AdvocacyDenver mourns the loss of friend and ally Kyle Frohne. Our deepest condolences go to his family and all those grieving the loss of an inspirational life.
“Kyle Alan Frohne, 41, died peacefully in his home on Sunday, November 4th 2012. Kyle will be lovingly remembered by his mother, Gerrie Frohne; his father and stepmother, Jim and Sharon Frohne; his sister Erica (Frohne) Conner, her husband John Conner and their son Grant; and his brother Alex Frohne, his wife Jackie Frohne and their children Molly and Wesley.
Kyle was born in Evanston, Illinois on May 15th, 1971. In 1978 Kyle and his family moved to Lakewood Colorado. Kyle’s childhood was rich growing up with his sister Erica and his brother Alex. He graduated from Golden High School in 1992 and attended Red Rocks Community College. Kyle went on to enjoy working at the Golden Public Library, sponsored by The Golden Optimist Club. He was also employed at Sun Bright and other dry cleaners in Lakewood and Golden throughout his adult life. Kyle loved engaging with people creating countless genuine friendships in his work and personal life. He was an avid sports fan, to say the least, always rooting for his Denver teams and attending several games and events a year with his brother. Kyle treasured his weekly activities including swimming at the Easter Seals warm water therapy pool and Feldenkrais® therapy led by Ginger Mitchell. Kyle enjoyed many family vacations including trips to Alaska, Illinois, and Washington state. Kyle accepted Christ with the loving support of his life-long friend Becky Blondin and was baptized in 2004. He valued his time as part of the Praise Team and young adult bible study within his home church. To know Kyle is to know how unmistakably captivating his personality was, permanently overcoming any pre-conceived notions about his disability.
Donations may be made in his honor to Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (www.ccdconline.org/get-involved/donate 655 Broadway, Suite 775, Denver, CO 80203).”
2012 Voter Guide on Disability Issues
Follow the link below to access the 2012 Voter Guide which outlines issues ranging from Medicaid, to juvenile justice, to pending federal legislation that all affect the community of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Use the guide to contact candidates for both Colorado legislature and U.S. Congress to raise awareness about these issues.
2012 AdvocacyDenver Voter Guide
Don’t forget to vote on Election Day on November 6th, 2012! Our voices count!
Calabrese Life Opportunities Fund open to grant applications
The Arc of Colorado is a support and advocacy organization for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families. The Arc believes in self-determination by empowering people to make informed choices. We believe that children with I/DD should have the supports and services they need to live in their family homes, to succeed in school and to partake in all of the experiences of childhood. Adults with I/DD should have the opportunity to lead lives of their own choosing, to be free from poverty, to be employed, to reside in the community, and to live independently with ready access to whatever services and supports they need. The Arc is known as a responsive nonprofit organization, constantly evolving to meet the changing needs and circumstances of people with I/DD and their families. Based on the values of The Arc and the need to be responsive to the needs of our community The Arc of Colorado has created The Calabrese Life Opportunities Fund. The fund is named in honor of Elizabeth Calabrese – a longtime Colorado advocate and supporter of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
The Calabrese Life Opportunities fund is designed to help people with developmental disabilities of all ages in a variety of areas – including, but not limited to:
∙ Self-determination – The Arc strives to empower people to get involved in their community, become more independent, and experience authority over their own lives. This fund will assist self-advocates to purchase items to live more independent lives, such as assistive technology devices, accessibility equipment, as well as, attendance at conferences and other educational programs intended to enhance independent living.
· Family Preservation – families are being stretched beyond their capabilities caring for family members. The fund will provide resources to keep families together and well cared for. Examples include extra behavioral supports, counseling for parents and siblings, conferences, educational opportunities, and respite.
· Emergency – funding for unexpected situations not covered by publicly funded programs such as anesthesiology for dental care – or the cost of emergency housing when a self-advocate becomes homeless.
Any individual with an intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in The State of Colorado is eligible to apply for assistance through a grant application to the Calabrese Life Opportunities Fund. For more details and to access the grant application please visit http://www.thearcofco.org
Please contact Cassidy Dellemonache at The Arc of Colorado with any questions.
Applications are due by Friday, September 17th Please email completed applications to cdellemonache@thearcofco.org or via mail The Arc of Colorado Attn: Cassidy Dellemonache 1580 Logan Street Suite 730 Denver, CO 80203
The Arc Reacts to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on the Affordable Care Act
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been waiting for generations for the insurance reforms put in place by the Affordable Care Act. Today’s ruling removes any doubts that the law Congress enacted should stand and will benefit millions of people with and without disabilities. It ends discriminatory insurance practices and makes health coverage more affordable and accessible – important protections which too many people with disabilities have been deprived of for too long. Go to our blog for the top reasons why The Arc supports the law.
But the ruling is not perfect for people with I/DD. The Arc is concerned that disallowing the federal government the ability to withhold Medicaid dollars from states that don’t expand their program to cover more of the uninsured might mean that people with I/DD who would have benefitted from the expansion could be left behind. Medicaid is an incredibly important lifeline for people with I/DD, providing health care and long term services and supports.
We will carefully watch how states react to this development and encourage our advocates across the country to put pressure on their state leaders to do the right thing and expand their Medicaid program.
-Marty Ford, Director of Public Policy for The Arc
March Is the Month to Make Your Mark
Thanks to the advocacy efforts of The Arc in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan officially declared March to be Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in 1987. For nearly a quarter of a century, The Arc and its network of 700+ chapters across the country, including AdvocacyDenver, have fostered respect and access for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have made tremendous progress in promoting and protecting the rights of people with I/DD and creating opportunities for them to live, learn and work as valued members of their communities. But there is much work left to do.
In 2012, a pivotal national election year, we are fighting to protect support systems in the face of tough economic times and drastic budget cuts. Since many people with disabilities rely on publicly funded services to fully participate in their communities, policymakers and candidates need to know you concerned about continuing these vital services. Take advantage of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month to make your mark on this election by getting involved and getting active today.
What Can You Do?
• Jump in. Contact AdvocacyDenver to volunteer or donate.
• Speak out. Contact your legislator or candidate today and let them know you expect them to support public policy to assist people with I/DD.
• Spread the word. Educate yourself about issues important to the I/DD community then tell the world what you found out. Use March as a great excuse to post your positive thoughts about the I/DD movement on your Facebook page or Twitter account. Follow AdvocacyDenver on Facebook and Twitter and express yourself. Or go “old-school” with a good, old-fashioned letter to the editor of your local newspaper explaining to your community why they should care about I/DD.
Join us during March to help raise awareness. Find out more about I/DD and what you can do at www.advocacydenver.org today!
2011: A Snapshot of Advocacy
Two-thousand eleven was quite a busy year here at AdvocacyDenver. Individual advocacy was in great demand and each advocate pulled through (and continues to do so!) to provide quality advocacy support to individuals with disabilities and their families. To analyze the amount and types of support provided, AdvocacyDenver tracks its core programming through the use of a Clients Database. This gives us insight to the trends and barriers confronting individuals with disabilities residing in Denver and enables us to plan strategically. Here’s a snapshot of what 2011 looked like:
How many clients did we support in 2011 and what type of support was that?
The graph summarizes the overall advocacy support provided by AdvocacyDenver in 2011. The combined bars in the graph identify 269 clients (new and on-going) that received different forms of advocacy support in 2011.
How many individual advocacy issues did AdvocacyDenver support in 2011?
The graph summarizes the advocacy issues addressed by AdvocacyDenver as a whole in 2011. The total number of issues addressed in 2011 is 289.
For more information about the types of individual advocacy trends in 2011 please contact Catherine Strode at cstrode@advocacydenver.org.
New Website Launches
We have done some serious website re-modeling here at AdvocacyDenver. We’re pleased to share the new design with you and we hope you find it useful. Our intentions behind the re-design were to improve the functionality of the website and increase the quality of the information and tools it offers to both prospective and existing clients and folks interested in getting involved with us
Individuals and their families now have easy access to information that is important and relevant to you! This includes:
- Information on individual advocacy programs for children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families. These pages also include up to date agency and resource listings across various areas of advocacy;
- current calendar of local events and meetings in the Denver Metro Area;
- an overview of our online, interactive webinar offerings;
- important potential Colorado bills, including those in health care, that directly impact individuals with I/DD;
- information on our unique Center for Special Education Law;
- …and much more!
Also, there is plenty of information for people, foundations, or corporations interested in getting involved with AdvocacyDenver and staying in the loop about what it is doing in the community. This includes:
- Becoming an AdvocacyDenver member;
- learning about current volunteer/intern opportunities;
- getting updates on important news and policy headlines, upcoming events and educational opportunities, and organizational news;
- seeing how your donations make a differenceto AdvocacyDenver and the community it serves;
- …and much more!
So please take a look around and enjoy!