Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Creating Educational Opportunities For Independent Living Through Participatory Curriculum Development: A Toolkit For Centers For Independent Living, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

This toolkit is an introduction for staff at centers for independent living (CILs) and their community partners who are interested in developing curriculums or trainings that meet the unique needs and goals of Independent Living. It provides instructions and guidance on how to use Participatory Curriculum Development (PCD) to create new ways of supporting Independent Living skills education and development.

This toolkit is for those who can commit to working collaboratively with consumers and other stakeholders to address an Independent Living service gap or training need.

Healthy Community Living: An Update On Outcomes, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., Tracy Boehm Barrett, Tannis Mardece Hargrove, Justice Ender, Mary Willard, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

The Healthy Community Living (HCL) program combines independent living skills training with health promotion to support self-determination and health status of adults with disabilities. It includes two workshop curricula, Community Living Skills and Living Well in the Community. Each of these provides a framework for workshop participants to increase peer support while building their individual capacity to live independently and maintain their health. The HCL Program weaves consumer choice and control throughout all of the workshop sessions by guiding consumers to identify their own goals, intentions, and process for reaching them. These workshops can be conducted in face-to-face groups or …

Engaging Stakeholders To Address Changing Service Delivery Conditions Due To Covid-19, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations working in the field of disability research and program development to adapt when in-person services were suspended at Centers for Independent Living (CILs). One way this adaption occurred was by embracing collaborative problem-solving using a participatory curriculum development (PCD) approach. PCD requires consistent and continued stakeholder engagement. These practices align with Knowledge translation (KT) in that KT requires continued investment to adapt to the ever-changing contexts for which interventions are originally designed.

America At A Glance: Social Isolation And Loneliness During The First Wave Of Covid-19, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Social isolation and loneliness are a public health concern because they are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes and mortality. To learn more about how COVID-19 and related responses (i.e. stay-at-home orders) may contribute to feelings of social isolation and loneliness among people with disabilities, we compared data from two cross-sectional samples collected before and after the first wave of “stay-at-home” orders. Post-COVID rural and urban samples reported significantly more interactions with family and close friends. Post-COVID urban respondents reported significantly lower rates of feeling left out, while the post-COVID rural respondents reported similar rates.

America At A Glance: Covid-19 And Disability In Rural Areas, Rtc: Rural, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

To learn more about COVID-19 impacts on rural people with disabilities, we conducted a survey in late April/early May to explore rural and urban differences in COVID-19 health risks, adherence to public health recommendations, and trust in different information sources. We focused on people with disabilities because they often experience higher rates of secondary health conditions that place them at heightened risk of COVID-19 complications. Summary findings: Rural respondents reported higher rates of COVID-19 health risk factors, but less adherence to public health recommendations. Overall, individuals with health risk factors reported adopting fewer public health recommendations than individuals without health …