Around 30 Montana teens with disabilities from all over the state are in Helena this week for the Montana Youth Leadership Forum. The students practiced becoming the state’s next leaders during a mock legislative session.
The senate chamber at the Montana capitol on Tuesday was occupied by a much younger crowd than usual.
High school students were debating a bill that would require schools to include lesson plans on the history of disability rights and contributions people with disabilities have made in the U.S.
15-year-old Helena student Layla Riggs, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, stood to speak in opposition of the policy, saying it didn’t include enough detail.
“We don’t decide the curriculum for schools, that is not our job. So we can’t just send this off and say, ‘Hey, we hope you put together a good curriculum.’”
Riggs came fully prepared for the exercise in lawmaking. She’s on her high school’s debate team and hopes to run for public office someday.
“Seeing yourself represented by people like you, I think it really makes a difference besides someone who might not have a disability and they’re speaking on your behalf. It makes a whole world of a difference if someone does have a disability and they’re trying to advocate for you and the rest of people with disabilities.”
The week-long forum aimed at empowering young people also includes staying at Carroll College, trying out new assistive technologies and learning job skills.
Drae Nelson has autism spectrum disorder and is an incoming high school senior from Bainville. He says he enjoys the camaraderie that comes with being around his peers in Helena.
“It’s fun. I like coming to things like this where I get to meet new people and become friends.”
Many of the adults who help put on the forum once participated in it themselves, like Kira Menz of Fort Peck. She was 17-years-old when she first found the organization during a period of depression and said she gained a broader world view and newfound confidence.
“I don’t have to be ashamed. I’m proud of who I am and what I can do.”
Menz, now 34, works for the organization full time.
The students will leave the forum on Friday with an action plan for what they want to pursue after high school.
