Author – The Durango Herald

Colorado bills impact people with disabilities

With the run up to November elections and all the coverage of presidential primaries, you may have forgotten that the Colorado Legislature is in the midst of its yearly general session. Many...

DATE: Mar 8, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Local nonprofit learns from change

I love the saying, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” These days, it seems like the opportunities to “grow” are endless. Over the past eighteen months, Community Connections has bee...

DATE: Feb 9, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Like the civil rights movement, disability rights movement persists

On Monday, we will celebrate the life and work of one of the most well-known and influential leaders of the civil rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of a group of leaders o...

DATE: Jan 10, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Colorado pay gaps extend to non-state employees

I follow the state budget very closely. Perhaps it doesn’t sound as fun as many things I could be doing – skiing, hiking, rafting, getting a root canal – but when you run a nonprofit, charit...

DATE: Dec 6, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Big change ahead for Community Connections

We all evolve and grow. This is true both for people and organizations. The evolution of an organization is complicated. By their very nature, organizations tend toward inertia. Major change...

DATE: Nov 10, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Celebrate Case Management Appreciation Week

Each year, our nation celebrates the second week of October as Case Manager Appreciation Week. If you are like most people, you might be a little vague about what exactly a case manager does...

DATE: Oct 13, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

National disability provider crisis impacts local services

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a statewide gathering of disability service providers where we explored the Colorado and national trends impacting the support of people with intel...

DATE: Sep 8, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

How can we intervene when we see discrimination?

As a professional in the disabilities field and an advocate for inclusion and belonging, I tend to scroll for news related to disabilities. Sometimes, I discover happy news about businesses,...

DATE: Aug 12, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

LGBTQ+ people with disabilities face compounded barriers

June is Pride month, a celebration of the contributions of people from the LGBTQ+ community, including people with disabilities. When you think of a person with autism, what image comes to m...

DATE: Jun 9, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Family caregivers an important support for people with disabilities

It’s no secret that services for people with disabilities have long suffered from a shortage of support staff. Since the pandemic, that support has become a crisis. Nationally, policymakers ...

DATE: May 10, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

We can all help make ADA even better

Think the Americans with Disabilities Act is working? Think again. A poignant example of the shortcomings of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 happened right here in Colorado a few...

DATE: Apr 8, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Honoring the life and legacy of Judy Heumann

On March 4, we lost a major champion for disability rights. Advocate, rabble-rouser and longtime disability rights hero Judy Heumann died at age 75. Heumann had been fighting for her rights ...

DATE: Mar 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Creating Community