The Montana School for the Deaf and Blind is continuing toward its fundraising goal with a few days left in the year.

Gracie Jones, a low vision MSDB student in a wheelchair, is asking the community to help raise money for a new stage at the school with an ADA accessible ramp.

The school held its winter concert earlier this month and Gracie wasn’t able to perform on the stage since it’s not accessible to her wheelchair, but she’s been helping to raise funds toward the $83,175 stage.

A donor issued a matching gift challenge up to $20,000 for donations made by Dec. 31.

As of Dec. 27, they’d raised $13,981 toward the matching challenge, according to the MSDB Foundation.

She said that they’ll continue accepting donations until the goal is met, but are hoping to order the stage in January so it’s delivered and set in time for their spring show in May 2024.

“The sooner we get the stage, the sooner I can be on stage with my friends,” Gracie, MSDB Class of 2030, said in a release.

“Twice a year, we host school-wide programs that require a large stage to be set up, complete with lighting and a sound system. This is an exciting time! It’s fun to invite the community and our 1,200 families to come learn more about us and what we can do. The stage is decorated to match the theme of the program and props add to the fun. Students sing, sign, speak, and dance as a way to share our thoughts and feelings with others. After all, music is the
sound of feelings! The frustrating part is some of us are not able to express ourselves because we can’t be on the stage. Stairs don’t accommodate some (like me!) with mobility issues because there isn’t a ramp allowing access,” Gracie wrote in her letter to supporters.

The existing stage has served the students for some of the most important moments of their young lives for more than 40 years, but it is time to replace it with one that is accessible to all, according to the MDSB Foundation.

Most public schools don’t have portable ADA accessible stages, but MSDB students more often have physical limitations than most schools do, according to the foundation.

The total number of students includes about 40 who live on campus at the preK-12 school during the academic year. That’s a 54 percent increase over the last five years, according to the foundation. Some of them stay a few extra years after graduation through their transitional LEAP program.

The MSDB provides educational and social-emotional growth opportunities to children, ages newborn to 21, who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired and deafblind throughout Montana on a 10-acre campus in Great Falls.

To donate toward the stage, mail or drop off a check to MSDB Foundation at 3911 Central Ave. The school is closed through Jan. 2 for the holidays but then donations can be dropped at the main office in the Bitterroot building.

Photo courtesy MSDB Foundation