January 20th was an exciting day to be at the Capitol! The Statewide Independent Living Council and Montana’s four Centers for Independent Living (Summit, NCILS, MILP, and LIFFT) sponsored this year’s Legislative Day event during the 2011 Legislative Session, which was held in the Capitol Rotunda. Approximately 100 people participated in Legislative Day this year, [...]
On April 1, 2011, disability advocates joined approximately 1,500-2,000 Montana citizens from all across the state in front of the Capitol in Helena for the No Fooling with Our Future rally. MEA-MFT organized the rally along with the Partnership for Montana's Future. Concerned about the legislature’s deep cuts to education, human services, children’s health programs, [...]
The 2011 Legislature is still going full steam ahead but we wanted to take this opportunity to provide this update of the legislation the Montana Centers for Independent Living has been working on this session. For more complete details about each of the bills we have been following, which are listed below, please go to [...]
With the elections now well behind us, the 62nd Montana Legislature (http://leg.mt.gov) is set to get down to business. The 2011 Legislative Session kicked off on January 3rd and promises to be 90 days of non-stop action scheduled to end on April 22nd. As many of you are well aware, Montana, like many other states, [...]
For generations, millions of people with disabilities lived as second-rate citizens in a society based on the promise that “All men are created equal” and where “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are considered unalienable rights. People with disabilities were routinely sterilized and institutionalized. There were no laws to ensure access to or a [...]
Have you returned your Census form yet? April 1, 2010 is Census Day but if you have not yet returned your Census form, don’t worry, you still have time. Your 2010 Census form should have arrived in March but if your Census form was lost, damaged, or you never received one, you can contact the Telephone [...]
One of the most important and fundamental rights we enjoy as citizens of the United States is the right to vote for the people who represent our interests and us at all levels of our Government. This right is the foundation upon which our democratic form of Government is based. It's a civic duty we [...]
On October 19th and 20th, 2009, the Statewide Independent Living Council along with Summit and Montana’s other three Centers for Independent Living held a Statewide Independent Living Symposium at the Grand Holiday Inn in Billings, MT. The theme for the symposium was Road to Change. The symposium brought together representatives from all of MT’s Centers [...]