Disability Justice

As disappointing as this ruling is, it’s important to remember that Section 504, the ADA, and the protections established under Olmstead remain in place. Our rights are still here, and so is our community. We’re not going anywhere—and we’ll keep moving forward together.

Ian Watlington was a monument of advocacy in the City of Denver, the state, and the nation. He will be deeply missed.

Gentle Memories of Ian Watlington

The disability community lost a fierce advocate and leader on September 12, 2026. It has been some 16 years since Ian worked as an advocate with ADVOCACYDENVER, but his legend lives on. We sometimes run into clients who remember about how Ian helped them find their voice, modeled how to navigate education, the workforce and community - how to realize equal access. Ian had an ability to blend fierce advocacy with warm humor and was a frequent keynote speaker at different education conferences. He would talk about his mom, her advocacy and his journey as a child and teenager with a disability. Audiences would laugh with him as he reminisced about his persistence to hang out with his friends on the hill behind the school as the first move to demand disability justice. Gentle memories of our colleague, friend, advocate, teacher, and leader, who taught us that true inclusion is about belonging in every part of life.

Our offices will be closed Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.

Wishing everyone a safe and relaxing long weekend! We look forward to serving you when we reopen Tuesday, September 8.

We're looking forward to presenting at PEAK Parent Center’s 2026 Conference on Inclusive Education, October 13–14 in Grand Junction!

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/PEAKConferenceGrandJunction26

We had a wonderful time connecting with our client Empress last week.

We are grateful for the opportunity to hear more about her story, and we look forward to sharing it with you soon.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more updates!

We’re delighted to be part of this upcoming event with the Colorado Disability Bar Association! It promises to be a great conversation, and we hope you’ll join us on September 15 to hear from our Executive Director, Andrew Romanoff.

🌟 Join Us September 15! 🌟

We’re honored to welcome Andrew Romanoff, Executive Director of Disability Justice, as our guest speaker at our September 15 meeting, and we’d love to have you join us!

Andrew brings a wealth of experience in public service, advocacy, and disability rights, and we’re looking forward to hearing his perspective on the issues affecting the disability community and the work being done to advance disability justice. We’re grateful to Andrew for taking the time to join us, and to Disability Justice for the work they do every day to advance the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.

Whether you’re a longtime member or just getting acquainted with our organization, this will be a great opportunity to listen, learn, and connect with others committed to disability rights.

📅 September 15, 2026

Interested in attending or want more information? Contact us here or at the link in the comments and we’d be happy to tell you more!

🎙️ Disability Justice is featured on Colorado Matters from Colorado Public Radio.

Tune in to hear Disability Justice Public Policy Liaison Jack Johnson, who is featured starting at 28:45, discussing disability rights, accessibility, and the ongoing work to make Colorado a better place for people with disabilities to live and thrive.

Listen here:
https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_8706_8169a4f0-dc18-4383-b7a9-e487771b0dce&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpod.cpr.org%2Fcm