Blog Archives - Page 2 of 4

Saving Money and Learning as We Go with Kinsley

Posted on January 5, 2021, Edited January 5, 2021 by Shawna Hanson

Kinsley sits at tray table and presses a switch to activate the toy she borrowed from MonTECH. Sweet looking little girl with hair in french braids.

Life with two-year-old Kinsley is a learning curve, and Kinsley’s family members are not the only ones learning as they go. When Kinsley was born, her newborn cry had a […]

MonTECH’s Recumbent Tandem Takes a Ride Up Going-to-the-Sun

Posted on September 9, 2020, Edited September 9, 2020 by Shawna Hanson

Peter and Sherene on the trike, a magnificent green, snow-capped mountain behind them

Peter Drakos lives and breathes outdoor adventure. So when the opportunity rolls around each spring to ride a bike up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier, he’s one of the first to […]

MSU Student’s Makers Chapter Builds Switches for Montanans, by Shawna Hanson

Posted on July 29, 2020, Edited July 29, 2020 by Shawna Hanson

Eleni Comstock is genuine. Real. Take her recent interview with NASA. They asked if she was interested in space. Her response? No. Today she is working for NASA as a […]

Gadgets for Safer, Easier At-home Cooking, by Alyssa Dimmick

Posted on May 27, 2020, Edited May 27, 2020 by Shawna Hanson

Alyssa smiles while stirring ravioli in a frying pan in her kitchen.

Life with COVID-19 means many of us are cooking at home a lot more often. Cooking can be a challenge for people with disabilities, but assistive kitchen gadgets can help […]

Technology and Tenacity Are Keys to Tenley’s Independence

Posted on October 8, 2019, Edited October 8, 2019 by Shawna Hanson

Close-up of Tenley's face. She is smiling, with big brown eyes, dark hair pulled back in ponytail, and a bright blue headband.

Mathieu Stoker shows me a video of his eight-year-old daughter, Tenley, climbing up on a bench. Disney’s Moana plays on a television off-screen. Tenley’s progress is painstaking. She has […]

Identifying Children with Deaf-Blindness, and Raising Our Expectations for Them

Posted on July 17, 2019, Edited July 17, 2019 by Shawna Hanson

Early identification of children who are deaf-blind is a primary goal for the Montana Deaf-Blind Project (MTDB). How many kids in Montana have that dual sensory impairment? Well, it depends […]

Sarah Rates the BuzzClip

Posted on July 17, 2019, Edited July 17, 2019 by Shawna Hanson

Sarah smiles at camera, wearing hot-pink leopard-spotted hoodie, black frame glasses, and short blond hair.

Sarah Tienhaara, 13, dreams of owning and racing a dog sled team. She gets fired up just thinking about it. “Mushing isn’t a sport,” she explains. “It’s a lifestyle. You […]

Makers Make Customized Assistive Tech Affordable

Posted on April 30, 2019, Edited April 30, 2019 by Shawna Hanson

Eleni smiles, wearing black T, black rimmed glasses, short black hair. Customized bicycle in shop behind her.

Did you see the ad for Microsoft’s adapted Xbox controller during this year’s Super Bowl? You know the one, “When everybody plays, we all win” (cue happy tears). The ad […]

Community for Everett Begins with Communication

Posted on February 25, 2019, Edited February 27, 2019 by Shawna Hanson

Rebecca, in dark sweater with long hair hanging over her face, holds a laughing Everett, the sunshine coming through a window onto his white-blond hair.

Rebecca Miner thinks about community – community for her son, Everett. How will he make friends, when he cannot speak? How will he be included, if other parents are fearful […]

When a Traditional Loan Is Not an Option: Hamilton Woman Purchases Van with MATL

Posted on December 28, 2018, Edited December 28, 2018 by Shawna Hanson

As a social worker, Sarah Imoe investigated allegations of child abuse for Child Protective Services. Facing parents resentful of her presence in their homes was part of the job, […]