Know Your Rights
What rights do you have in school, at home, or at work? Our resource guides will help you understand and protect your rights.
Please note: We do our best to keep these resources up to date, but laws change. Contact us to learn more — or to suggest a topic we missed!
Education
School should be a safe and supportive place for students to learn and grow. Yet students with disabilities often face discrimination, bullying, restraint, and seclusion. We fight for students’ right to remain in school, free from harm.
Employment and Vocational Rehab
We help people with disabilities obtain reasonable accommodations and combat retaliation. Our Client Assistance Program removes barriers to vocational rehabilitation and independent living.
Health Care
Timely, appropriate health care can spell the difference between life and death. But that kind of care can be hard to get. We aim to make communication more effective, services more accessible, and coverage more than a paper promise.
Housing
Safe, accessible, affordable housing is the top request we get. We want to make it easier for people with disabilities to stay in their homes. And we want to make sure that Colorado provides no home to discrimination.
Independent Living
You deserve to make your own decisions and to participate fully in your community. We help people with disabilities find alternatives to guardianship; protect themselves from exploitation; and, through our Client Assistance Program, get the services they need from a Center for Independent Living.
Institutions
Your rights don’t end when you enter an institution. That includes the right to safety, dignity, and freedom from discrimination. We help people in residential and correctional facilities obtain reasonable accommodations and access services.
Public Access
State and federal laws require equal access to government buildings and services, public accommodations, and parks, sidewalks, and other outdoor spaces. But some places still don’t make it easy — or even possible — to get in. At Disability Justice, we fight to open doors for every Coloradan.
Representative Payees
If you receive SSI or SSDI, a representative payee may help you manage your benefits. The Social Security Administration imposes strict rules on rep payees. We conduct site visits to make sure those rules are followed.
Transportation
Access to transportation shouldn’t be a luxury. But for many Coloradans with disabilities, it remains out of reach. We aim to make transportation not only accessible but also safe and reliable.
Voting
Every eligible American should be able to vote. But for many people with disabilities, that’s easier said than done. We monitor polling places, examine voting machines and ballot materials, and provide training on registration and voting.
Report Harm
People with disabilities are often subjected to abuse, neglect, and exploitation — including fraud and other forms of financial harm. If you suspect mistreatment, report it to a public agency.
Click “Report Harm” to learn how.