Not all disabilities are visible. Chronic pain, mental health and neurological conditions, and autoimmune illness shape daily life without showing on the surface, and the CDC counts more than one in four adults living with a disability, many of them unseen. At CPWD we hold to a simple principle: you are the author and expert of your own experience, and you do not have to prove it to anyone. This piece explores what invisible disabilities ask of us, and the rights, language, and peer support that help us meet doubt with confidence.

This July marks 36 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act became law, and at CPWD we are looking ahead. The ADA is not a monument to visit once a year. It is a living tool that grows stronger every time we pick it up and use it. This piece is a plain-language guide to the rights it already gives us, at work, in our communities, and increasingly online, and to how we put them to work with confidence: requesting an accommodation, asking for what a space needs, and knowing where to turn. It is also a look at what we are building next, from new rules bringing government websites up to full accessibility by 2027 and 2028, to more than two dozen states moving to end subminimum wage, to communities embracing universal design so that access built for some becomes a gift for all. The doors the ADA opened are ours to walk through, and the next chapter is ours to write, together.

The outdoors belong to everyone. Our updated 2026 guide to accessible recreation across Colorado gathers new places to explore, longtime favorites worth revisiting, and the practical resources, from track chairs to the Columbine Parks Pass, that make a day outside possible.

Every July, Disability Pride Month brings the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and a theme to carry forward. This year it is "The World Works Better With Us," and the evidence behind it is stronger than most people realize. From the curb cuts under our feet to the captions on our screens, we look at what everyone gains when people with disabilities help shape the world, and why disability pride, built in community, makes independent living possible.

Real independence begins with respect and equal opportunity. That founding belief has carried CPWD from a grassroots initiative in 1977 to a vital resource network across Colorado's Front Range. As the organization celebrates 49 years, we trace the history, the people, and the core services that continue to put that belief into practice.

When people with dual sensory loss cannot access Support Service Provider services, institutionalization often follows. Not because they need that level of care. Not because it is what they want. But because the community infrastructure is not there to support them living independently. This is not inevitable. It is the result of a funding system that has not kept pace with need.

In 2023, we shared Amber's story, and it remains one of the most powerful examples of what independent living looks like when the right support meets the right moment. Diagnosed with Bipolar II and PTSD, Amber spent years unable to leave her home. Today, she is fully employed, completely off SSDI, and raising her son with strength and independence. We're revisiting her journey because stories like hers remind us why this work matters.

June and July belong together. Pride Month and Disability Pride Month are often treated as separate celebrations, but for a significant part of our community, they are one story told in two chapters.

The overlap between LGBTQ+ and disability identities is not a footnote: 36% of LGBTQ+ adults report having a disability, and both movements share deep roots in the same demand that every body, every life, belongs fully in public life. From the Stonewall Uprising to the Capitol Crawl, these are communities that have fought for self-determination, redesigned the world for everyone in the process, and built power through solidarity.

For many people with disabilities, access to a trusted caregiver depends on immigration policy, and right now, that system is failing them. Immigrants make up nearly a third of the U.S. home care workforce, and a visa backlog stretching more than 20 years keeps many family caregivers from getting here at all.

CPWD is bridging disability rights and immigrant rights, and advocating for the changes that would make choosing your own caregiver a reality for everyone.

For Maya, getting to a farmers market means checking curb cuts, elevator status, and door weights before she ever leaves home. Her experience reflects what millions of people with mobility disabilities know every day: accessibility isn't a design feature. It's the difference between participating in community life and being excluded from it. This Mobility Awareness Month, we're exploring how far we've come and how far we still have to go.

Every May, Mental Health Awareness Month invites us to look honestly at where we are — and this year, that means holding two truths at once. At the national level, federal Medicaid cuts and instability at SAMHSA have created real uncertainty for people with disabilities who depend on mental health services. But here in Colorado, something different is happening. Advocates and legislators have been building — and there are concrete wins worth knowing about.

When Mind Prawatsrichai visited CPWD from Bangkok, she came with a purpose: to observe, learn, and bring ideas home. What she found was a consumer-directed model, peer support rooted in lived experience, and an organizational philosophy that treats people with disabilities as decision-makers.

Her visit opens a much larger conversation. The movement to build accessible, inclusive communities is not a uniquely American project. It is a global effort, powered by advocates in every country asking the same fundamental questions: What does it mean to design a world that works for everyone? And what can we learn from each other?

In this thoughtful guest blog, CPWD board member Sylvan Pearlstein shares why many advocates are calling for a shift from autism awareness to autism acceptance. The article explores common misconceptions, explains autism through the lens of neurodiversity, and highlights the importance of respect, accommodation, and authentic support. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of autistic experiences while learning how acceptance can create a more inclusive world year-round.

When my father's Parkinson's tremors ended his career, our family entered a world most people don't know exists until they're already inside it: the long, complicated gap between a diagnosis and the support system meant to catch you. His story is one of millions. This article walks through how diseases like Parkinson's, MS, arthritis, and diabetes become disabilities, and what the benefits process actually looks like for the people living through it.

April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month — and there has never been a more exciting time to talk about what's possible. From groundbreaking prosthetic technology to the power of peer connection, people with limb loss and limb difference are living fuller, more connected lives than ever. Here's what that looks like, and how all of us can be part of moving things forward.

At CPWD, systems advocacy is one of the most powerful tools we have, and right now, there's a lot in motion. From the Colorado statehouse to city planning sessions, emergency preparedness exercises, to a brand-new pilot program launching in partnership with Boulder Community Health, we're working on multiple fronts to build a community where full participation is the rule of law. Here's a look at what we've been doing on your behalf, what's coming up, and how you can be part of it.

March is Women's History Month, and at CPWD we are proud to celebrate the women who are leading, advocating, and changing the world every single day. In this article, we're shining a spotlight on five remarkable women whose work in disability rights and awareness continues to push society toward a more just and inclusive future. From Colorado's own statehouse to the halls of Harvard Law, their stories remind us that the fight for equity is alive, urgent, and in extraordinary hands.

More than 1 in 4 Americans has a disability — but most of us picture only a fraction of what that really means. Disability includes chronic pain, PTSD, low vision, intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, and so much more. What is a disability, exactly? The answer is more complex — and more personal — than most people realize. If you've ever wondered whether your experience "counts," this one's for you.

More than 7 million Americans live with intellectual or developmental disabilities, yet many still face barriers to independence and community inclusion. In recognition of IDD Awareness Month, this article explores what intellectual and developmental disabilities are, how policies like the ADA and Olmstead reshaped opportunities for community living, and why self-advocacy and community support remain essential to building a more inclusive Colorado.