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PLENTYWOOD — Against the biting winter wind, Firdavs Temirov, blue jeans tucked into the stump of his right leg, trudged gamely on crutches up the steep hill toward the school bus.

VSA, renowned artist Simon Mckeown, and 17 countries around the world are celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with screenings of the groundbreaking video installation Motion Disabled to raise awareness of disability rights. Mckeown uses motion capture, a technique used in feature films and video games, and 3D animation to explore digitally the movements of 15 people with disabilities performing activities from kickboxing to riding a bicycle. This mesmerizing installation challenges conventional ideas of motion. Watch the video online or find a screening near you. The 650 million people worldwide who live with disabilities deserve inclusion and access to equal opportunities. Because disability knows no borders.

Skier Alex Bilodeau is a hero after winning Canada’s first gold medal at the home court Olympic Games. But Bilodeau is quick to share the praise with his older brother Frederic, who has cerebral palsy, and who the skier calls his inspiration.

As the 2010 Winter Olympics enter it's last week, some athletes are just getting ready for their turn at the winter games. The Special Olympics in Montana kick off in Whitefish next Sunday.

For football fans, the indelible image of last month’s Super Bowl might have been quarterback Drew Brees’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass that put the New Orleans Saints ahead for good. But for audiologists around the nation, the highlight came after the game — when Mr. Brees, in a shower of confetti, held aloft his 1-year-old son, Baylen.

The boy was wearing what looked like the headphones worn by his father’s coaches on the sideline, but they were actually low-cost, low-tech earmuffs meant to protect his hearing from the stadium’s roar.

Welcome to TextEd.ca, your online source for everything textual. Get the 411 on texting and relationships, including healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, how to deal with harassment, and how to cope with stress. Through a variety of games and activities you can test your texting knowledge, find out how to use this great technology safely, and learn what to do when someone crosses the line.

FamilyConnect™ has a number of resources for parents of children and teenagers who are blind or visually impaired. If you are looking for fun, accessible games and activities for the holiday season, we hope you will find the following links helpful.

Now kids can enjoy their favorite books from your iPhone! Forget the playstations, game consoles and DVDs, our mobile picture books will entertain and educate your child in the car, plane, train and more.

As you peruse Fat Brain Toys, you may find something missing. In fact, if you're accustomed to the toy selection found at most stores, you may find lots of items missing. Missing are the licensed, violent, cheaply made toys that end up in the trash can shortly after being played with by your child. But what you will find instead are THOUSANDS of quality, open-ended toys, games, and gifts that entertain AND educate.

Behind Cornell University’s successful run to the Sweet 16 this week is the inspiration of a couple of young people with autism. And the team’s coach would have it no other way. As the Cornell basketball team tore through Temple and Wisconsin and gets ready to face Kentucky, coach Steve Donahue has been getting coaching advice from an unexpected source — Jason McElwain, or J-Mac, who became a national sensation four years back when he scored 20 points during the last four minutes of his high school basketball game.

Click here to download the full brochure (PDF) Topic: In this engaging workshop, national expert Dr. Douglas Gentile will discuss the scientific research on many of the ways in which the media can affect children, adolescents, and adults. Topics covered will include brain development and the media, the psychology of advertising and what educators should learn from advertisers, the multiple effects of media violence, the positive and negative effects of  video games, how the media fit into the larger picture of risk and protective factors, and how the media can influence school readiness and school success.

These easy-to-use guides were created especially for teachers/caregivers and parents to provide hands-on ways to embed social emotional skill building activities into everyday routines. Each book nook is comprised of ideas and activities designed around popular children’s books such as Big Al, Hands are Not for Hitting, On Monday When it Rained and My Many Colored Days. Examples of suggested activities include using rhymes to talk about being friends, making emotion masks to help children identify and talk about different feelings, playing games around what to do with hands instead of hitting and fun music and movement activities to express emotions.

The goal of the Optimist Special Children's Camp is to give the children a week of summer camp where they can forget about their disabilities and have fun while giving their caregivers some free time. During the week of camp, the children will play games, do crafts, swim and enjoy a special activity each night (movie, dance, carnival).Click here to download the Camper Enrollment Application (PDF)Click here to download the Counselor Application (PDF)

2010 State Summer Games, May 12-14, 2010 MSU – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Montana 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Summer is always an exciting time to kick back, have fun, and spend quality time with the family. In between family vacations, trips to the zoo, playing video games, and sitting around the house bored, many parents are also searching for activities that are not only fun, but also constructive. Look no further.

Click here to download the flyer for this event (PDF) What: LETRS for Early Childhood Educators June 16-17th Learning Essentials for Teachers of Reading & Spelling with Lucy Hart Paulson June 18th LETRS Training of Trainers Saturday, June 18th Early Childhood Session Topics: CSEFEL (6 hours) Technology Traditional Native Games Native American Math Love & Logic Movement Part C to Part B Trauma Informed Educational When: June 16-18th, 2011 Where: Salish Kootenai College Pablo, MT

Click here to download full flyer with registration information (PDF) What: The Northern Rockies Association for the Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind & Visually Impaired is holding its annual conference. Presentations include: Teaching Braille though Arts and Games ~ Jan Zollinger, Distinguished Educators of Blind Children Award, 2004 Stress and the Deaf-Blind Student: Enhancing the Work Environment ~ Robin Greenfield, Coordinator of the Idaho DeafBlind Project Using the Low Vision Assessment Effectively ~ a panel (O&M Specialist; Teacher of the Visually Impaired; etc.) Options for Driving with Optical Devices ~ Dr. Dwight Hansen, Low Vision Specialist Transition and Beyond ~ Dana Ard, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Blind Assistive Technology for Students with Multiply Impairments-Visual Impairments ~ Nora Jehn, Director of the Idaho Center for Assistive Technology Update on Accessible Technology for the Consumer (IPAD, Magnifiers, Notetaking Devices, Auditory Readers, etc.) Low Vision and Low Vision Devices American Printing House: new math and tactual graphics products Dog Guide Issues Where: Sun Valley Inn Ketchum, Idaho When: October 19-21, 2011

Writing one's life story at age 23 may challenge the very definition of "memoir," given the lack of experience most have at that age. But Connolly's habits as a world traveler, his skills as an X Games athlete, and his experience as a man with an obvious disability (he was born without legs), lend him perspective beyond his years.

Children in Montana are more likely than their fellow American kids to engage in physical activity daily, spend less time watching television or playing video games and are less likely to have a television in their rooms. Thirty-two percent of U.S. children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese, compared with 26 percent of Montana children. This information comes from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, which included telephone interviews with 1,800 Montana households.