Colorado Celebrates Disability Pride Month and the 36th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

DENVER - July is Disability Pride Month, celebrating the ongoing progress toward equity and inclusion for people with disabilities. Disability Pride Month commemorates the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law 36 years ago on July 26th. Last weekend, the disability pride flag was flown at the Capitol in honor of this anniversary. As the month comes to a close, Colorado is reflecting on the many advancements made for Coloradans with disabilities during the Polis-Primavera Administration.

Colorado's leadership in disability rights has deep roots. The national movement that resulted in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act started in Denver at the intersection of Broadway and Colfax in July 1978. The Gang of 19, a group of young activists with disabilities, protested RTD's decision to order 300 inaccessible buses by chaining themselves to buses and laying on the ground at the intersection of Colfax and Broadway, stopping traffic at the busy intersection for two days.

That protest, and the legal action that followed, led RTD to reverse its decision, and soon thereafter, Denver became the first city with a fully accessible public transportation system. This was monumental for Denver and Colorado, and stood as a symbol of what the power of protest and disability pride can accomplish: people with disabilities demanding to be heard and making impactful change.

"Disability Pride Month is a chance to celebrate how far we've come and recommit to the work still ahead. Every Coloradan deserves to live, work, and belong in the community of their choosing - that's been at the heart of everything we've done," said Lt. Governor Primavera. "I am proud of the bold progress we have made, and we're committed to continuing the critical work to build a Colorado and United States where every person, of every ability, has the opportunity to thrive."

The Polis-Primavera Administration has built on that legacy in partnership with the General Assembly and disability advocates, focusing on expanding opportunities for all Coloradans with disabilities to thrive. From education to employment, housing to Medicaid services, transportation to civil rights, Coloradans with disabilities are better off today than eight years ago. Highlights of the major areas of progress include:

• Turning around the Colorado Disability Funding Committee, including introducing the historic black, red, blue, and green mountain license plate backgrounds that fund it, and changing it to the Colorado Disability Funding Authority where more than $15 million in grants will be given out to support disability programs annually

• Creating the Colorado Disability Opportunity Office to continue cross-agency, cross-disability policy work

• Providing the full state share of special education funding

• Increasing access to, and spending on, home and community based services and supports through Medicaid

• Creating more opportunities for Coloradans with disabilities to work at meaningful wages without fear of losing critical health care benefits provided through Medicaid

• Lt. Governor Primavera Chaired the Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities, which made recommendations, several of which have now been addressed, to improve accessibility and attainability of housing, outdoor recreation access, accessibility of state and local government, and improvements to the Colorado Anti Discrimination Act

You can read a more comprehensive list of accomplishments from the last eight years here.