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In This Issue:
- Summer Celebrations Continue with Our Annual Picnic
- Resources: Stay Safe During Wildfire Season
- Help The Arc Shape Leadership Opportunities for People with IDD
- Take Action to Protect Access to Medicaid
- Webinars: Medicaid Work Requirements and Medical Frailty
- Take Part in CDOO's Disability Needs Assessment
- Free Prom for Youth with Disabilities to Be Held at Denver Aquarium
- Sign the Petition to Protect Special Education
- Self-Advocates: Attend the Next SFO Meeting
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Summer Celebrations Continue with Our Annual Picnic
With the 4th of July in our rearview, summer is in full swing—and the fun continues at our Summer Picnic in two weeks! We hope you’ll join us for family-friendly festivities including lawn games, face painting, and delicious BBQ.
Stop by Clement Park shelters O, P & Q anytime from 4pm-7pm on July 22nd to catch up on all things Arc, chat with friends, and enjoy an afternoon of free summer fun.
Let us know you’re coming! If you haven’t already, click the button below to RSVP.
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When: Wednesday, July 22nd, 4:00pm-7:00pm
Where: Clement Park - 7306 W. Bowles Avenue, Littleton, CO 80123 (Shelters O, P & Q)
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Resources: Stay Safe During Wildfire Season
Colorado is experiencing an extreme drought right now, with multiple large wildfires raging in our state. For everyone, being prepared to evacuate in case of a wildfire emergency is crucial—and it is particularly important for people with disabilities to have an evacuation plan ready.
Use the links below to view info that can help you prepare for the possibility of a wildfire or emergency evacuation. Each resource page has county-specific information as well as helpful safety information for people in all counties.
In all counties, people with disabilities should call 9-1-1 if they are under evacuation orders and need assistance to evacuate.
Additional resources
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Help The Arc Shape Leadership Opportunities for People with IDD
Calling all self-advocates! If you are a person with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD), The Arc of the United States invites you to take their Leadership Opportunities survey.
Through this survey, The Arc hopes to learn what leadership roles people with IDD want to do and how The Arc can give self-advocates more opportunities to lead. Click here to take the survey.
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Take Action to Protect Access to Medicaid
According to federal law, some people with disabilities should be exempt from the Medicaid work requirements that will be implemented next year. But a new rule from the administration creates barriers that make it harder for people with disabilities to qualify for these exemptions.
Under the new rule, people can lose Medicaid because they cannot meet a new definition of “medically frail.” The definition adds extra steps that people must address to prove someone cannot work. This could mean:
- Fewer people with disabilities may get exemptions
- States may ask people and families for more paperwork to prove they are medically frail
- People with disabilities who should be exempt may be told they must meet work rules
Speak out! Through The Arc US website, you can submit public comment on these new Medicaid rules. Click here to make your voice heard.
Learn more about medical frailty. If you would like to know more about the new rule’s definition of medical frailty, you can join The Arc at its next town hall on July 14th. Click here to register.
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Webinars: Medicaid Work Requirements and Medical Frailty
Stay up-to-date on the details of Medicaid work requirements through two upcoming webinars from the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). Whether you are a Medicaid member, family member, or professional, this month’s webinars will offer important information to help you prepare for the implementation of the upcoming work requirements. See the details from HCPF below:
Medicaid Work Requirements Webinar
In this webinar, HCPF will explain what work requirements are; share what is known today; describe what this may mean for members, counties, providers, and communities, including who may not have to comply; share what comes next; and describe how our partners can stay involved.
Medical Frailty Definition and Exemption Webinar
In this webinar, HCPF will explain what we know now about who may not have to report work, school or volunteer activities based on medical frailty. HCPF will also share federal guidance and what we’ve heard from health care providers and health care advocates about medical frailty, and what this means for Health First Colorado members.
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Take Part in CDOO's Disability Needs Assessment
The Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO) is conducting a survey that will inform a statewide disability needs assessment—and they need your input.
If you are an adult with a disability, you can take the survey to help CDOO better understand the disability community’s support needs, assistive technology use, barriers to receiving services, and more. Guardians of children with disabilities and caretakers of adults with disabilities can also take the survey with or on behalf of the person they care for.
The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. The deadline to complete the survey is July 14th at 5:00pm.
Click here to take the survey.
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Free Prom for Youth with Disabilities to Be Held at Denver Aquarium
Make a splash at the Voyager Foundation’s Mermaid Royal Ball! This underwater-themed prom hosted at the Denver Aquarium invites guests to dress up and enjoy an evening of music, dancing, exploring the aquarium, and more. Youth ages 6-18 with disabilities or chronic health conditions are invited to attend this free event.
Please note that each child must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or guardian.
When: July 24th, 4:00pm-7:30pm
Where: Downtown Aquarium – 700 Water Street, Denver, CO 80211
Spots are filling up quickly, so be sure to reserve your child’s spot if they would like to attend.
Click here to RSVP. To access the Eventbrite page, please use password: UnderTheSea
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Sign the Petition to Protect Special Education
Stand with disability advocates opposing recent changes to the Department of Education. The PACER Center, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities, has started a petition to urge the Administration and Congress to keep the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) from moving to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Disability advocates have been vocal about how harmful this change could be for students with disabilities. The transfer risks putting special education oversight into the hands of officials who do not have educational expertise, and it separates the oversight of special education from the oversight of general education.
Through July 15th, you can sign the petition to make your voice heard. Click here to view or sign the petition.
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Self-Advocates: Attend the Next SFO Meeting
Join Speaking for Ourselves (SFO) this Saturday for their quarterly meeting! SFO is a statewide self‑advocacy organization made up of local People First chapters from across Colorado. During SFO meetings, self-advocates set the group's goals for the next quarter and discuss how to work together to accomplish these goals. They also enjoy time to socialize and catch up with friends.
When: Saturday, July 11th (9:30am-10:00am: Social Time; 10:00am-12:00pm: Meeting)
Where: Virtual meeting. Click here to join the Zoom meeting when it begins.
(Meeting ID: 840 4385 7937)
To learn more about SFO, click here.
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