The Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities at the University of Montana conducts a state-of-the-science (SOS) conference on the status of rural disability and rehabilitation research. RTC: Rural researchers work with SOS Collaborators to present research from across disciplines and then engage various disability stakeholders, scientists and experts to discuss innovative methods to move the field of disability and rehabilitation forward.
State of the Science Collaborators are cross-disciplinary researchers and experts who present and/or participate in online discussions regarding emerging and innovative scientific research methods. Collaborators enhance our interpretation and understanding of RTC research findings and contribute methodological improvements. In addition, Collaborators may find an opportunity to learn about and perhaps integrate disability issues into cross-disciplinary studies, and may also join RTC: Rural researchers in co-authorship activities.
If you are interested in participating in the RTC State of the Science program, contact RTC-TA@mso.umt.edu.
Past Events
Click on each of the event titles below to view the agenda, speakers, and archived recordings of the presentations (when available).
- Effective Rural Vocational Rehabilitation Job Development – June 2017
- Housing Characteristics, Home Experiences, and Community Engagement of People Who Report Impairment – June 2016
- Methods for Examining Pathways to Participation – September 2015
- Ecological Methods and Disability – March 2015
- Measuring Engagement in Context – May 2014
- Disability and Rehabilitation in Rural America – April 2012
Context
The World Health Organization has adopted a new view of disability that is more dynamic than ones in the past. It includes the role the environment plays in creating disability and specifies participation as the gold standard of outcome measures. Nonetheless, surprisingly little research has been conducted on these critical topics.
One obstacle to advancing a science of the environment and participation involves the research concepts and models applied to study it. Most concepts and methods come from fields whose methods are relatively static: self-report, cross-sectional, retrospective, and correlation. Yet, a dynamic model of disability requires a dynamic model and methods to match its nature. Ecological sciences offer such a model.
RTC: Rural is sponsoring a state-of-the-science (SOS) on “An Ecological View of Disability for an Era of Community Living: Toward a Science of the Environment and Participation” in order to discuss the opportunities of studying disability using cross-disciplinary methods. The Colloquia on the Science of Environment and Participation are a series of on-going conversations whose purpose is to identify priorities for the larger State of the Science conference.
Links to State of the Science 2012 publications on UMScholarworks:
Disability and Rural Rehabilitation in Rural America: A Synopsis of the State of the Science 2012
Overview of Economic Development