Disability Rights Advocacy Day – 3/6/25
Image: The DRAD logo, which is a black circle with five stripes of green, red, white, yellow, and blue that say "Disability Rights Advocacy Day" with a word in each stripe. Disability Rights Advocacy Day (D-RAD) is this Thursday, March 6, 2025. The event begins at 8am at the Capitol in Denver. We are encouraging all who can to show up and participate!Many of the laws and policies that are discussed and decided at the state level affect and impact people with disabilities. Laws around access, benefits, employment, rights, accommodations and more have significant impact on independent living and well-being. Lawmakers and representatives are the ones making these decisions, and they are only informed insofar as we share what our needs and barriers are.When we show up at the Capitol en masse, they can’t ignore us; it’s harder to make decisions from spreadsheets and budgets after seeing and talking to people. The importance of independent living, reducing barriers to services and supports, and addressing important needs becomes very clear when they are face-to-face with the people they are serving.Last year, more than 150 individuals showed up for D-RAD, a record attendance. We filled the foyer and Capitol, and as a result, were seen and heard.Former Rep. David Ortiz, who uses a wheelchair, recently shared about the impact of coming together as a disability community express our needs:
“There are various disabilities and groups – mental, physical, IDD, etc. – and many of them are working to push their key issues,” he explained. “If we want systemic change, we need to learn to stop working in silos and work together more – that’s what created power at Disability Rights Advocacy Day when a cross-coalition of people with disabilities changed a lot of hearts and minds. Also, some people are born with a disability and some acquire one later in life. We have a lot of political stripes and we need to get over that. We all belong to a marginalized community, like it or not. It doesn’t have to be one person’s vision – we are stronger when we work together.”As a former lawmaker himself, he recognizes the significant increase in influencing laws and policies by showing up in person, versus sending letters or doing nothing. “It’s a lot harder to ignore the petitions and needs of community members with disabilities when they are right in front of you,” he emphasized.The fact is, individuals with disabilities have the knowledge, experience, and ideas to inform much-needed policy changes, and the drive to do whatever it takes to make those changes happen. They have the lived experience, the successes and failures. Many policies and laws are outdated or ineffective. When we bring our voices to the Capitol, we are providing direct input to decision-makers about what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change.D-RAD is a day to become visible, to be heard, to gather together in unity, and to self-advocate for the policies, benefits, resources, services and supports that will enable more people with disabilities to live independent and fulfilling lives.
“The goal is to bring awareness and visibility of people with disabilities to share our voice and lived experiences at the Capitol, where policy and laws are made,” said Craig Towler, Director of Public Policy at CPWD. “Further, the event focuses on how our experiences – particularly related to challenges and barriers to accessibility – need to be reflected in policy changes,”Please join us and make your voice heard!D-RAD 2025 | Disability Rights Advocacy DayMarch 06, 2025, 8:00 am | Denver