"Rewriting the Myths, Redefining the Realities"
By Homer Page
The strength of the Larimer County
disability community is one of Colorado’s best-kept secrets. As part
of the Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILC) efforts to work
with Colorado’s disability community, its July meeting was held in
Larimer County. On July 24, SILC and the Disability Resource Services
Center conducted a day-long advocacy training workshop, and the SILC
meeting was held the following day. Over 70 members of the Larimer
County disability community turned out to share their knowledge and
tell their stories of actions taken to improve the lives of persons
with disabilities.
Larimer County is a rapidly growing area. Its communities include
Estes Park, Loveland and Fort Collins. Its rural and small town past
is being replaced by a high tech present and future. This change is
also changing the needs and expectations of the County’s disability
community. Few are more in touch with the thriving Larimer County
disability community than is Nancy Jackson, Executive Director of
Disability Resource Services (DRS).
Ms. Jackson has directed DRS since 1982. She came to Ft. Collins in
the early 1980’s from southern California. Very soon after arriving in
Colorado she was appointed to the Ft. Collins Commission on
Disability. Shortly thereafter, she became the director of DRS. She
has steered the growth of the agency from one with a single employee,
operating out of a one room office, to one with 13 employees and a
county-wide reach. DRS serves over 300 persons per year and is widely
known and respected throughout Larimer County.
Nancy grew up near the Rose Bowl in southern California. Both her
mother and father were persons with disabilities. Her mother had a
visual impairment and her father a severe back injury. She babysat for
a family with two severely disabled children and her grandfather
developed macular degeneration. “Having persons with disabilities in
my life was a very natural thing, she says. “When I got to college, I
volunteered to help a woman with many of her activities of daily
living. I suppose I was involved in the independent living movement
before I knew there was such a thing.”
After college, Nancy went to work for the Los Angeles County
Department of Social Services. She was a caseworker in the AFDC
program. Her work caused her to visit in the homes in East Los
Angeles, where gang activities were pervasive. She continues to have
an interest in families that need support. Her agency currently
contracts with the Larimer County Department of Social Services to
provide advocacy for families seeking assistance through the TANF
program.
After two years, she left the Department of Social Services and joined
the California Department of Rehabilitation. Her first assignment was
with youth. She worked in the schools, assisting children with
disabilities to transition to employment. While with Vocational
Rehabilitation she also worked with a general caseload that included a
large number of persons with mental health disabilities.
While working in California she met and learned from Ed Roberts, one
of the founders of the Independent Living Movement. By the time Nancy
arrived in Colorado, she was prepared to take a leading role in the
creation of a superior independent living program, and that is what
she did.
Ms. Jackson laughs and says, “We are a AAA agency. Our mission is
advocacy, awareness, and accessibility.” DRS has a number of unique
programs. The agency has a fund for emergency assistance and an
equipment loan closet. DRS staff coordinates a volunteer service that
provides many homemaker services and they offer services to older
individuals who are blind.
Ms. Jackson says that DRS assists over 100 persons each year with
small financial emergency grants. These grants are used for
prescriptions, or to buy needed equipment, or to make a rent payment.
DRS saves some money from its basic funding for this purpose. In
addition, a local church takes a weekly collection and a part of the
federal independent living funding also is used to meet emergency
housing needs. In total, DRS provides about $14,000 to low-income
persons with disabilities each year. Nancy says, “About 90% of our
consumers are low income. Sometimes they need a little financial help
to get over a rough spot.”
The equipment closet has grown into a major program. DRS controls over
600 pieces of equipment. Over 1,000 persons per year borrow equipment
from DRS. Ms. Jackson says that DRS started the equipment loan program
with two pieces of equipment. The first breakthrough came when the
local mortuaries learned that the agency would accept unwanted
equipment. They had collected equipment from the families of persons
who had passed away, but they had no place to store it or no use for
it. The local hospital has also contributed unneeded equipment. DRS
charges a small fee that is used to pay for cleaning and repairing the
equipment.
DRS staff facilitates an active group of older blind persons and work
with a chapter of Colorado Hear. They collaborate with the Loveland
Housing Authority to eliminate architectural barriers and administer
16 low-income housing vouchers. They assist persons with disabilities
to find employment, work with youth in the schools, and are also
involved in several community partnerships.
On Wednesday July 26, the DRS and the SILC sponsored an advocacy
training workshop for the Larimer County disability community. Over 70
persons participated in the day long event. County Commissioners Tom
Bender and Glen Gibson, along with Loveland Mayor Kathy Gilliland
spoke at lunch. They stated their commitment to work with the
disability community and provided valuable insight into effective ways
to communicate with elected officials.
Mark Beck, chairperson of the Fort Collins Commission on Disability,
related his experience as an advocate for accessibility and Don
Metzgar, chairperson of the Loveland Handicapped Awareness Committee,
shared his committee’s experiences advocating for accessible parking
and recreational facilities. Sue Williams, representing the Northern
Colorado Chapter of the Colorado Cross Disabilities Coalition, told
elected officials of the need for accessible transportation in Larimer
County.
Faith Gross, a staff person for the Legal Center for Persons with
Disabilities, spoke about the Americans with Disabilities Act and
answered a flood of questions. She also gave information about the
structure of the Protection and Advocacy programs in Colorado. She
invited anyone with civil rights or service denial issues to contact
her at the Legal Center.
Nancy Jackson says that she is very proud of the commitment to
advocacy that exists in her community. DRS staff is an active part of
this effort. Jennifer Bell is active with the Housing Coalition and
Allison Dawson works with the Adult Protection Program. The strong
interest and lively participation of the disability community in the
advocacy workshop points to the growing power of persons with
disabilities to shape their own lives in Larimer County.
We applaud the work of Nancy Jackson, DRS staff, and the entire
Larimer County disability community. They demonstrate that it doesn’t
take a lot of money to make a difference. It takes commitment to
living independently, and ability to work together, creativity, and a
big heart. They have these resources in abundance.
Copyright 2002 A&H Publishing Corporation