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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-26 Correspondence - Disability Rights Montana - Disability Is Everywhere, But Still Missing in PoliticsFrom:Disability Rights Montana - Growth Rings To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]Disability Is Everywhere, But Still Missing in Politics Date:Tuesday, February 17, 2026 8:01:23 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! Disability Is Everywhere, But StillMissing in Politics Plus a reminder about this week's disabled non-driver event in Missoula READ IN APP Hey friends, You are going to hear a lot about candidates announcing they are running for office in the coming days because the window to file just opened today! It closes at 5:00 on March 4th and between now and then lots of people will throw their hats in the ring. I want to spotlight something important, something that speaks directly to the work we’re doing together to build a Montana where disabled people are seen, heard, and leading. FEB 17 Christa Gabriel, Disability Rights Montana’s Public Policy Director, recently wrote a powerful column for the Daily Montanan that I think every one of us should read. Especially this week. In it, she lays out a simple truth: Read it here: dailymontanan.com Christa reminds us that here in Montana, more than one in four people live with a disability, yet people with disabilities are still missing from leadership roles in business, community spaces, and especially in politics. Christa writes about why this matters so much. Policies around health care, education, transportation, employment, housing, and voting access all touch the disability community more than almost any other group. Yet too often, decisions still get made about us, not with us. Christa pushes us to imagine something better: a Montana where disability leadership is normal, not rare. Where candidates openly share their lived experience. Where disability is recognized as a form of expertise—not something to hide. Her piece is a call to action. A call to show up. A call to lead. A call to see ourselves as worthy of being in the rooms where decisions get made. Not later. Not when things “calm down.” Now. Disability is everywhere. But representation is not. Take five minutes today to read it: https://dailymontanan.com/2026/01/21/disability-is-everywhere-representation-is- not/ Then, share it with someone. Talk about it with your family or friends. And if something in it sparks something in you—an idea, a frustration, a YES‑this‑is‑exactly‑it, hit reply and tell me about it! These conversations matter. Because disability is everywhere. But with work, courage, and community, one day representation will be too. In solidarity, David David Carlson, J.D. Executive Director Disability Rights Montana He/Him/His Read the Column p.s. If you didn’t see my tips fortalking with legislators last week, youcan check it out here: p.p.s. this is just a reminder to folks inMissoula to get out to thetransportation conversation happing 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! this Thursday the 19th. Learn more inthis post form last week: Disabled Non‑Drivers + A Big MissoulaEvent Coming Up DAVID CARLSON ·FEB 11 Disabled Non‑Drivers + A Big Missoula Event Coming Up Across the state, thousands of Montanans live full lives without driving. Some can’t drive because of direct disability-related reasons like vision, mobility, neurological, mental health, or cognitive disabilities. Some can’t drive because of indirect disability-related reasons as driving costs so much at a time when disability benefits are not enough t… Read full story Upgrade to paid LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Disability Rights Montana1022 Chestnut Street, Helena, MT 59601 Unsubscribe