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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-22-26 Correspondence - Disability Rights MT - If Laws Were Enough, People with Disabilities Wouldn’t Need This BuildingFrom:Disability Rights Montana - Growth Rings To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]If Laws Were Enough, People with Disabilities Wouldn’t Need This Building Date:Friday, May 22, 2026 9:13:54 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! If Laws Were Enough, People with Disabilities Wouldn’t Need This Building.mp4 Watch now If Laws Were Enough, People withDisabilities Wouldn’t Need ThisBuilding Your leadership next Tuesday and Wednesday will determine the futureof Montana's disability culture - sign up to design the next phase READ IN APP Montana’s disability community needs your help to shape the Montana Disability Justice Center. We are in the process of planning this center and I need your help. I really mean it, I mean you! (Scroll to the bottom if you want to learn about two meetings next week I need you to attend). Not somebody, somewhere. I firmly believe when we say someone should do something, no one will do it. If you read the Growth Rings newsletter, or watch the Growth Rings podcast, you are so much more engaged in Montana disability law, policy, and culture than the vast majority of Montanans. That’s why I specifically want to hear form you. If we could get justice for Montanans with disabilities by just passing laws or suing to enforce those laws, … we’d be done. I wouldn’t need anything more from you because I have those skillsets on staff. But, we aren’t done. It’s always something. As disabled people we are constantly fighting to survive, and that is exhausting. We’ve spent 50+ years passing disability rights laws, refining them, defending them. But we still have people with MAY 22 disabilities who struggle to access healthcare, education, transportation, and basic opportunity. In this episode of the Growth Rings podcast, I take you inside DRMT’s 11,000 square foot building in Helena, Montana that technically checks all the boxes… but still isn’t doing what it could. The question isn’t: “Is this building compliant?” The question is: “Is this building useful to the people who need it most?” And that question opens up something much bigger: What if accessibility isn’t the goal, belonging is? What if advocacy isn’t just legal, it’s collective power-building? What if we stopped asking institutions for permission… and built our own? This episode is about turning an empty building into something else entirely: A hub for disabled people to meet, organize, plan, and act A place where ideas turn into policy change A space designed by the people most impacted—not for them I don’t know exactly what it will become. That’s the point. We’re building it together. What’s missing? Get involved We’re forming two working groups right now: Tuesday, at noon, the event committee is meeting - sign up to join the group. Wednesday, at noon, the building committee is meeting.- sign up to join the group. If you’ve ever thought: “Something isn’t working… but I don’t know what to do about it” You’re exactly who we need. Please show up to one of these meetings to share your thoughts on what we could build together as we plan for the Montana Disability Justice Center. Sincerely, David David Carlson, J.D. Executive Director Disability Rights Montana 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 © 2026 Disability Rights Montana1022 Chestnut Street, Helena, MT 59601 Unsubscribe