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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-30-25 Correspondence - Disability Rights Montana - I am calling on all Montanans to rethink _community_ during the Week Without DrivingFrom:Disability Rights Montana - Life Beyond Compliance To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]I am calling on all Montanans to rethink "community" during the Week Without Driving Date:Monday, September 29, 2025 7:03:49 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Every paid subscription supports Disability Rights Montana’s work across Montana. Federal funding is nowhere near sufficient to meet the advocacy and culture change work that is needed. You can help fund the future you want to see! 2025-09-24 11-35-00 - (16x9).mp4 Watch now I am calling on all Montanans torethink "community" during theWeek Without Driving Car-dominance builds a different relationship with our neighbors andneighborhoods than a walkable, rollable, human-sized community does READ IN APP Have you ever tried getting around without driving yourself? For many disabled Montanans, that’s everyday life. This week, I invite you to join the national Week Without Driving campaign and experience what it’s like to rely on alternative transportation in a state where public transit is often limited or nonexistent. Most communities in Montana are designed around the assumption that everyone drives, but thousands of disabled Montanans, and many others, don’t have that option. This campaign is about empathy, equity, and reimagining how we relate to one another and the towns we live in. That is why earlier this year, I accepted an invitation to join the national steering committee for the Week Without Driving campaign. I think that as a nation we can do a lot better at relating to one another as human beings and one major barrier to doing that is our relationship with cars. Don’t get me wrong, I drive - a lot. But I can recognize that communities that prioritize cars, deprioritize people, especially people with disabilities. Watch this short video featuring Theresa, a wheelchair user navigating her morning commute in Helena, MT: SEP 29 Of course, I also encourage you to listen/watch to the latest episode of our video podcast, Growth Rings, by clicking on the video at the top of this email, or you can subscribe on Apple podcasts to have it delivered to you there. In this podcast, I share 45 practical tips and pieces of advice from disabled non-drivers across Montana. It is aimed at showing drivers, policymakers, transportation planners, and city officials what a valuable resource disabled non-drivers can be to make their communities better. These insights offer actionable ways to make communities more accessible and inclusive for everyone. I invite every Montanan, especially those in leadership, to see what it is like to get around their community without driving. This campaign is a chance to build humility and highlight how much better our communities could be for everyone if we were to leverage the knowledge and experience of the disability community. • Try going a day or week without driving yourself. • Sign up for the challenge: https://weekwithoutdriving.org/join/ • Share your experience on social media using #WeekWithoutDriving and tag @DisabilityRightsMT. • Encourage your city council, business association, or cultural organization to take part. Montana’s rural geography and limited transit infrastructure make it especially difficult for non-drivers to access work, healthcare, education, and community life. By participating in Week Without Driving, leaders can better understand the barriers and begin building solutions that work for everyone. Thanks for being part of the movement. Let’s make Montana culture, Disability culture! You’re currently a free subscriber to Life Beyond Compliance. Upgrading to paid subscriptions supports Disability Rights Montana’s work across Montana. Federal funding is no where near sufficient to meet the advocacy and culture change work that is needed. You can help fund the future you want to see! Upgrade to paid LIKE COMMENT RESTACK How to Participate Why It Matters © 2025 Disability Rights Montana1022 Chestnut Street, Helena, MT 59601 Unsubscribe