#RTC:Rural eNews

September

2025

A man and a dog walk outside on a gravel path surrounded by trees. The trees are turning yellow and red from the fall season. The man wears a red backpack and is using two walking sticks. The dog is medium sized and has black fur.

A young girl with down syndrome sits and smiles at the camera. She has black long hair with bangs. She is wearing a multicolored iridescent jacket with a pink flower in her hair.

Recent Publications

Stay up to date with the latest research and findings from our team with our recent collabroative publications!

Better Together: Rural Community Collaboration in North Carolina’s Cape Fear Region

In this final publication of the Rural Community Living and Development (RCLD) program, RTC:Rural researchers Luke Santore, Lillie Greiman, and Rayna Sage explore the community role of the disAbility Resource Center of North Carolina (dRC). Staff of the dRC facilitate trusted relationships between informal rural support networks and a network of public and nonprofit service providers. By being embedded in their rural region, dRC illustrates how to build trust between people and communities to reach those who are too often invisible to larger agencies.

A white woman sits next to a white man with a prosthetic leg. She is wearing a tan leather jacket and has long wavy blond hair. He is wearing a flannel shirt and shorts and has black hair in a buzzcut. They sit on a concrete retaining wall in front of a sandy beach.

Read the final RCLD publication

A young white man with a visible disability sits in a wheel chair smiling at the camera. He is wearing green pants and a grey sweater. He has short blonde hair.

Understanding the Experience of Disabled Americans in Rural Communities Through Data

In this collaborative research report, RTC:Rural researchers teamed up with the Urban Institute to delve into “the data we have, the data we’re missing, and how to close the gap.” For individuals, service providers, and policymakers, good data is a vital component to improving services and support systems for disabled people in rural areas. This report shows how leaders, funders, and community members can support people with disabilities and strengthen rural communities.

Read the collaborative research report

Conferences and Presentations

Our team is sharing their work at several upcoming conferences! Read more to learn more about these exciting presentations.

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A young latina woman sits in her wheel chair at a table smiling and writing on a notepad. She has long black hair held back with a black headband. She is wearing red lipstick with silver hoop earrings and has a white long sleeve shirt on.

Early Engagement of Community Partners in Research: Tailoring an IRB-Approved Training for Effective Knowledge Translation

On October 21 from 3:00 - 4:00 pm Eastern Time, Krys Standley and Will Hoard will be presenting at the 2025 KTDRR Conference! They and their partners will explore the customization of the Research Ethics for All training program. This training was tailored for CIL staff members, with content adapted to be inclusive and directly applicable to their roles while maintaining the program's core principles. The event is free to attend. Conference registration information is below.

APRIL Conference

The 2025 APRIL Conference will be held in Portland, OR from October 17-19. Our staff is looking forward to reconnecting with friends and to full days of sharing, conversation, and mutual empowerment. RTC:Rural will be well-represented with four presentations:

Rayna Sage, Jeff Gutierrez, and IL T&TA Center - Partnering with Rural Libraries, Rural CIL needs assessment
Catherine Ipsen – Building CIL Capacity to Support Self-Employment
Luke Santore – Rural Transportation Voucher Toolkit: An Update
Krys Standley, Will Hoard – Centering Disability in Research Ethics: Lessons from RE4ALL & CIL Partnerships

Check out the conference website below for more information, or to register if you haven’t yet. We hope to see you there!

Check out the APRIL Conference website

A young black man sits on a tan chair in a conference setting. He has a buzz cut with a short beard. There are people sitting in the same chairs in rows behind him. He is wearing a short sleeve blue collared shirt and wears a lanyard and name tag around his neck. He is smiling.

The Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities (RTC:Rural) conducts research on disability as part of the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities at the University of Montana.

RTC:Rural is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) grant number 90RTCP0007 to improve the ability of people with disabilities to engage in rural community living.