We did it!
Written by Kristina Ericson, MSW, Director of Policy and Partnerships The Colorado State Legislature has officially wrapped up the Second Regular Session of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly. Regular sessions of the general assembly take place between the months of January and May each year, and are the period of time when state-level bills are turned […]
Community Survey Results
The Council is pleased to share “Colorado Community Survey Results” with you. This report presents the data findings and analysis from our statewide community survey and focus groups in the summer of 2025. People with disabilities, their families, and supporters shared their experiences and needs. We want to give a special thanks to the Colorado […]
Changes to Food Assistance Provision in Colorado
November 2025 What is Happening? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program that helps low-income Americans buy groceries. Each month, SNAP recipients receive financial assistance that they can use to buy food via an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. This card can be used similarly to a debit card, but only […]
Governor’s Budget Release
Dear Community, Today, the Governor released the first draft of the 2026-27 State Budget. A summary of the budget can be found here. You can also review the Governor’s budget letter and slides. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) represents about a third of our state budget, primarily in health care payments […]
Colorado Disability Organizations Respond to White House Statement on Autism
October 1, 2025 Key Points Summary To Our Community, On September 22, 2025, the President of the United States and the Secretary of Health and Human Services held a press conference about what they called “the epidemic of Autism.” They made statements that are not supported by science, research, or the medical community. These events […]
Colorado’s Special Session: How We Got Here and What Happens Next.
What is a Legislative Session? In the state of Colorado laws are made by legislators during legislative sessions. Legislative sessions are when state representatives and state senators gather at the Capitol to propose, amend, and pass state laws. There are two types of legislative sessions: regular sessions and special (sometimes called “extraordinary”) sessions. Regular legislative […]
2025 Legislative Session
By: Kristina Ericson The 2025 legislative session was a period of growth, successful advocacy, and community building for the Developmental Disabilities Council. We celebrated major wins for the disability community, worked with a growing number of legislators from across the State, and poured our time and effort into advocating for change for Coloradans, both here […]
Joint Statement on the Proposed Autism Registry by HHS Secretary Robert R. Kennedy Jr.
April 23, 2025 From The Arc of Colorado, the Autism Society of Colorado, Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, Disability Law Colorado, Family Voices Colorado, PEAK Parent Center and Show & Tell. As leaders of Colorado statewide disability organizations, we stand in support of Autistic individuals and their families. We are deeply concerned […]
Statement on HHS Budget Leak
April 18, 2025 Plain language summary: A federal budget proposal was shared in the news during the planning process. The first round of proposed federal budget cuts includes Councils and many other important programs. These are not final decisions. There is still a lot of work that must happen and Congress must approve any budget […]
“We Will Not Go Back”: Defending ACL and the Future of Community Living
You may have read today that HHS has announced a restructuring that includes moving Administration of Community Living (ACL) programs into various other sections of the agency instead of being housed together at ACL. HHS has published a fact sheet about the intended changes. Our national organization, NACDD, issued a press release about this that you can […]