Dear Community,

The smell of yellow leaves and freshly sharpened pencils is in the air as we transition into a new season of learning and growing this fall. The Council’s Annual Meeting in August brought with it a host of decisions and conversation with new and returning members. The next two years’ work will conclude our current state plan and provide a transition into the next five year cycle, especially ensuring that all our goals align with our Meaningful Life framework. 

It’s a Meaningful Life

We are thrilled to announce that the Council was accepted into Social Venture Partners Denver’s Theory of Change Cohort, to help us develop and communicate our systems change approach into an actionable, measurable plan. Weaving together the values we share around what makes a meaningful life (Hint: It’s different for everyone but we are finding common themes) as we prepare for our next needs assessment is central to our conversations with community, in community, right now. Four Council members are working on this project with staff support to develop the Council’s vision beyond and within our state plan.

Accessible Voting in Colorado

It’s election season and we encourage you to get to know your local, state and federal ballots. Did you know that Colorado is one of the most accessible states to vote in? Coloradans with disabilities have access to automatic voter registration, may vote online or by mail, and receive ballots in accessible formats. Colorado voters can also request help filling out their ballots, and all polling locations are required to have accessible voting machines. If your local polling location could use some accessibility improvements or ideas, check out the Council’s Checklist for Polling Locations. For a plain language guide to Colorado’s ballot, Click here for a 2024 Plain Language Ballot Guide. 

Community Conversations

We’ve been fortunate to share space with multiple community partners over the past few months to share our emerging work and get feedback and ideas.  Thank you to partners such as Arc of Colorado and the Arc Directors, Disability Law Colorado, Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, JFK Partners Advisory Committee, Alliance Colorado, and the I/DD Supported Employment Steering Committee (SESC) for inviting us to learn from you and to share our current and future efforts.  If you have a group that would benefit, we’d be glad to share our 15-minute presentation and answer any questions. Contact us to get us scheduled for your upcoming meeting or event!

Membership Updates

Each year, some of our 24 members complete their Council terms. Residents of Colorado interested in applying to be members of the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council apply for membership through the office of Boards and Commissions, and are appointed by the Governor. If you are interested in joining the Council, the first step is to complete the online application, selecting “Developmental Disabilities Council” in the drop down menu on the application form. Learn more about membership here.

Thank you for your interest in and contributions to disability justice in Colorado. We are grateful to be part of this passionate, committed, talented and knowledgeable community of advocates.

In gratitude,

Sarah Grazier

Executive Director

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