About Us
The VR Self-Employment Guide is a multimedia website designed to help people with disabilities and vocational rehabilitation counselors understand the self-employment process. It provides a way for consumers and counselors to assess self-employment readiness, and guides them through the process of developing a business plan. The website is self-directed, and can be used by individuals on their own or with the guidance of a vocational rehabilitation counselor or mentor.
Please do not contact RTC:Rural for business development assistance, as we do not provide these types of services. If you are interested in pursuing self-employment, we recommend that you connect with a vocational rehabilitation counselor or your local Small Business Development Center.
Acknowledgments
This website reflects years of collaboration among RTC:Rural staff and many others:
UM Rural Institute on Inclusive Communities, RTC:Rural
- Catherine Ipsen – Project Director & Curriculum Development
- Nancy Arnold - Curriculum Development
- Lauren Smith - Curriculum Development
- Andrew Myers – Curriculum Development
- Stacey Bliss - Curriculum Development
- Meredith Repke- Curriculum Development
University of Montana UMOnline and Media Arts
- Jo Costello – Artistic Design
- Mark Shogren – Video Production
- Jon Paul De Roulhac – Video Production
- Tyler Schanck – Audio Production
Utah Office of Rehabilitation Services
- Margot Dana – Curriculum Review
Missoula Small Business Development Center
- Jennifer Stephens – Curriculum Review
Montana Business Owners with Disabilities
A special thanks to the business owners who provided additional perspectives and interviews for this guide:
- Alex Babat, AB Tech Solutions
- Kolter Beneitone, MT Sno
- Elizabeth Daughton, Believe in Me Photography
- Josh and Trevor Hughes, Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Company, Team Kaizen Games and Ingenium.
- Melissa Lafontaine, Earth Within Flowers
- Ed Worrell and Travis Stevenson, OverHere Consulting
For more information on these business owners and their companies, see the Featured Business Owners page at the top of the website.
Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Advisors
RTC:Rural and Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR) advisors translated an earlier version of this website for use within the Tribal VR system. The guidance we received from TVR advisors improved the overall flow and usability of the content so much that many of their ideas were incorporated into this site as well.
- Rebecca Holland, Montana Vocational Rehabilitation and Jemez VR Program (New Mexico)
- Kari Fragua, Jemez VR Program (New Mexico)
- Paula Seanez, Navajo Nation Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (Arizona)
- Tom Draghi, State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (Wisconsin)
- Jolleen Laverdure, Oto Kahe Teca VR (South Dakota)
- Amelia Rivers, Central Louisiana Intertribal VR Program (Louisiana)
- Irma Goodwine, Association of Village Council Presidents (Alaska)
- Sara Lizak, Kawerak, Inc. (Alaska)
About the RTC
For over 30 years, RTC: Rural has conducted research on disability in rural communities. Our work has led to the development of health promotion and employment programs, disability policy, and support and education for providers who serve people with disabilities. Through our research, we hope to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in rural communities across the nation.
The RTC:Rural is part of the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities (RIIC) at the University of Montana. The RIIC is one of 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDDs) located across the United States.
Funding
This website was developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (#90RTCP0002). NIDILRR is housed within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
© RTC:Rural, 2021