You have to know where you have been in order to know where you are going.
Last month we talked about the early years of our organization and our guardianship program where the advocates before us took pride in working to move adults from institutional settings to community settings with appropriate support. For many of these adults it was the first time they felt they had a voice in terms of when they would get up in the morning, what they would eat, wear and how they would spend their free time. At the same time advocates were working with adults who were raised at home, some attended “special” programs in a public school, some attended a separate school, and some were only “allowed” to attend school for a while… Everyone’s journey was different. Some remembered being bullied, called names, and each experienced adversity. People First was established in the mid-sixties as a grassroots movement to empower self-advocates with disabilities to have a voice in addressing issues of equality. People first language puts the person before the disability.
[Read more…] about AdvocacyDenver History Part VAdvocacyDenver History Part IV
It is important to know where we have been, in order to know where we are going.
On occasion, AdvocacyDenver will get a call or a referral, where a family member or provider will ask if we provide guardianship services or could serve as a guardian for an adult with an intellectual and developmental disability. This question is not outside of the norm; there are many chapters of The Arc that offer guardianship services.
[Read more…] about AdvocacyDenver History Part IVAdvocacy in Action – Medicaid Terminations Must Stop!
As you likely know, many members of our community have experienced significant harm due to the convergence of three major activities within the Medicaid world: the end of the Public Health Emergency, the implementation of Case Management Redesign, and Health Care Policy & Financing’s (HCPF) database transition.
[Read more…] about Advocacy in Action – Medicaid Terminations Must Stop!AdvocacyDenver History Part III
It is important to know where we have been, in order to know where we are going.
The foundation for DCARC, The Arc of Denver (D.B.A. AdvocacyDenver) has been our Board of Directors. Over the past seven decades a countless number of parents, self-advocates, siblings, doctors, lawyers, educators, psychologists, religious leaders, politicians and white- or blue-collar workers have served on our Board of Directors and helped shape the future for our organization.
[Read more…] about AdvocacyDenver History Part IIIAdvocacyDenver History Part II
It is important to know where we have been, in order to know where we are going.
By 1961, DCARC (“Denver Association for Retarded Children”) had grown in numbers. New chapters were situated in Pueblo, Jefferson and Southwest Adams counties. This first newsletter speaks to the focus in the early years. Membership was not limited to parents, but included teachers, doctors, theological and business leaders. The newsletter highlights a scholarship fund. The scholarship fund was likely in response to Public Law 86-158 The Training of Professional Personnel Act of 1959 which helped train leaders to educate children with intellectual disabilities. Parents and the community understood (then and now) that they would need to grow the number of professionals whose focus was on the education of children with disabilities.
[Read more…] about AdvocacyDenver History Part IIAdvocacyDenver History Part I
It is important to know where we have been, in order to know where we are going.
I am the parent of a child who was identified as having a disability shortly after birth. My daughter was premature, her health was fragile and she was in and out of the hospital many times in those first few years. I took life one day at a time, I did not think about or plan for my daughter’s future because I wasn’t sure if she would be with me tomorrow; instead I cherished each moment, each day.
[Read more…] about AdvocacyDenver History Part I“This is Going to be Ugly”
While preparing for the rollout of the Pediatric Health Assessment Tool (PAT) in August 2012, Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) staff predicted that “…this is going to be ugly.”
[Read more…] about “This is Going to be Ugly”DPS Failed to Provide Speech Services to Over 1000 Students
On January 17, 2023, AdvocacyDenver filed a complaint against the Denver Public Schools (DPS) with the Colorado Department of Education alleging violations of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The complaint was filed on behalf of a family whose child had not received speech/language services (SLP) required by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) beginning August 2022 to the date that the complaint was filed. In addition, AdvocacyDenver provided a list of other elementary schools where children were not receiving the IEP SLP services.
[Read more…] about DPS Failed to Provide Speech Services to Over 1000 StudentsStudents Prevail in Systemic Complaint Against Denver Public Schools
It is important to know where you have been in order to know where you are going. The student pictured is a client. He is a Denver Public School (DPS) student, diagnosed with autism. In 2011 the student was assigned to an affective needs (AN) center program. The AN program is said to be designed for students with emotional disabilities, not students with autism, intellectual disabilities, other health impairments (e.g. ADHD) or other disabilities.
[Read more…] about Students Prevail in Systemic Complaint Against Denver Public SchoolsThe New Norm?
From the Desk of Pamela Bisceglia
When the Stay at Home orders were issued all persons, including AdvocacyDenver and community centered board staff transitioned from in-person to a remote workforce. We learned that for the day-to-day business or staff meetings we did not need to travel into the office, rather business could be conducted virtually. We became experts learning to access and the new social norms when meeting via Zoom, Google Meets, etc. We also learned lessons in relation to access and equity.
[Read more…] about The New Norm?