07-03-2025
Disabled community rallies in Colorado as federal cuts loom
DENVER (KDVR) — Reports out of Washington, D.C., say President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education to the maximum extent appropriate. Families here in Colorado are bracing for the impacts that move, along with others he is making, could have.
Educators and families are concerned about the impacts dismantling the department could have on all students, but especially students in special education classes.
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'They are coming for the disability community. That's why I'm so glad to see all of you here today,' state Representative Manny Rutinel told a crowd that came out to advocate for disability rights.
Community members from across the state joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the capitol Thursday for Disability Rights Advocacy Day (D-RAD) 2025, hosted by The Arc of Colorado.
'I suspect that at different days, at different times, you wouldn't have seen people feel as though they absolutely need to be here to forward the human rights of individuals with disabilities,' said Pamela Bisceglia, Advocacy Denver Executive Director.
Speakers at a rally for the rights of people with disabilities talked about funding cuts at the national level that could pose a threat to services. Some worry about the outlook for families with students who may use services from Medicaid and have students enrolled in special education classes.
'If the Department of Education goes away, that can be a scary place because how do you ensure their child is receiving what they need to if that federal enforcement mechanism goes away? But hopefully, we can buff up our state enforcement mechanisms and really lean into the fact that there are a lot of people here that wan the best for people with disabilities and students with disabilities specifically,' said Sarah Peilsticker, staff attorney at Disability Law Colorado.
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Research from the state's Department of Education shows federal dollars cover about 15% of special education funding in the state as of 2022, but advocates still worry about the impact the loss of that money, combined with the cuts to other services, could have on families.
'At the state level, we have not been able to fully fund special education in the state of Colorado. So if funding becomes uncertain, we get a lot of that funding from the Department of Education. So if funding becomes uncertain, that affects services that people with disabilities receive, that affects the students' classrooms, it affects the staffing shortage that is already pretty rampant,' said Peilsticker.
'I think it is the worst case scenario,' Bisceglia said about potential cuts coming to Medicaid, dismantling of the Department of Education, and the state being forced to make cuts in a tight budget.
The Trump administration has proposed the idea of dismantling the agency to put education back into the hands of the states, but many states rely on the department for some of their school funding.
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