the Living Well Facilitator Training website. She also explains the process for an organization to become a licensed program provider and for staff to become consumer workshop facilitators.
View the LWD Program Overview video here: Living Well with a Disability Intro Webinar: Program Overview
The second recording features three guest speakers who describe implementing LWD at their CILs: Bert Rios, Outreach Coordinator at S.M.I.L.E. in Yuma, Arizona; Dermot Thiel, Program Director at Wyoming Independent Living in Laramie, Wyoming; and Jude Monson, Program Manager at Summit Independent Living in Missoula, Montana.
The speakers share their insights and experiences of using the LWD program with their organizations, and answer questions from webinar participants about their variations on implementing the program. Rios, Thiel, and Monson each have years of experience implementing the Living Well program with diverse populations and offer their perspectives on program impact, adaptability and sustainability.
View the Guest Speaker video here: Living Well with a Disability Intro Webinar: Guest Speakers Continue reading
September means back to school, changing leaves, pumpkin spice-flavored everything and… Working Well with a Disability Facilitator Training!
Registration for the September 2017 Working Well with a Disability online facilitator training is now open. The training will take place the week of September 18. Space is limited, so please only register if you know you can attend. Registration closes on September 11, 2017.
Training dates: Sept. 18-22. Training includes online self-study and discussion participation and a live webinar on Sept. 22.
Total time required: 8-10 hours (estimate) over 5 business days, in addition to time to read the Working Well manual.
Cost: $130 per person. Cost includes a manual in your preferred format.
Registration deadline: Sept. 11
How to register: Visit Working Well Sept. 2017 Training Registration
After registration, you will receive an email containing a training schedule, a training overview, and the link with instructions to finalize your registration and payment.
Once you’ve registered, you should also have your agency review and agree to the Organizational Licensing Agreement, which is found here: Working Well Organizational Licensing Agreement Continue reading
Mark your calendars for the August 24th webinar about our successful Living Well with a Disability program! The webinar will be presented by RTC:Rural staff and feature guest speaker Bert Rios of S.M.I.L.E. in Yuma, AZ.
This Living Well Intro webinar is designed to provide an introduction to the Living Well with a Disability (LWD) program. It will be held on August 24, 2017, from 10:00- 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time.
Living Well Intro will introduce LWD program content and the Living Well Facilitator Training website. It will also explain the process for an organization to become a licensed program provider and for staff to become consumer workshop facilitators, and conclude with implementation success stories. Several guest speakers who have experience implementing the program at their CILs will be presenting, including: Bert Rios from S.M.I.L.E. in Yuma, Arizona who will speak about implementing Living Well with youth; Dermot Thiel, Program Director at Wyoming Independent Living in Laramie, Wyoming; and Jude Monson, Program Manager at Summit Independent Living in Missoula, Montana.
To register, please follow the link below: Living Well Intro Webinar Registration | August 24, 2017, 10:00- 11:30 a.m. Mountain Time
This webinar will be closed-captioned, and a recording will be made available. For accessibility requests, please email livingwell@ruralinstitute.umt.edu. Continue reading
On July 18, 2017, staff from RTC:Rural presented at the webinar “Building Inclusive Programs to Serve Adults with Disabilities,” hosted by the National Council on Aging Center for Healthy Aging. The webinar was well attended, with 320 participants from around the country. The webinar was recorded; click here to view the video or download presentation slides.
RTC:Rural Knowledge Translation Director Tracy Boehm Barrett and Montana Disability and Health Program Director Meg Ann Traci provided an overview of our successful Living Well with a Disability (LWD) program including its research and development history, and how it has been expanded and sustained over the years, which has been largely influenced by consumer and service provider input.
LWD is an evidence-based, peer-led health promotion and self-management program for adults with disabilities, recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It focuses on developing a healthy and balanced lifestyle as a vehicle to reach individual quality-of-life goals.
To date, our program has trained 1,218 Living Well with a Disability workshop facilitators, representing nearly 300 community agencies in 46 states. Nearly 10,000 individuals with disabilities have been served through the Living Well with a Disability program.
In addition to the presentation on the development, implementation, and successes of LWD, the webinar featured a third presenter, Karl Cooper, Esq. of the American Association on Health and Disability. Mr. Cooper provided an overview of the health and disability landscape in the United States. Helpful resources and strategies for ensuring evidence-based programs are accessible for all were also featured.
“We were very pleased to be invited to participate in this webinar and share its historical research and development,” says Tracy Boehm Barrett. “Living Well has been a launch pad program to engage people with disabilities in self-management of their health in a way that recognizes the unique barriers and secondary health conditions that people with disabilities experience. In the spirit of building inclusive communities, providing the tools and resources for managing one’s health and well-being is essential to ensuring community participation by all. We want to thank the Center for Health Aging for inviting us to present!” Continue reading
RTC: Rural is a leader in research on disability in rural communities. Visit our About page to learn more.
