Since 1987, when President Ronald Reagan designated the month Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, March has been a time to spotlight people across America with intellectual disabilities. President Reagan said that we should join together to give these fellow citizens “both encouragement and the opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.”
Many organizations across the country and in Colorado that advocate for or serve people with developmental disabilities promote this worthy goal during March (and all year). For example, Speaking for Ourselves – Colorado, a self-advocacy organization for persons with disabilities, posted that their message during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is that they “feel truly invisible and want to be truly seen and heard like everyone else.”
At our law firm, we represent people with disabilities and their parents and other family members in a variety of legal matters, including:
- Estate planning geared toward protecting public benefit eligibility
- Special needs trusts or other trusts
- Trustee selection
- ABLE accounts
- Tax planning
- Public benefit eligibility and denials and appeals, including administrative hearings before agencies, regarding Health First Colorado, Medicare, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Residential or long-term care placement
- Medicaid (Health First Colorado) planning
- Special needs planning
- Guardianship and conservatorship
- Medical directives such as living wills
- Powers of attorney
- Legal capacity questions
- Prevention and intervention of abuse or neglect
In addition, we advise professional guardians, conservators and trustees who have special legal responsibilities of personal care and financial management for clients with developmental disabilities.
During this month and always, we salute Coloradans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We will continue to advocate for their interests and to advise and assist their family members and others who care for and protect them.