Issues

CCDC works on a variety of issues—our vision for Colorado addresses our goals for these issues:

Visit CCDC’s #Vote4Medicaid Project’s Website

• Today, more than 500,000 children, seniors and people living with disabilities need Medicaid to get access to the health care they need. For seniors and people living with disabilities, Medicaid also helps with in-home supports so these Coloradans can live their most independent lives. Our health care system needs Medicaid to provide insurance to thousands of Coloradans who would otherwise go without insurance and care. Medicaid is an important part of the Colorado economy, especially in rural Colorado enabling hospitals to provide critical care.
• Colorado will have a strong array of community based supports for people who need long-term services. These supports will promote full participation by people with disabilities in the community. Supports will be provided in the most integrated setting and will always have options for client control. Services and supports will be flexible and person centered.
• All branches of state and local government and their contractors will have effective communication protocols in place and those protocols will be used and enforced. Effective communication protocols will be accessible for people with any type of disability that impairs either receptive or expressive communication.
• All governmental decision making regarding programs or services that is likely to have an impact on people with disabilities will be made with real and meaningful engagement with the disability community.
• All government run meetings will be programmatically and physically accessible.
• Colorado will have the highest percentage of people with disabilities who vote in the nation. In 2012, it was estimated that 65.6% of Coloradoans with Disabilities voted compared with 71.1% of people without disabilities. Delaware had 71.1% turnout for disabled voters compared to 66.8% for nondisabled. Nine states have disabled voting at a higher percentage than nondisabled.
• Minnesota, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Oregon also have disabled voter turnout higher than Colorado. (Source Rutgers) To learn more, visit this informative article on Disability and Voter Turnout
• Colorado will have increasing numbers of people with disabilities employed each year. The increase will be 5% for people employed full year, full time, 10% for people employed more than 52 hours per year, and 15% for people with any employment.
• Data from the US Department of Labor will be used to measure progress. Current stats show 26.6% are employed full time, full year, 31% have employment of 52 hours a year and 42% have some employment. These data statistics are from 2011 – 2013.
• Colorado will have a decrease each year in percentage of people with disabilities living in poverty. Colorado will develop a self-sufficiency index for people with disabilities so that measurement of poverty is data driven.
• People with disabilities in Colorado will have equitable access to technology as needed for individual independence. Policies for purchase of tablets and other devices for communication and independence will be as expansive as allowed by law within each government program.
• People with disabilities will have equitable educational opportunities. Students with disabilities not eligible for the alternative testing will be tested at a rate equal to their non-disabled peers. Colorado will increase high school and college graduation rates of students with disabilities by 5% each year. Currently 27.8% graduate high school and 36.8% have a BA or higher.