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Disability Justice has a small staff and a broad mission. We focus our efforts on a specific set of priorities — shaped by the community we serve.

In short, we aim to ensure that Coloradans with disabilities:

• Are free from abuse and neglect
• Are not removed or at risk of being removed from school, bullied, restrained, or secluded because of their disability
• Are not denied appropriate health care or other individualized services because of their disability
• Do not face discrimination in securing accessible, affordable, and supportive housing
• Can obtain reasonable accommodations — and do not face harassment or retaliation — at work
• Can live as independently as possible in the least restrictive setting, based on their individual needs
• Can make their own decisions and can use supported decision-making, when appropriate, as an alternative to guardianship or conservatorship
• Receive appropriate services from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Centers for Independent Living
• Can access transportation and government buildings and services
• Understand and can fully exercise their voting rights

We also investigate representative payees, under the direction of the Social Security Administration.

Please note: Our attorneys rarely provide individual representation. Even if your concern matches one of our focus areas, we may not be able to take your case. (To learn more, click on the question “How do you decide which cases to take?” below.)

• Provide self-advocacy resources
• Offer referrals to other organizations
• Address systemic discrimination (our attorneys rarely represent individuals)
• Investigate abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• Help you get services from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or a Center for Independent Living

We cannot help you:

• Resolve a problem that is not directly related to your disability
• Address an issue that your attorney is working on
• Apply for or appeal the denial of Social Security benefits
• Apply for or appeal the denial of Medicaid coverage (unless the denial presents a systemic problem)
• Obtain employment, housing, or financial assistance
• Become the guardian of a person with a disability

We do not handle:

• Consumer or bankruptcy issues
• Criminal law
• Evictions
• Family law
• Individual Medicaid appeals (
• Medical malpractice or personal injury
• Out-of-state issues
• Workers’ compensation

Disability Justice only works on issues in our current focus areas. Disability Justice does not respond to requests for help that fall outside of our focus areas.

Yes. Please call 303-722-0300 or 1-800-288-1376 and leave a message. (We don’t take live calls.)

Please include your name, phone number, and request. We’ll call you back if your request fits one of our focus areas. Please do not leave duplicate messages.

We review each request to see if it fits one of our focus areas. If it does, we’ll contact you to provide more information about your rights, help you advocate for yourself, or refer you to another organization.  

Please note: Our advocates cannot give legal advice.

In some cases, one of our attorneys may review your request and offer more detailed guidance. This information can be helpful, but it does not mean that we will represent you. Our attorneys rarely provide individual representation.

If your issue involves the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or a Center for Independent Living, or if you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits and are facing barriers to employment, you may be assigned an advocate. Our ability to provide advocacy services depends on staff capacity.

No. Because our capacity is limited, we respond only to requests that fit one of our focus areas.

No, we are not equipped to provide emergency or crisis response. If you’re in danger, call 911, 988, or your county crisis line. 

No, an appointment is no guarantee of representation. We don’t typically provide individual legal representation.

If your issue involves the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation or a Center for Independent Living, you may be assigned an advocate. If you are eligible for Social Security benefits and are facing a barrier to employment, you may be assigned an advocate or an attorney. 

No. Listing Disability Justice in your communications may lead others to assume that we represent you. They may hesitate or refuse to respond to you because they believe they should go through us.

We will not be able to respond on your behalf. Including us in these communications will not help you obtain our assistance.

Yes! Disability Justice will make accommodations for people with disabilities, including communication through language interpreter, video relay, TTY, large print, and email correspondence. When you request assistance, please let us know what accommodations you need.

Disability Justice provides individual representation only when:

• Your disability, as defined in the federal laws or contracts under which we operate, is central rather than incidental to the legal issue being presented, and
• You meet the eligibility criteria for services as defined in those federal laws and contracts.

We don’t provide individual representation when the problem:

• Is one commonly accepted by the private bar or by local legal services programs, or
• Involves a statutory right to appointed counsel, such as commitment, conservatorship, guardianship, dependency and neglect, or criminal proceedings, except in compelling and unique circumstances.

To make the best use of our limited resources — and to decide whether to provide client assistance or legal representation — we ask:

• Does your case fit one of our focus areas?
• Does your case require the assistance of our advocacy staff?
• Can you take reasonable steps to resolve the problem through self-advocacy?
• How complex are the issues and the bureaucracy you’ll face in trying to resolve the problem?
• Are other resources available to help you advocate for yourself?
• If we represent you, how likely are we to succeed?
• Is your case likely to affect the legal rights of other people with disabilities?
• How will you benefit from our involvement?
• What harm will you face if we don’t represent you?
• Do we have enough time to represent you without shortchanging existing clients?
• Do we have the expertise necessary to represent you?

Our executive director may make exceptions to these criteria in unique and compelling circumstances.

Please note: We do not represent service providers, relatives, guardians, or conservators unless their interests align with the interest of the person with a disability. We will not engage in litigation or advocacy on behalf of a person with a disability against another person with a disability.

You may file a grievance for any of these reasons:

• Disability Justice has not taken your case, and you want to appeal our decision.
• You object to the closure of your case.
• You are not satisfied with our services.

Our staff and board members will treat you respectfully and will not engage in retaliation. We will provide reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services necessary to process your complaint.

STEP 1
Contact our executive director within 30 days of the decision or action that prompted your grievance. Please include your name, contact information, a brief summary of your complaint, and any supporting documentation. 

If you represent the complainant, please describe your relationship and submit a document — signed by the client — authorizing your representation and the release of client information. We will respond to your complaint within 15 business days after we receive it.

Mail: Executive Director, Disability Justice, PO Box 300309, Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 722-0300 or 800-288-1376 (both voice/TTY)
Email: contact@disabilityjustice.co

STEP 2
If you are not satisfied with our response, you will have 30 business days after receiving it to request a review by the Executive Committee of our Board of Directors. Please use the contact information above to submit that request (add “Attention: Board President”).

The committee will then hold a virtual meeting to review your request. You and/or a representative may attend this meeting; we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.

The committee may meet in executive session to reach a decision. The committee will mail or email its decision to you within five business days of the meeting. The committee’s decision is final.