An Interview with Catherine Strode
In November, voters in the city of Denver will decide the fate of a $937 million general obligation bond package proposed by Mayor Michael B. Hancock. The general obligation bonds are designed to fund capital improvements across the city.
Mayor Hancock is targeting better mobility for people with disabilities as a central goal. In an interview with Catherine Strode, the Mayor acknowledges the success of community listening sessions concerning accessibility needs. He also discusses increased bond amounts for accessibility improvements.
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Self-Advocates Join Medicaid Protest Rally
An Interview with Catherine Strode
AdvocacyDenver Board Member and Self-Advocate Mitch McKinney was one of over 400 individuals to protest the proposed cuts to Medicaid in the GOP health bill in a rally held in front of Senator Cory Gardner’s downtown office. Several Colorado legislators also participated in the Medicaid Protest Rally, including State Representative Dave Young. Representative Young spoke at the rally calling the proposed cuts to Medicaid a ‘civil rights issue.’
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Representative Young who serves on the Joint Budget Committee said Colorado would not be able to accommodate the cost shift from federal to state funding.
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Educational Expert Discusses Disparities and ‘School to Prison Pipeline’
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Dr. David Houchins is recognized as one of the country’s leading researchers in juvenile justice reform and academic strategies for at-risk youth. He was recently a featured speaker at a local conference addressing the ‘school to prison’ pipeline, defined by the American Civil Liberties Union as practices that drive kids from the classroom into the criminal justice system.
Now a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at Georgia State University, Dr. Houchins formerly taught high school and middle school students. In an interview with Catherine Strode, Dr. Houchins shares his thoughts on how to impact school expulsion rates and in doing so, impact the school to prison pipeline.
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2017 Session Brings Big Wins for People with IDD
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The Executive Director of the Arc of Colorado, Marijo Rymer, says the major legislative goals for supporting adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the 2017 Session were successful. These issues include banning the use of prone restraints in public schools, establishing a pilot for the creation of an Office of Public Guardianship, Adult Protective Services background checks for direct care providers, and addressing case management conflict of interest.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Ms. Rymer adds that two public education issues which failed this Session may make a repeat appearance during 2018.
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Conflict Free Case Management Bill Passes Unanimously
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The bill implementing conflict-free case management for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are eligible for home and community-based services under the medicaid program is on its way to the Governor to be signed into law. House Bill 17-1343 was sponsored by State Representative Dave Young, a member of the Joint Budget Committee. It passed both the Senate and the House on unanimous votes of 35-0 and 65-0, respectively.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, State Representative Young discusses the primary motivation for the Joint Budget Committee bill. He says the driver was not actually federal rule compliance but a long persisting human rights issue.
[Read more…] about Conflict Free Case Management Bill Passes Unanimously
Reform of the Division of Youth Corrections
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Representative Pete Lee has sponsored a series of bills to bring about change in Colorado’s juvenile justice and youth corrections systems. State Representative Lois Landgraf has established a legislative reputation for being an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This Session, the two legislators from El Paso County have paired up to sponsor House Bill 17- 1329, a bill that supports a cultural shift in the Division of Youth Corrections including a name change. A recently released report, entitled Bound and Broken, details incidences of increased violence and injuries within the Division.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Representative Pete Lee explains the bill’s attempt, through a proposed pilot program, to combat violence and to change the culture within the state’s youth corrections system. Representative Landgraf explains how this juvenile justice bill relates to her ongoing efforts to back legislation that offers protection to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
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Check For Employees Serving At-Risk Adults
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State legislators have the opportunity to offer protection from abuse to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The House has passed a bill (HB17-1284) to create a state data system of past offenders. The bill now moves on to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
State Senator Irene Aguilar, the parent of an adult child with disabilities, is one of the bill’s sponsors. In an interview with Catherine Strode, she explains why this bill is one of the most important of the legislative Session for individuals with disabilities and why it is so long overdue.
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Local Control Argument Rejected by Restraints Bill Sponsor
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Three education bills have been strongly backed this session by disability advocacy groups. Two of them, a bill restricting corporal punishment in state schools and a bill restricting suspensions of young children, were Postponed Indefinitely. A central argument in each debate over the bills was ‘local control.’ House Bill 17-1276 prohibits prone restraints on students in Colorado public schools. It has passed out of the House Education Committee.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, the bill’s Republican sponsor, State Senator Bob Gardner, says he believes in ‘local control.’ However, he says it is not an argument that applies to the student restraints issue.
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State Taps Marijuana Dollars to Attack Opioid Epidemic
An Interview with Catherine Strode
State Senator Cheri Jahn and the other sponsors of Senate Bill 17-193 have accomplished getting money from the state during an extremely tight budget year. In a unanimous vote, the senate has appropriated $1 million in marijuana taxes to establish a research center with the University of Colorado Anschutz Center for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders.
Colorado’s mortality rate in drug overdoses has increased by 500 per cent over the past three years. In an interview with Catherine Strode, State Senator Cheri Jahn says the state’s drug epidemic is ‘out of control’ and credits her Republican colleagues for the bill’s passage.
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Educational Advocacy is Passion for Disability Law Executive
Mary Anne Harvey, Executive Director of Disability Law Colorado discusses Educational Advocacy with Catherine Strode
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