What a year!!!
We've done a lot together and I am excited about what we can work on next.
Dear friends,
This was a big year for disability culture in Montana! And I am writing to ask you to donate to support the continuation of this work in 2026.
This weekly newsletter offers a lot of words, but I want to assure you it is all backed by daily action. Here are some highlights of what we have accomplished this year:
Filed four statewide systemic lawsuits, including two we have already won - one that doubled the years of high school students with disabilities receive and another that stopped a plan to strip money from schools that students attending public school need to succeed.
Protected voting rights in both the courts and legislature for people with mental illness, dementia, and developmental disabilities, both in institutions and in the community.
Monitored over 100 disability service sites, several schools, dozens of assisted living facilities, and dozens of government buildings to ensure legal compliance and safety, and expose concerning practices that strip people with disabilities of their power and choice.
Led advocacy alongside a statewide coalition that successfully pressured Montana’s Attorney General to withdraw a dangerous attack on Section 504, the nation’s oldest disability civil rights law.
Engaged with 87 bills during the legislative session, creating a first-in-the-nation dementia/mental illness community care law to divert people from the failing state hospital into new community based settings, defeating efforts to restrict voting rights and housing access, and helping pass Medicaid expansion.
We did all this while facing unprecedented financial pressure.
Now, we need your help.
Your donation will help us:
Reload with more litigation;
Rebuild our advocacy workforce;
Continue fighting for justice in schools, hospitals, prisons, and neighborhoods across Montana;
Develop a Disability Community Center in our state capital to serve as a local, state-wide, and regional incubator of disability culture and leadership; and
Support disabled Montanans build their policy advocacy skills prior to the 2027 legislative session through the state-wide collation, The Collective Disruption.
We literally cannot do this without you.
Your gift fuels storytelling, organizing, and systemic change led by disabled Montanans for all of Montana. It helps us move beyond compliance and toward collective liberation.
👉 Donate now to help us close the year strong and march boldly into 2026.
With gratitude and solidarity,
David Carlson
Executive Director, Disability Rights Montana