News - LIFTT

LIFTT is seeking a Finance/HR Manager!

Join our dynamic team!

LIFTT current has an opening in our Billings Montana office for a Finance & Human Resources Manager

As a member of the LIFTT Administrative Team, the FHRM primarily supports the following areas: financial, human resources, digital, and physical infrastructure. This position will report directly to the Executive Director. The FHRM is responsible for promoting consumer-directed services to persons with disabilities within LIFTT’s eighteen (18) county service area and shall focus their work on the spirit and intent of the independent living philosophy.

View the complete job description: Word, or PDF & Apply on Indeed.com

LIFTT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Persons with disabilities, veterans, women, and minorities are encouraged to apply.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Montana’s Disability History Demands your Attention

A group of disabled children in Billings Montana in the early portion of the 20th century

In this photo from the Western Heritage Center collection a group of children most of whom are using artificial limbs, crutches and/or wheelchairs and were part of a community based program set up at St. Vincent hospital in the early 20th century pose with their caregivers/teachers who are nuns from Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

Equally Different, Unequally Remembered

Let’s be honest.

Disability is everywhere, yet historically, it’s been almost nowhere. Not in the textbooks, not in the museum wings, not in the official timelines of “how we got here.” Until now. From March to December 2025, the Western Heritage Center in Billings is hosting a groundbreaking exhibition: “Equally Different: Uncovering the History of Disability in Montana.” And no, this isn’t your average stroll through sepia-toned nostalgia.

This is about truth-telling. About visibility. About refusing to disappear.

Why This Exhibition Hits Different

This isn’t a story about charity or pity. It’s a story about power. It’s about how people with disabilities in Montana survived, organized, and dared to demand more—even when society told them to stay quiet, stay hidden, or stay institutionalized. t’s about the State School at Boulder. It’s about forced silence. It’s about resistance. It’s about how disability, though always part of our collective story, was edited out — until now. And if you think this is just “history,” think again. This is now.

DEI Isn’t Complete Without the “D” That Everyone Forgets

Do you want to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion? Let’s talk about how disability is almost always the last guest invited to the table — if invited at all. “Equally Different” forces the conversation wide open. It doesn’t just fit into DEI — it expands it. It disrupts the idea that DEI is about marketing slogans and training modules. It says:

Where were disabled voices in your civil rights curriculum?
Why do your hiring policies celebrate diversity but exclude accessibility?
What happens when inclusion doesn’t include everyone?

This exhibition isn’t polite. It’s necessary, and it gives us all a choice: keep doing surface-level work, or go deeper.

LIFTT’s Role: We’re Not Observers, We’re Participants

At LIFTT, we don’t see history as a spectator sport. We’re part of this ongoing narrative. We honor this exhibition because it names what was hidden. It tells the stories of people who fought for ramps, rights, respect, and are still fighting. It also reminds us that independent living was never handed out like a gift. It was won. So no, we’re not just encouraging you to visit the exhibition.
We’re asking you to let it change you.

Go.

Walk through it. Sit with it.

Let it make you uncomfortable.

Let it open something up.

And when you leave, don’t say, “Wow, I didn’t know.”

Say, “Now that I do — what will I do next?”

History is only powerful when it moves us, and the fight for equity is only real when disability is not an afterthought — but a starting point. Let’s stop rewriting history to exclude. Let’s start living it equally different, and unapologetically whole.

The Western Heritage Center is located at 2822 Montana Avenue in downtown Billings and is open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults. $3 students & seniors, and free for children under age six. The buliding, which at one time was home to the Billings Public Library, has an ADA accessible elevator and an accessible entry is located at ground level to the right of the main entry staircase. The museum also provides what is known as a “Social Story” as a guide to help potential visitors with concerns about social interaction and public spaces learn what to expect when they come to the museum. For more information about the Western Heritage Center visit ywhc.org or call (406) 256-6809.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Outnumbered: an interactive art protest to save Section 504!

Over 5000 pencils, one for each Montana student with a 504 accommodation plan, are being sharpened at Disability Rights Montana as an artistic protest of Attorney General Austen Knudsen’s participation in a lawsuit seeking to strip the right of people with disabilities to receive accommodations to participate in federally funded programs and services.

What do 5,401 pencils and a civil rights law passed in 1973 have in common? They’re both being slowly ground down in Montana.

Disability Rights Montana has launched a bold, creative protest in response to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s participation in a lawsuit seeking to gut Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This law prohibits discrimination based on disability in federally funded programs. If successful, this lawsuit would deprive thousands of individuals of legal protection, including the 5,401 Montana students in grades K-12 currently supported by 504 accommodation plans.

To resist, DRM is inviting the public to help sharpen 5,401 pencils to the nub — each one representing a student whose rights are on the line. It’s tactile, symbolic, and open to all.

When? April 10, noon to 7 PM
Where? 1022 Chestnut Street, Helena (fully accessible)
Can I attend remotely? Livestream at disabilityrightsmt.org
Use hashtag #ArtForRightsMT

LIFTT proudly supports Disability Rights Montana in defending Section 504 and opposing the Attorney General’s actions. We believe access is a right, not a debate.

Want to join the movement or bring this mobile protest to your town? Reach out to Kona Franks-Ongoy at (406) 441-4810 or kona@dr-mt.org.

Section 504 has always been about visibility, equity, and basic human dignity. Let’s not let anyone sharpen it out of existence.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Empty Shelves, Louder Voices

What Happens When Food Security Becomes a Footnote?

Let’s name the silence.

Montana’s food banks are hurting. Not metaphorically. Not bureaucratically. But tangibly — like empty shelves where there used to be fresh produce, like waiting rooms that once had warmth and now only echo. Recently, the federal rug was pulled from under two essential food programs: the Local Food for Schools Program and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. Long names. Quiet supports. Gone now.Together, these programs injected over a billion dollars into local economies, nourishing bodies, sustaining farmers, and holding fragile systems together. And just like that, it was deleted from the ledger. Montana’s most vulnerable communities, already navigating scarcity, now stand in even longer lines, only to receive less. Less food. Less dignity. Less care.

The Anatomy of a Cut

The programs did more than fund logistics. They curated relationships: between food and community, between rural producers and urban hunger, between local abundance and collective survival. Now that the relationship has been severed, already stretched food banks in Montana are scaling back. Volunteers are turning away people they used to welcome. Once proud contributors to community health, small farmers are left with surplus they can’t distribute and dreams they can’t afford.

And none of this feels accidental.

Where Does LIFTT Stand?

We are a Center for Independent Living, yes. But we are also a center for humanity. And food insecurity is not a side issue — it’s central. You can’t fight for civil rights on an empty stomach. You can’t access public transit if you’re faint from skipping meals. Independence without nourishment is a contradiction.

So we say: this matters.

To everyone who once depended on a food box to stretch their month: we see you. To the food banks trying to hold the line: we stand with you To the growers who now wonder if justice and agriculture can still coexist: we thank you.

This Is Not the End of the Story

Postmodernism, if it teaches us anything, tells us not to trust the old narratives. That power often speaks in the passive voice. That erasure begins with a policy memo. And yet — every system can be rewritten. Every absence can become an invitation.

So, what do we do?

We listen louder to those on the ground, those in the grocery lines, and those who lost access overnight.
We connect the dots because hunger doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it intersects with disability, poverty, race, geography, and dignity.
We create anyway: gardens, co-ops, community kitchens, mutual aid networks. We remember that we’ve always found ways to nourish each other, with or without permission.

LIFTT will continue to advocate, to amplify, and to resist the narrative that says, “There’s nothing we can do.” Because there is always something.

And if the shelves are empty, we’ll fill them with our voices.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Thank you for supporting LIFTT in March!

Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT) would like to thank all of the people who showed up and donated at the two fundraising events we held during March. Your generosity made the Cheesecake Luncheon in Glendive and the Pizza Ranch Night in Billings successful!

Special kudos go to the LIFTT team members who pulled together to do the planning, promotion, baking, cooking, decorating, soup serving, table bussing, and the myriad of other tasks these events require without missing a beat on their “day jobs,” empowering our consumers. Finally, a shout-out to our event hosts, Black Sheep Market in Glendive and Billings West Pizza Ranch, We appreciate you letting us come into your business.

In this time where so much uncertainty surrounds our traditional sources of funding, LIFTT will be embarking on more public facing fundraising so keep your eyes out for more events in the near future. If you don’t want to wait until our next fundraiser to give you can visit liftt.org/donate or send your contributions to: LIFTT 1241 Crawford Drive Billings, MT 59102. All money donated goes right back to serving the aging and disabled community in southeastern and southcentral Montana.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

No More Exceptions: Rethinking Work, Worth, and Wages

Editor’s Note: Last Month, We published a post explaining some basics about the subminimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, how and why it came into being and remains in force, subjecting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of disabled Americans to extreme poverty and segregated employment, and how that practice needs to end (Read that post here). Here, LIFTT IL Program Manager Pamela Ramirez writes about conducting career counseling with subminimum wage workers through Section 511 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act. A required yearly Section 511 counseling is often the only time such workers learn about alternatives to their situation. While not every subminimum wage worker will choose to pursue the independent living and vocational rehabilitation services offered, a seed of independence is planted through these visits.

Who Belongs in the Workforce?

Let’s talk about something that often gets lost in the polite language of policy: work, value, and who gets to belong in the workforce.

Section 511 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was never meant to be a silver bullet, but it is a disruption—a much-needed one. It says that before someone with a disability can be placed in a job that pays below minimum wage (yes, that’s still legal under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act), they must be offered career counseling, job exploration, and access to competitive employment pathways.

Translation: The days of automatically steering people into low-wage, low-opportunity jobs because of a disability are over. Or at least, they should be.

A Visit to Special K Ranch: Counseling Meets Community

Recently, LIFTT visited Special K Ranch, a unique community along the Yellowstone River where 35 lifelong residents live, work, and thrive in a rural, agricultural setting. There’s a greenhouse, livestock, vocational programs, and space to dream bigger.

We came not to lecture but to listen and share—to offer Section 511 Career Counseling and invite folks to imagine a different kind of work future. One where a person’s value isn’t measured against an able-bodied benchmark but recognized for what it is—real, human, and worthy of fair pay.

Deconstructing the Old Script

Here’s the truth: many people with disabilities grow up in systems that whisper, “this is your lane — stay in it.” Sheltered workshops. Segregated environments. Always less than. But Section 511 throws a wrench into that narrative. It says: you have options. You can pursue competitive, integrated employment. You deserve access to information, support, and pathways to your own version of success. For many, that shift — from “I can’t” to “Why not me?” — is revolutionary.

Sub-Minimum Wages: The Price of Exclusion

Let’s name it: paying someone less solely because they’re disabled is not a workaround — it’s discrimination.

The argument has always been productivity. It is as if the only measure of someone’s worth is how many widgets they can produce per hour. But when you reduce humans to output, you lose everything they bring — tenacity, creativity, loyalty, diversity of thought.

States that have ended using sub-minimum wages haven’t collapsed—quite the opposite. When workers with disabilities are provided job coaching, inclusive supports, and opportunities, they don’t just meet expectations — they rewrite them. Inclusive hiring isn’t charity. It’s smart economics. And more importantly, it’s justice.

Beyond Section 511: The Work Ahead

Section 511 is a beginning, not an end. It’s the crack in the wall, not the teardown.

We still have Section 14(c) on the books. We still have structural ableism in defining “work” and “worthiness.” But there’s momentum. There are movements. And there are people — like those at Special K Ranch — ready to live lives that defy every tired assumption.

A New Lens on Labor

Eliminating sub-minimum wages isn’t just about paychecks. It’s about dignity, autonomy, and self-worth. It’s about dismantling the idea that only certain people are “employable” in meaningful ways. And it’s about building a workforce where every person has the right to expect fair compensation for real work.

We’re not there yet. But thanks to WIOA, Section 511, and the courage of those who believe in something better, we’re on the way.

Food as Medicine

A Delicious Path to Better Health!

What if the secret to feeling better, managing health conditions, and boosting energy wasn’t hiding in a pill bottle — but in the produce aisle? At LIFTT, we believe food is medicine, and we’re putting that belief into action with an exciting new initiative that makes fresh, nutritious food more accessible while turning a routine trip to the grocery store into a fun and empowering experience.

Grocery Store Tours: More Than Just Shopping

A grocery store tour isn’t just about filling your cart — it’s about learning, exploring, and discovering how the choices we make while shopping impact our health. Imagine strolling through the aisles with a nutrition expert, learning how to decode food labels, choosing the freshest fruits and veggies, and swapping out high-sugar, high-sodium foods for delicious, nutrient-packed alternatives.

What to Expect on a Grocery Store Tour

Navigating the Store Like a Pro—Ever notice that fresh, whole foods tend to be on the outer aisles, while processed, packaged foods fill the center? We’ll show you how to shop smart by starting in the produce, dairy, and deli sections and making healthier choices first.
Reading Food Labels Without the Confusion – What do “natural,” “organic,” and “low-fat” really mean? How much sugar is too much sugar? Our tour guides will help crack the code so you can make informed choices.
Picking the Best Fresh Foods – Get tips on selecting perfectly ripe produce, understanding food seasonality, and making fresh foods last longer at home.
Deli and Dairy Done Right – Not all deli meats and dairy products are created equal. We’ll discuss lean protein options, low-sodium choices, and plant-based alternatives that fit different health needs.
Making Whole Grains Work for You – Learn to choose high-fiber, nutrient-dense whole grains over refined options — without sacrificing taste.
Budget-Friendly, Healthier Shopping – Yes, healthy eating can be affordable! We’ll share ways to stretch your food budget, reduce waste, and make delicious meals with simple ingredients.

Who Should Join a Grocery Store Tour?

Anyone who:

Wants to make healthier food choices but isn’t sure where to start;
Is managing diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions and needs support in choosing the right foods;
Loves good food and wants to explore new ways to shop, cook, and eat better;
Enjoys learning in a fun, interactive, and social way!

Bringing Healthy Food to the Table

Beyond the grocery store tours, LIFTT is working with local supermarkets to help community members gain access to fresh, whole foods, making it easier for individuals and families to prepare nutritious, delicious meals. We know that food insecurity is a barrier to health, and we’re committed to breaking down those barriers, one meal at a time.

Let’s Get Shopping!

If you’re ready to transform your shopping experience and discover how food can be a tool for better health, join us for an upcoming grocery store tour! You’ll leave with practical skills, new ideas, and maybe even a new favorite meal to try at home.

Food is medicine — let’s learn how to use it together!

For more information about participating in grocery store tours, the Diabetes Prevention Program, and LIFTT’s other health and wellness services, contact our nutritional health coaches, Anya Pulis, (406) 606-1761 or anyap@liftt.org, and Eileen Rodriguez, (406) 294-5185 or eileenr@liftt.org

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Holly Hanson: From Facilitator to Leader

LIFTT PCA Program Facilitator Holly Hanson

With years of experience in the medical field and team management, Holly Hanson will make a great leader for LIFTT’s SDPAS program.

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At LIFTT, we believe in growth, empowerment, and supporting our own as they reach new heights in their careers. This spring, we’re thrilled to celebrate one of our own, Holly Hanson, as she embarks on an exciting new journey — training to become our PCA Program Supervisor!

Who is Holly Hanson?

If you’ve been around LIFTT, chances are you’ve met Holly — a dedicated PCA Facilitator who brings energy, expertise, and compassion to everything she does. With a rich background in healthcare, hospitality, and team management, Holly is known for her warm personality, quick thinking, and unstoppable drive. She has a deep passion for patient care, risk mitigation, and making sure every PCA and client receives top-notch support.

But what really makes Holly stand out? Her ability to turn any challenge into an opportunity! Whether it’s scheduling staff, ensuring compliance, or just making someone’s day a little brighter, Holly takes it all in stride — always with a smile (and maybe even a funny story to share).

Climbing the Ladder: The Road to PCA Program Supervisor

Holly’s journey from Personal Care Assistant to Program Facilitator to PCA Supervisor-in-Training is nothing short of inspiring. With years of hands-on experience in the field, she has worked directly with clients, managed teams, and ensured quality care in various roles. She knows what it takes to support both PCAs and clients effectively, and now she’s stepping up to take on an even bigger role.

Her training for PCA Program Supervisor is no small feat — it involves mastering staff management, compliance protocols, program development, and problem-solving on a whole new level. But if there’s anyone up for the challenge, it’s Holly!

What This Means for LIFTT

Holly’s promotion is a big win for our team! Her leadership will bring fresh energy, innovative ideas, and a deep understanding of the needs of PCAs and clients alike. She’s ready to mentor, guide, and ensure the PCA Program runs smoother than ever.

And let’s be honest — Holly in a leadership role means even more enthusiasm, collaboration, and maybe even a few motivational pep talks to keep us all on our toes!

Who is Training Holly for LIFTT?

Holly won’t be navigating this new journey alone! Lanette Brown, our long-time PCA Program Facilitator and current PCA Program Supervisor, will be training Holly over the next 18 months as she prepares for her well-earned retirement.

Lanette has dedicated more than 15 years to LIFTT, advocating quality care and empowering PCAs and consumers. Her experience, wisdom, and heart have shaped our program, and while it will be bittersweet to see her go, we’re grateful for all she has given to LIFTT and the community

But don’t worry — Lanette has assured us she’ll always be just a call away if we ever need her guidance, and she promised to stop by for visits (we might just hold her to that!).

Let’s Celebrate Holly!

We couldn’t be prouder of Holly as she takes this exciting step in her career. As she trains and prepares for her new role, let’s show her some love and encouragement. If you see her around the office, give her a high-five, a big congrats, or just share a laugh — because we all know LIFTT is better with Holly in it!

Congratulations, Holly! Your LIFTT family is cheering you on every step of the way!

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

Statement on Montana Fair Housing’s loss of HUD Funding

Editor’s Note: Recently, it was announced that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), at the behest of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated a $425,000 grant that provided much of the funding to Montana Fair Housing, a statewide non-profit organization that for the past 37 years has been responsible for educating renters, home buyers, landlords, realtors, and the general public about housing discrimination, how to prevent it and what steps are available to those who experience it (Full Story from MTN News). Following this loss of critical funding and programming in the fight against housing discrimination, LIFTT Executive Director Carlos Ramalho issued the following statement expressing LIFTT’s appreciation for Montana Fair Housing’s work and our concern for the future:

For 37 years, Montana Fair Housing has been a pillar of education, advocacy, and justice, working to ensure that renters, home buyers, landlords, and realtors understand their rights and responsibilities under fair housing laws. Their tireless efforts to combat housing discrimination and promote accessibility have made Montana a more inclusive place for people of all backgrounds — especially those who are disabled, aging, or otherwise vulnerable to housing inequities.

That’s why we acknowledge with deep regret the sudden termination of their federal contract with HUD on February 27, 2025 — a decision made without warning and with immediate effect.

Why This Matters

Housing is not just about shelter but security, dignity, and independence. Montana Fair Housing has been a lifeline for those facing discrimination, ensuring that the Fair Housing Act is upheld and that every Montanan — regardless of race, disability, age, or economic status — has access to safe and fair housing opportunities.

At LIFTT, we disagree with this decision and fear its impact on our communities most vulnerable. Without Montana Fair Housing’s full presence, who will step in to protect the rights of renters and home buyers? Who will educate landlords and realtors? Who will fight for those experiencing housing discrimination?

These are not just bureaucratic concerns but real issues that affect real people. We cannot afford to take fair and accessible housing for granted.

Moving Forward

As Montana Fair Housing reorganizes its services to continue on a more limited basis, we at LIFTT want to express our deep appreciation for their decades of service. Their work has made a profound difference, and we stand in solidarity with them as they navigate this unexpected and difficult transition.

We also call upon our community, advocates, and policymakers to find solutions to fill this void — because housing justice should never be optional.

To Montana Fair Housing: Thank you for 37 years of unwavering commitment. Your impact will not be forgotten.

LIFTT will continue to do everything we can to help those who need assistance with housing-related advocacy and resources. Please stay connected with us as we work toward solutions.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.

WHC Exhibits to focus on Disability History, Art

Two exhibits, one on the history of people with disabilities in Montana and another featuring works of art produced by disabled artists, will open for public viewing at the Western Heritage Center in downtown Billings beginning on Wednesday, March 26. The exhibits are the result of over two years of work by the Western Heritage Center, which used in-depth primary historical research and fourteen recent oral history interviews to uncover the unique and surprising stories of people living with disabilities in Montana.

Equally Different: Uncovering the History of Disability in Montana (March 2025 until December)

Following national trends of institutionalization and separation, the State of Montana began offering specialized education for the deaf, blind, and “feeble-minded” at the State School at Boulder and supported the opening of the Warm Springs Infirmary & Invalid Hospital (now the Montana State Hospital).

But while these institutions attempted to help Montanans with certain disabilities, local efforts took a different approach. Starting with the St. Vincent Orthopedic Hospital and Dr. Louis Allard, programs in Billings began leading the nation in services and integration. Then, as today, the history of people living with disabilities is about civil and human rights.

As federal legislation, such as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, and ADA Amendments Act of 2008, provided significant legal achievements for prohibiting discrimination of people with disabilities, many programs in Billings and Montana were working to accomplish these feats as early as the 1940s.

The disability rights movement continues today. In the exhibit, you’ll hear accounts from those who experience life with a disability and learn the stories of local advocates who worked to improve the lives of those living with disabilities. (Exhibit Description provided by Western Heritage Center)

Empowered HeARTs: Work from Artists with Disabilities.

Explore the emotions and skills of artists living with disabilities in the Yellowstone River Valley. From well-known talents, like Cliff Potts, to emerging young artists, experience the diversity and color of these wonderful works of art. (Exhibit Description provided by Western Heritage Center)

LIFTT is loaning Western Heritage Center a paper mache sculpture featuring two children riding in a rainbow colored hot air balloon for display in the Empowered HeARTs exhibit. The sculpture is one of several Justin Johnson gifted to LIFTT in 2013. Johnson was an autistic man who, when living in Billings from 2008-2013, participated in AWARE’s “Growth through Art” program and worked with Montana Vocational Rehabilitation and Job Connection to set up his own studio. Johnson passed away in Helena in 2014. LIFTT is proud to be able to honor Justin’s artistic legacy through this loan.

Artist Justin Johnson (left) and then LIFTT executive director Joe Burst pose with a sculpture Johnson, an autistic man, created and donated to LIFTT in 2013. Johnson would pass away in 2014. LIFTT is proud to honor Johnson’s legacy, by loaning the sculpture to the Western Heritage Center to display in an upcoming art exhibit by disabled artists from our region.

The Western Heritage Center is located at 2822 Montana Avenue in downtown Billings and is open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults. $3 students & seniors, and free for children under age six. The buliding, which at one time was home to the Billings Public Library, has an ADA accessible elevator and an accessible entry is located at ground level to the right of the main entry staircase. The museum also provides what is known as a “Social Story” as a guide to help potential visitors with concerns about social interaction and public spaces learn what to expect when they come to the museum. For more information about the Western Heritage Center visit ywhc.org or call (406) 256-6809

Western Heritage Center Community Historian Lauren Hunley Recently Joined Carlos Ramalho and Jed Barton on an episode of “Living Well in Montana” to discuss the exhibits, some of the surprising facts her research has yielded, and how history echoes in the situations the disability community finds itself in today. You can watch the full episode below.

About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides aging and disabled members of the community with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app for your Apple or Android Device.

You can donate to LIFTT by clicking here.