Colorado § 8-88-102 - Colorado disability opportunity office - creation - duties - legislative intent.

§ 8-88-102. Colorado disability opportunity office - creation - duties - legislative intent.

(1) (a) (I) There is created in the department the Colorado disability opportunity office, the head of which is the director of the Colorado disability opportunity office. The executive director of the department, in consultation with the office of the governor, shall appoint the director of the CDOO.

(II) The CDOO is a type 1 entity, as defined in section 24-1-105, and exercises its powers and performs its duties and functions under the department.

(III) The director of the CDOO has regular access to the office of the governor and shall collaborate with state agencies.

(b) The director of the CDOO shall staff the CDOO in order to effectively meet the goals and intentions set forth in this article 88 and to meet the future needs of Colorado's disability community. In order to successfully carry out the CDOO's purpose, it is the general assembly's intent that lived experience as an individual with a disability be considered when hiring decisions are made for the CDOO staff. The CDOO shall serve as a resource for state agencies, private and nonprofit organizations, and the public about the full spectrum of disability issues in Colorado.

(2) To ensure the CDOO's disability integration goals are met, the CDOO shall:

(a) Convene and coordinate a disability technical advisory committee comprised of representatives from the department, the office of information technology, the department of human services, the department of health care policy and financing, the department of local affairs, the department of transportation, the department of early childhood, the department of education, the department of higher education, the behavioral health administration, the department of military and veterans affairs, the department of public safety, the department of corrections, the department of public health and environment, and the department of personnel to:

(I) Discuss and make recommendations to the CDOO on cross-agency efforts, including reports from agencies, impacting Coloradans with disabilities;

(II) Understand the issues impacting state agencies' ability to best serve individuals with disabilities; and

(III) Obtain the recommendations of individuals with disabilities on how to address agency issues;

(b) Coordinate with the disability technical advisory committee to develop, maintain, and make publicly available on the CDOO website a collection of resources available to Coloradans with disabilities and links to the agencies or other bodies that administer those resources;

(c) Collaborate with state agencies and the statewide equity office created in section 24-50-146 to create and maintain an individuals with disabilities equity plan for the development of shared dashboards that measure performance against shared goals within those plans that achieve the shared goals and vision of the CDOO;

(d) Collaborate with stakeholders from the disability community, including representatives from boards and commissions that advise on disability issues; except that the CDOO shall not collaborate with any board or commission that exercises quasi-judicial authority in relation to disability discrimination complaints, including any state agency that conducts, and any state agency personnel who conduct, investigative or other activities related to a board's or commission's quasi-judicial authority in relation to disability discrimination complaints. The collaboration must be on a recurring basis to allow the CDOO and the disability technical advisory committee to understand the issues Coloradans with disabilities want prioritized and their recommendations on how to address those issues.

(e) Collaborate with the state office on aging in the department of human services and advocates for the aging population and make recommendations for addressing aging and disability intersecting issues to ensure coordination with the disability technical advisory committee;

(f) Consider recommendations made in relevant reports and audits, including:

(I) The task force on the rights of Coloradans with disabilities, created in section 24-34-1003;

(II) The final report of the community living advisory group, created in the office of community living pursuant to the governor's executive order D 2012-027;

(III) The Colorado community living plan;

(IV) The report issued by the employment first advisory partnership in accordance with section 8-84-303 (7); and

(V) The strategic action planning group on aging final report; and

(g) Act as lead coordinator on multiagency reports and plans focused on Coloradans with disabilities by coordinating with all relevant agencies and stakeholder groups.

(3) The CDOO shall provide guidance to the office of the governor and state agencies on matters related to Coloradans with disabilities to:

(a) Implement a statewide strategy to facilitate full societal integration by investing in the success of individuals with disabilities in Colorado;

(b) Foster enhanced inclusion for individuals with disabilities;

(c) Ensure equitable opportunities and access to services for individuals with disabilities;

(d) Eliminate barriers to prosperity for individuals with disabilities; and

(e) Coordinate with and make recommendations to the governor and state agencies on ways to improve policies, programs, and operations to support full societal integration of individuals with disabilities across the state.

(4) As funding allows, the CDOO shall promote full societal integration of individuals with disabilities, with the goal of implementing disability support through community-based initiatives and nonprofit organizations through which individuals with disabilities and their families can access formal and informal support to promote their health, economic well-being, and full societal integration. The promotion must include:

(a) Implementing studies, symposia, and research and the review of factual reports in coordination with other state agencies to gather insight and to formulate and present recommendations to the governor and state agencies related to issues of concern and importance to individuals with disabilities in Colorado;

(b) Analyzing economic and demographic trends in order to make policy and programmatic recommendations to the governor and state agencies;

(c) Creating economic opportunities, such as:

(I) Workforce development, skills recognition, and barrier reduction;

(II) Initiatives that increase economic stability; and

(III) Entrepreneurship and higher education attainment;

(d) Connecting individuals with disabilities to local, state, and federal resources and to other resources as they are available or relevant, to meet their individual needs; and

(e) Educating and reaching out to people in the state by:

(I) Promoting and celebrating the success and contributions of Colorado's disability community; and

(II) Engaging with the community as a whole in order to foster inclusivity and integration by building awareness, promoting mutual understanding, and increasing social bridging opportunities.

(5) On or before November 1, 2025, and on or before November 1 each year thereafter, the director of the CDOO, or the director's designee, shall submit a report to the governor. The report must include a review and summary of the activity of, information on, and data on the programs that the CDOO administered during the prior state fiscal year.

Source: L. 2024: Entire article added, (HB 24-1360), ch. 324, p. 2155, § 2, effective July 1.