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In This Issue:
- Parent Empowerment Series: Advocate for Your Child with Confidence!
- Are You Our Next Consulting Advocate?
- Join The Arc-JCC&GC at Longer Tables Littleton
- Learn How Supported Decision-Making Could Work for You
- Give Feedback on State-Level Medicaid Changes
- From The Arc US: Talking to Your Child About Inclusion
- Disability Disclosure Workshop: What Should You Tell Employers?
- Enjoy a Sensory-Friendly September with 3 Local Events
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Parent Empowerment Series: Advocate for Your Child with Confidence!
Do you want to become a more active and confident participant in your child’s IEP meetings? Join The Arc-JCC&GC’s Parent Empowerment Series and learn how you can be your child’s best advocate!
By participating in this free, 5-session series, parents and families will learn through our study of Pam and Pete Wright’s “From Emotions to Advocacy: The Special Education Survival Guide” and the expertise of The Arc’s Child & Family Advocates.
This series is for you if:
- You are a parent with a child aged 5-12 years on an IEP
- You have attended at least one IEP meeting
- You want to become more involved in your child’s educational success
All materials will be provided, including your choice of a hard-copy book or an electronic version.
“You have strong emotions, you have every right to those emotions, but let’s take those emotions and put them into constructive feedback where everyone’s on the same page. That’s what this series is about,” said Colene Bensink, a participant in our first Parent Empowerment Series. “Reading this book, everything clicked, and having Sally and Liesel touching on aspects of the book but also going into their own experience was amazing. Now, I can put in even more feedback (during IEP meetings). Every parent needs a crash course in this.”
| | Please note: Registration priority will be given to participants in Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties, as well as those who can commit to attending all 5 in-person and virtual sessions. Participants MUST attend our mandatory in-person session on September 25 to participate in the remainder of the series. You can learn more about our Parent Empowerment Series here. | |
Are You Our Next Consulting Advocate?
Apply to Join Our Team
*Application deadline is Sept. 30, 2025
Do you want to use your experience making social connections, navigating the benefits system, building self-advocacy skills, and more to support your peers with disabilities?
Join us at The Arc, where you’ll work side by side with advocates who believe as you do that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) should live self-directed lives and be valued for who they are as individuals.
This is a unique opportunity to engage with the IDD community by sharing about your own lived experience.
- Engage with peers through planned community events
- Support people with IDD in developing self-advocacy skills through People First and Speaking for Ourselves
- Discover new opportunities to share your own experiences
At The Arc, your person-centered values and skills can be shared with the community. Our collaborative team is focused on growing self-advocacy skills that can change the everyday challenges of life into success and opportunities.
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Join The Arc-JCC&GC at Longer Tables Littleton
We’re going to be at Longer Tables Littleton—and we want you to be there with us!
Hosted by Longer Tables and Lift Up Littleton, Longer Tables Littleton will invite up to 5,000 community members to eat dinner together at a 5,000-foot table on Main Street Littleton, encouraging new friendships, increased understanding, and community connection.
This unique event is an opportunity for individuals to be seen, heard, and known by those that live in their community—making it so important that people with IDD have a seat at the table, too. That’s why The Arc-JCC&GC and The Arc Arapahoe, Douglas & Elbert Counties are sponsors of the event and are inviting self-advocates from our communities to join us at the table!
When: Wednesday, Sept. 24 @ 6:00pm
Where: Main Street, Littleton, CO 80120
If you would like to join our group at Longer Tables Littleton or have questions, please email Helen at helen@arcjc.org. Please note that we have a limited number of tickets available, which will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Tickets will be provided at no cost to you.
We hope to see you there! Learn more about Longer Tables Littleton here.
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Learn How Supported Decision-Making Could Work for You
Want to learn more about Supported Decision-Making (SDM), alternatives to guardianship, and more? Join The Arc of Colorado at the 2025 Supported Decision-Making Summit in Pueblo!
SDM is a less restrictive alternative to guardianship under Colorado’s SB21-075. At the daylong summit, participants will have the chance to learn how SDM can maximize an individual’s independence. Sessions will explore the use of SDM in many contexts, including special education, vocational rehabilitation, healthcare, and life planning.
When: Saturday, September 27, 9:00am-5:00pm
Where: Pueblo Convention Center - 320 Central Main Street, Pueblo, CO 81003
This event is free to attend. Participants with IDD and their families who live more than 50 miles away from the Pueblo Convention Center are eligible for a travel scholarship, but please note that there is a limited number of scholarships available.
Learn more or register for the 2025 Supported Decision-Making Summit.
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Give Feedback on State-Level Medicaid Changes
The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), which operates Colorado’s Medicaid program, has announced upcoming changes to Medicaid—and you can give your input now.
As you may know, due to changes in a federal law called H.R. 1, Colorado found itself in a roughly $800 million deficit for the current fiscal year. To balance the budget, Governor Jared Polis issued an executive order on August 28 calling for budget cuts to several departments, including HCPF.
Now, HCPF must change programs to account for the cuts in the executive order and to ensure the Medicaid program is sustainable long-term. HCPF has created a webpage that includes information and fact sheets about each of the changes the department would like to make to Medicaid, which you may know as Health First Colorado.
You can now review the changes and give your feedback. Each change will have a different process for taking stakeholder feedback. For more information, please see the fact sheets for each change. To visit HCPF’s webpage about upcoming changes to Health First Colorado, click here.
Remember: The fight to protect Medicaid services is not over! Know that advocates at The Arc will keep pushing for disability services to be protected during this time of financial strain—and we’ll be fighting for policies that create a future where more people can get the Medicaid services they need, not less.
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From The Arc US: Talking to Your Child About Inclusion
It’s never too early to learn to be inclusive! The Arc of the United States has posted a short guide complete with five ways to help kids understand disabilities. Learn how you can start the conversation about inclusion with your child, emphasize what your child has in common with their peers with disabilities, and lead by example. Click here to read more.
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Disability Disclosure Workshop: What Should You Tell Employers?
Applying for a new job is an exciting journey, but during the process, you may be wondering: What should I disclose to an employer about my disability—and what should I not disclose?
To answer these questions, the Jefferson County Business & Workforce Center is holding a virtual workshop all about disclosure of disability. Participants in this free workshop will learn how to share their story in a way that showcases their strengths. They will also practice requesting necessary accommodations.
When: September 17, 9:00am-11:00am
Where: Virtual via Zoom; register to receive the link
Register here for the workshop.
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Enjoy a Sensory-Friendly September with 3 Local Events
Mark your calendars for some upcoming sensory-friendly activities! For those looking to schedule fun for the whole family or an outing with friends, these Denver-area events offer inclusive options for individuals with sensory processing differences.
Before the Sun: Sensory-Friendly Show
September 20, 11:00am-12:00pm
Swallow Hill Music: 71 E. Yale Avenue, Denver, CO 80210
- Before the Sun, a local folk quartet, will be performing a sensory-friendly concert at Denver’s Swallow Hill Music. Sensory-friendly concerts include changes such as lower volumes, even lighting, a dedicated calm room, and fidget sensory items for audience members. Learn more here.
Butterfly Pavilion Sensory-Friendly Afternoon
September 24, 3:00pm-5:00pm
6252 W. 104th Avenue, Westminster, CO 80020
- Natural lighting, quiet tones, limited admission, and a dedicated Quiet Room transform the Butterfly Pavilion into a calmer and quieter space during once-monthly sensory-friendly afternoons. Learn more here.
Children’s Museum Low-Sensory Evening
September 24, 4:30pm-7:30pm
2121 Children's Museum Drive, Denver, CO 80211
- Families with children who have sensory needs can enter the museum for free during this time slot, throughout which attendance will be limited and ambient museum noise will be turned down. Learn more here.
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