Montana Empowerment Center, Inc. is Montana’s Parent Training Information Center (PTI)

Montana Empowerment Center is excited to announce that they have been approved for the Parent Training Information Center grant for Montana. MEC was founded in 2018 by families of children with disabilities and has been staffed, managed, and governed by parents and individuals with disabilities. Many of the staff have very personal ties to this work as they have experienced firsthand the difficulty of accessing information, making connections and forming relationships to best advocate for themselves, their child and their families. The mission of MEC is to empower, encourage and educate all Montana families of children and young adults (birth to 26 years of age) with disabilities. We at MEC are very optimistic and look forward to hearing from you the Montana families.

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PTIs are federally funded programs through the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) authorized in Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). PTIs serve families of children with disabilities who are ages birth through 26. We serve families of children with the full range of disabilities.

What do PTIs do for families?

We will provide online resources and individualized assistance to help Montana parents and educators to support and enrich the lives of children with disabilities.

Our goal?

Provide support, information and tools to families to help them make informed decisions as equal partners in their child’s education.

We are available to help with your questions about special education, school services, and resources. We can assist by providing you with information and referrals to other programs that can meet your child’s and family’s unique needs.  We can also help you brainstorm options and solutions. We do not provide legal advice or legal representation.

PTIs help families work with early intervention, education, and transition systems and services. We want to ensure that families receive training and information on their rights, responsibilities, and protections under IDEA so they can actively participate in planning and decision making that affects their children.

What do PTIs do for youth with disabilities?

PTIs help youth and young adults with disabilities get high-quality services that increase their capacity to be effective self-advocates.

What do PTIs want for children with disabilities?

By working with families and children with disabilities, PTIs want children with disabilities to:

• meet developmental and functional goals
• meet challenging academic achievement goals that match or come as close as possible to what has been established for all children
• be prepared to lead productive, independent adult lives, to the maximum extent possible

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