Lincoln Resource Map being developed by mILp, RTC: Rural

Montana Independent Living Project (mILp) and the Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities at the University of Montana (RTC: Rural) are developing a community map of Lincoln to bring together resources, services, and events that can support community inclusion and independent living.

Maria Stout, who works as an independent living specialist at mILP, has been working to expand services in the Lincoln area over the past year. mILp is a Center for Independent Living based out of Helena that serves all of Lewis and Clark County, including Lincoln, and is a community‑based, cross‑disability, nonresidential private nonprofit agency that is designed and operated within a local community by individuals with disabilities and provides an array of independent living services.

"The goal of this map is to develop a resource that can connect people to the services, activities, and organizations that make Lincoln a wonderful place to live and that can support people with disabilities who live in the area. The map is also a way to bring people together to talk about what is available in the community and identify what additional services might be needed to support people with disabilities," Lillie Greiman, a project director at RTC: Rural, said in an e-mail.

Montana Independent Living Project and RTC: Rural are working with Lincoln residents Tiana Valler and Laura Butler to gather feedback on the draft map and to help identify missing resources or organizations as well as gaps in services in the Lincoln area.

"We want to include anything on this map that may help support people with disabilities in the community," Greiman said, explaining, "This can be anything from access to food and health care to education and training and opportunities for community engagement. We hope that the community can help us decide what belongs on this map!"

Greiman and Stout hope the map will serve as a resource for organizations and individuals who live in Lincoln to help connect people with things they need, as well as to identify partners to promote new programs and projects to support people with disabilities in Lincoln.

The digital draft of the map can be found online at https://tinyurl.com/3929mfr5, and paper versions will be available at the Heritage House along with a short feedback form to help the organizations gather additional information about what to add to the map. Feedback forms can be returned to the Heritage House.

The map currently hosts a community resources layer, which includes listings for support with food security, education, energy assistance and more. The map also has a community events layer, which lists food and meals, aid and support, recreation and retail, and hobbies and interests.

RTC:Rural has worked on maps in rural communities in North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona, and Virginia, wrote Greiman, and added that the project is funded by a federal grant managed by RTC:Rural.

"Every community is different, but the things they have in common are that people love their communities and want to ensure that all residents, including people with disabilities, are able to access the things they need to live and thrive in rural places," Greiman wrote.

In addition to gathering feedback via paper forms, Valler and Butler will work with Greiman and Stout to offer community meetings where residents can discuss map features, suggest edits and changes, and offer ideas for additional resources. They expect those to be begin in January. Interested parties can reach out to Maria Stout at [email protected] or Lillie Greiman at [email protected].