Rural Institute Launches Montana Voices Amplified

June 1, 2021

The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, based at the University of Montana, has launched Montana Voices Amplified, a collaboration between the Montana Family to Family Health Information Center and the Rural Institute. 

Montana Voices Amplified (MVA) provides a microphone and audience so the stories, lessons, causes, and advice of individuals with disabilities and their families are heard. The project offers a stage so people can speak for themselves.

Shawna Hanson, outreach coordinator for the Montana Family to Family Health Information Center said: "We have a lot of isolated, small communities, and it is hard for people with disabilities scattered around Montana to connect and to feel supported. MVA is a way people can share their stories and access other people's stories."

Montana Voices Amplified welcomes submissions of five-minute videos or 600-700-word essays on any topic related to a person's lived experience as a person with a disability or caring for someone with a disability. Submissions are posted, shared on social media, and printed in a professionally designed publication to distribute to families, schools, agencies, and legislators.

To learn more:

• Visit the Public News Service story: MT Organization Amplifies Voices of Disability Communities
• Contact [email protected] or [email protected]