Community Living
Rural communities often lack services and resources to support the independent living and participation of people with disabilities. The availability of community resources, as well as access to those resources, has a large impact on the experience of disability.
RTC:Rural's Community Living research works to understand how rural people with disabilities access needed resources and to help develop sustainable models for rural service providers to carry out community development activities to meet the needs of rural people with disabilities.
Community infrastructure and accessibility impact quality of life for many people with disabilities. Advocacy and CILs can help address barriers.
Publications
January 2024 | Lillie Greiman & Rayna Sage | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; Word doc; EPUB
Mapping the digital divide: What predicts internet access across America?
June 2023 | Lillie Greiman, Arin Leopold, Catherine Ipsen & Andrew Myers | Local Development and Society | PDF; online access
Creating a Resource Map with Google My Maps
2023 | Lillie Greiman, Rayna Sage & Genna Mashinchi | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; Word doc; EPUB; toolkit components Excel files
Rural Community Living Development Peer Mentoring: A Strategy for Sustainable Knowledge Translation
2023 | Rayna Sage | Center for Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Knowledge Translation Casebook, American Institutes for Research | online access
March 2023 | Krys Standley, Jeff Gutierrez & Tracy Boehm Barrett | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; Word document
February 2023 | Jonathan A. Schulz, Lyndsie M. Koon, Lillie Greiman, Hayley A. Steinlag & Jean P. Hall | Children and Youth Services Review | online access; abstract; pdf
Rural disability and community participation
October 2022 | Catherine Ipsen, Jean Hall & John Lui | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences | PDF; online access
“Sympathy” vs.“Empathy”: Comparing experiences of I2Audits and disability simulations
September 2022 | Emily Hicks, Meg Traci & Karin Korb | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences | PDF; online access
Exploring environmental measures in disability: Using Google Earth and Street View to conduct remote assessments of access and participation in urban and rural communities
August 2022 | Tom Seekins, Meg Traci & Emily Hicks | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences | PDF; online access
September 2021 | Craig Ravesloot, Tannis Hargrove, Tracy Boehm-Barrett, Krys Standley & Mary Willard | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; EPUB; Word doc
June 2021 | Kourtney B. Johnson, Lillie Greiman, Christiane VonReichert & Billy Altom | Journal of Policy Studies | online access
Community Assessment for Accessible Rural Events Toolkit
December 2019 | RTC:Rural | University of Montana Rural Institute |online access; PDF; Excel
Chapter 4 - Disability and rural events: the cultural reproduction of inclusion and exclusion
January 2019 | Rayna Sage & Erin Flores | Marginalisation and Events | Book chapter
Advocacy Skill Building Toolkit
2017 | RTC:Rural, Summit Independent Living (BASE) & Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living | RTC:Rural | Toolkit components available in PDF, PowerPoint, Word docs
March 2017 | Craig Ravesloot, Glen White, Chiaki Gonda-Kotani & Kelsey Shinnick | Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community | online access and PDF
How-to guide: Writing effective letters to decision makers
1984, revised May 2017 | Tom Seekins & Stephen B. Fawcett | Rural Institute | PDF
How-to guide: Creating your personal testimony to influence policy change
1984, revised May 2017 | Tom Seekins & Stephen B. Fawcett | Rural Institute | PDF
How-to guide: Finding and using data for advocacy
1984, revised May 2017 | Tom Seekins & Stephen B. Fawcett | Rural Institute | PDF
September 2015 | Lillie Greiman & Tom Seekins | Rural Institute | PDF
A guide for creating a community resource map
May 2014 | Lillie Greiman & Tracy Boehm | Rural Institute | PDF
Developing methods for grading the accessibility of a communality’s infrastructure
September 2012 | Tom Seekins, Nancy Arnold & Catherine Ipsen | Journal of Urban Planning and Development | abstract; PDF available
Working with community partners to promote visit-ability in a rural state
April 2010 | Meg Ann Traci & Desirae N. Ware | Disability and Health Journal | abstract; PDF available
2010 | Glen White, Jamie Lloyd Simpson, Chiaki Gonda, Craig Ravesloot & Zach Coble | Journal of Disability Policy Studies | PDF
February 2008 | Tom Seekins, Meg Ann Traci, Susan Cummings, Joanne Oreskovich & Craig Ravesloot
Rehabilitation Psychology | abstract; PDF available
2011 | Glen White & Craig Ravesloot | KU Research & Training Center on Independent Living | video and factsheet
October 2011 | Tom Seekins, Craig Ravesloot, Marsha Katz, Bob Liston, Mike Oxford, Billy Altom, Glen White, Richard Petty & Bob Kafka | Disability and Health Journal | online access and PDF
2010 | Glen White, Jamie Lloyd Simpson, Chiaki Gonda, Craig Ravesloot & Zach Coble |
Journal of Disability Policy Studies | PDF
Rural Practice Guidelines: Involving people with disabilities as members of advisory groups
March 2004, revised September 2007 | Montana Disability & Health Program | online content
Affordable and accessible housing matters for security, safety, and social participation.
Resources
On The Home Usability Program website you can learn about home usability and the role it can play in independent living. You also can explore how to make your home more usable for you.
Publications
August 2021 | Craig Ravesloot, Andrew Myers, Lillie Greiman, Bryce Ward, Kelsey Shinnick & Jean Hall | Disability and Health Journal | PDF
August 2021 | Lillie Greiman, Craig Ravesloot, Kelsey Shinnick-Goddard & Bryce Ward | Disability and Health Journal | PDF
Using the ACS PUMS to examine disability and migration
February 11, 2020 | Christiane von Reichert | Annual Disability Statistics Compendium | archived video, transcription, and presentations
Chapter 1: Community starts at home: Toward equitable housing for people with disabilities
October 2019 | Andrew Myers, Lillie Greiman, Brendan Hogg, Rayna Sage & Craig Ravesloot | Society, Space, and Social Justice: Geographies of Intersectionality | Book chapter
Rural–urban patterns of disability: The role of migration
October 2019 | Christiane von Reichert & E. Helen Berry | Population, Space and Place | PDF; online access
Life starts at home: Bathing, exertion and participation for people with mobility impairment
July 2018 | Lillie Greiman, S. Parker Fleming, Bryce Ward, Andrew Myers & Craig Ravesloot | Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | PDF
November 2015 | Lillie Greiman & Craig Ravesloot | Community Development | PDF; online access; audio version
Map facts: Disability in rural America
February 2014 | Tom Seekins & Lillie Greiman | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF
Infographics for home and community accessibility in the American Housing Survey
2014 | University of Kansas Research & Training Center on Independent Living (RTC/IL) & RTC:Rural | RTC/IL | PDF; text-only
Visitability testimonies increase affordable, accessible housing in Montana
2011 | Meg Traci, R. Licitra & E. Smith | National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Human Development and Disability | PDF
Rural people with disabilities face transportation issues that can make it difficult to get medical care, maintain a job, and participate in community life.
Resources
The Toolkit for Operating a Rural Transportation Voucher Program provides a model that describes how to bring together community members and resources to develop and operate a transportation system for people with disabilities in rural areas.
Publications
"Patiently waiting": How do non-driving disabled adults get around in rural America?
October 2023 | Andrew Myers & Krys Standley | Transport Policy | PDF; online access
January 2023 | Andrew Myers | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; EPUB; Word document
Transportation patterns of adults with travel-limiting disabilities in rural and urban america
April 2022 | Andrew Myers, Catherine Ipsen & Krys Standley | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences | PDF; online access
America at a glance: 5310 & 5311 transportation funding in rural counties
February 2021 | Andrew Myers & Ari Lissau | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; EPUB; Word document
America at a glance: How do working-age adults with travel-limiting disabilities get around?
May 2020 | Andrew Myers, Catherine Ipsen & Lauren Smith | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; text-only Word doc; text-only EPUB
Navigating time and space: How Americans with disabilities use time and transportation
November 2015 | Andrew Myers & Craig Ravesloot | Community Development | PDF; online access
What is unavailable, insufficient or inappropriate transportation?
2013 | RTC:Rural | Rural Institute | PDF
Section 5310 transportation state management plans: A baseline review
2011 | Alexandra Enders & Tom Seekins | Journal of Public Transportation | PDF
The New Freedom Initiative Transportation Program
May 2010 | Tom Seekins, Alexandra Enders & Grace Silvia | Rural Institute | PDF
Models of rural transportation for people with disabilities. Rural Practice Guidelines
February 2007 | Tom Seekins | Rural Institute | PDF
Faith based organizations: A potential partner in rural transportation
2007 | Tom Seekins, Steve Bridges, Annesa Santa, Daniel J. Denis & Andrea Hartsell | Journal of Public Transportation | PDF
Allocation and use of Section 5310 funds in urban and rural America
2007 | Tom Seekins, Alexandra Enders, Alison Pepper & Stephen Sticka | Journal of Public Transportation | PDF
Accessible rural transportation: An evaluation of the traveler's cheque voucher program
September 2006 | Linda Gonzales, Dennis Stombaugh, Tom Seekins & Devva Kasnitz | Community Development | PDF and online access
Progress toward equity in rural transportation: An update on SAFETEA-LU
2006 | Tom Seekins | Rural Institute | PDF
Many people with disabilities require personal assistance services to live independent and self-determined lives.
Publications
August 2023 | Krys Standley, Lillie Greiman & Rayna Sage | Community Development | online access; PDF; EPUB
Challenges and opportunities in personal assistance services in rural contexts
November 2022 | Krys Standley, Rayna Sage & Carissa Russell | University of Montana Rural Institute | PDF; EPUB; Word document
November 2022 | Rayna Sage, Krys Standley & Catherine Ipsen | Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved | online access; abstract
Personal Care Aides: Assessing self-care needs and worker shortages in rural areas
October 2022 | Susan A. Chapman, Lillie Greiman, Timothy Bates, Laura M. Wagner, Ari Lissau, Kirsi Toivanen-Atilla & Rayna Sage | Health Affairs | online access; PDF
May 2022 | Catherine Ipsen, Bryce Ward & Andrew Myers | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences | PDF; online access
March 2022 | Rayna Sage, Genna M. Mashinchi, Ari Lissau, Krys Standley & Justice Ender | Home Healthcare Now | online access; abstract
Personal Care Assistance in Rural America
2021 | Lillie Greiman, Rayna Sage, Tim Bates, Ari Lissau, Laura Wagner & Susan Chapman | ArcGIS StoryMaps | webpage
"It's a human connection...": Paid Caregiving in Rural America
2021 | Rayna Sage, Lillie Greiman, Ari Lissau, Laura Wagner, Kirsi Toivanen-Atilla & Susan Chapman | ArcGIS StoryMaps | webpage