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Personal Summary

Luke has been a part of the Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities (RTC: Rural) since 2023. He holds an M.A. in Sociology from the ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú, with a focus on social justice and inequality.

A qualitative and quantitative researcher, his research interests include mental health service use, disability health equity, social connection, and disability stigma.

Luke grew up in NYC and has lived in Missoula since 2013. Prior to joining RTC:Rural, he worked as a wildland firefighter, and then as a direct service provider for people experiencing homelessness and at-risk youth populations. He spends his free time mountain biking, skiing, and playing board games.

Education

B.A. in Sociology, ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú

M.A. in Sociology, ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú (2024)

Projects

RTC:Rural: Transportation Voucher Toolkit (2022-current)

• Development of a toolkit aimed to help Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other organizations create and manage transportation voucher programs.
• Multiple transportation voucher program pilot sites.
• National dissemination of the transportation voucher toolkit to address limited transportation in rural areas.

Personal Assistant Service (PAS) Workers and Policy

• Collaboration with PHI, a research firm focused on the people who provide and recieve direct care services.
• Construction of a novel data set to assess what socioeconomic and policy levers affect the number of PAS workers.

The National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD) (2022-current)

• Secondary data analysis exploring the utilization of mental health services by disabled people in rural areas.
• Secondary data analysis exploring how the visibility of queerness intersects with access to transportation.

RTC:Rural Rural Community Living Development (2022-2024)

• Peer-to-peer mentoring program that equips CIL staff with tools to meet the needs of rural people with disabilities.

Field of Study

Social Justice

Inequality

Mixed Methods Research