Advocacy

Legislative and Public Policy Committee

The Council’s Legislative and Public Policy Committee leads the development of policy priorities related to the five year state plan. The Council works in partnership with community based organizations and state agencies to better understand, educate and advocate about issues affecting people with IDD. The Council is not a lobbying agency; we use education, advocacy, coalition building, stakeholder engagement and other strategies to affect systems change.

The Council is currently working on its 2025 Policy Tracker that is constantly being updated. If you would like to request support, please contact us to present to our Legislative and Public Policy Committee.

The 2025 Council priorities can be found here.

Fact Sheets:

HB25-1154: Disabled Users Telephone Enterprise – Colorado Cross Disability Coalition

Action Item: 2025

Medicaid is currently under attack, and at risk of losing billions of dollars in federal funding. If this happens, thousands of Coloradans with disabilities could lose access to critical health and home and community-based services (HCBS).

You can take action today by calling or emailing your Representative to share your story. We put together this document with essential Medicaid talking points.

The Council's Plain Language "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" Impacts Report

Our Director of Policy and Outreach created this living document after Congress passed a bill called H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” or OBBBA. Learn more about how this bill will impact Coloradans with disabilities. To read the response to the bill, visit our blog post.

The Council's Advocacy Toolkit

This toolkit provides useful tips and information to help prepare you to have an effective voice in advocacy. This guide is intended to allow for better preparation ahead of meeting with your local, state, and federally elected officials. Download the toolkit.

The Council's Checklist for Polling Locations

This checklist aims to equip election judges and polling site supervisors with information to ensure that all Coloradan voters with Intellectual and developmental disabilities can exercise their right to vote. Download the checklist.

Voter Education

Disability Law Colorado (DLC), our state’s Protection and Advocacy agency, administers the Help America Vote Act or HAVA, which authorized a new protection and advocacy program to protect the voting rights of people with disabilities in 2002. In Colorado we call our program VOTE!

Disability Law Colorado and the Council believe that people with disabilities not only have the right to vote, but also the obligation to make their voices heard. People with disabilities have the right to vote in Colorado including people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who have a guardian and people with mental or behavioral health needs. Click here to view DLC’s Voting Rights Fact Sheet.

Other Resources:

Colorado Secretary of State’s Office – Voters with Disabilities FAQs
US Vote Foundation – Colorado Voters with Disabilities Guide
THINK+change – Plain-Language Colorado Ballot Guide