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#RTC:Rural eNews

June

2025

A white woman hands payment to a Black woman vendor at a farmers market stall, exchanging goods with a smile.

The Importance of NIDILRR Funding

For the last 47 years, NIDILRR funding has supported disability-focused research, training, and dissemination to improve health, employment, and independent living outcomes. RTC:Rural has proudly utilized NIDILRR funding for over 35 years to improve the lives of rural people with disabilities through our research. Please visit our NIDILRR-funded Research webpage or Information Sheet to learn more about the vital work being done at RTC:Rural.

An older white man sits on a park bench, engaged in conversation with a younger white man using a wheelchair.

A healthcare worker (or nurse) in scrubs reads a book with an older white woman, both smiling.

Publications

Check out new RTC:Rural publications on personal care assistance, rural library access, and building home care worker capacity!

"I Figured It Might Be Because We are Rural": A Qualitative Study of Barriers and Opportunities Related to Home-Based Personal Assistance Services

Personal Care Assistance (PCA) provides vital support, so rural disabled people and older adults can live in their communities. In this manuscript, RTC:Rural researchers Rayna Sage, Krys Standley, and Genna Mashinchi analyze the experiences of people living in rural areas who need paid, in-home assistance with activities of daily living to inform a training for rural PAS consumers.Through a series of interviews, participants named three primary barriers to PCA access—and highlighted strong community connections as a vital support.

Read the article to find out more.

An older Black woman with glasses, a colorful shirt, and a braided hairstyle speaks to someone off-camera.

A young black man reads a book in a library.

Reflections from Lived Experience

Following up on our research on Rural Communication Strategies, RTC:Rural Knowledge Translation Coordinator Jeff Gutierrez led an interactive session at the 2024 APRIL Conference to engage CIL perspectives on emerging research. This fact sheet captures participant input from the session, exploring the role of rural public libraries and how they interact with the disability community based on the experiences of rural CIL staff and consumers.

Check out the fact sheet!

Collaborative Research Report: Building Home Care Worker Capacity

Over 7.5 million adults require support with daily activities due to disabilities. Many rely on paid home care workers (HCWs) for assistance, and the demand for HCWs is only expected to grow. RTC:Rural researchers teamed up with our partners at PHI to examine the rising demand for home-based care and whether worker-supportive policies like increased wages and healthcare insurance can help recruit and retain home care workers.

Read the collaborative research report!

A young woman of color in glasses and a white sweater listens attentively to a speaker off-camera.

Dr. Catherine Ipsen accepts a commendation award from a NARRTC representative.

Catherine Ipsen Receives NARRTC Commendation

RTC:Rural Co-Director Catherine Ipsen received the 2025 Commendation Award from NARRTC! These commendations are awarded for research, teaching, service, or advocacy in the field of disability and recognize important contributions that strategically or creatively advance the field of disability. Congratulations on your award, Catherine!

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.