Legal Services
We offer free or low-cost legal services to people with disabilities whose civil or human rights have been violated. We may be able to accept your case if it relates to:
- Housing discrimination
- Service animals
- Employment discrimination
- Abuse/neglect
- Seclusion/restraint
- Special education
- Or other areas we work in
Levels of Services
Direct Legal Representation
If a legal issue falls within our priorities and criteria for representation, an attorney may provide direct legal representation for your case. A representation agreement will be signed by the client and the attorney to confirm the scope of services Disability Rights Colorado will provide.
Example: An attorney may file a complaint against a client’s employer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOD) if the client and the attorney believe there has been a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Limited Short-Term Assistance
If a legal issue falls within our priorities and criteria for representation, our attorneys may provide short term assistance by answering legal questions and providing legal advice.
Example: An attorney may review documents and consult with a caller about possible legal options in filing an administrative or court complaint against an entity that is failing to provide reasonable accommodations to patrons with disabilities.
Self-Advocacy Training
Our advocates provide information to assist individuals in advocating for themselves regarding their potential legal issue. Additionally, Disability Rights Colorado has many self-advocacy resources available to assist callers, including books, workbooks, and fact sheets on specific disability related issues.
Example: An advocate may provide tips to a parent on advocating for their child at an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. A tenant with a disability can learn her legal rights and advocate for herself in a dispute with her landlord by reading our fact sheet on housing and speaking with one of our advocates.
Information and Referrals
Disability Rights Colorado maintains a large bank of resources for individuals whose issues do not fall within our priorities or meet our criteria for representation. We help you find the right community resources so you can protect your rights.
Example: Disability Rights Colorado does not handle family law issues; however, we can direct a caller to other organizations, resources or training opportunities available to assist in that area.
DRC exists to protects the rights of people like Justin
Justin Rueb shares his experiences from the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City, Colorado, focusing on his time in solitary confinement (Ad Seg) and the prison system’s impact on inmates.
Justin notes a significant change in his social behavior due to prolonged solitary confinement. He prefers being alone and finds it stressful to share a cell or consider another person’s needs, contrasting with his earlier, more social self.
He criticizes the prison system for its harsh treatment and lack of a caring approach. He emphasizes that inmates are human beings with breaking points and advocates for more focus on rehabilitation and care rather than strict punishment.
Transcript
Transcript – Justin’s Story
0:00 –> 0:05
[Background Music]
The scene opens with a field in front of Colorado State Prison with a sign that reads “Warning: Department of Corrections Property. Keep out”
[On-screen text] Disability Law Colorado
0:05 –> 0:07
The scene changes to an office in the prison with a box of paper files.
0:08 –> 0:13
The scene changes to the hallway inside of the prison entrance.
0:14 –> 1:18
[Justin Rueb speaks]
My name is Justin Rueb. We’re in the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City, Colorado. You’re locked down in solitary confinement for most of the day in Ad Seg for 23 hours a day to 24 hours a day. We’d come out one hour a day 5 days a week. The way that they’ve changed it now is that when you get placed into Ad Seg for the first six months, you go through what’s called the high-risk phase and you’re locked down by yourself 23 hours a day, just like old Ad Seg.
1:18 –> 1:38
But then after that first six months and they transfer you over here to CSP, and we’re able to come out of our cell several hours a day with a group of other prisoners, so it’s more…they actually have a system in place where you can progress out now.
1:38 –> 2:17
Well I used to be a lot more social then what I used to be. I really don’t like…I just prefer being alone now. I really don’t…I really can’t deal with other people very well anymore, especially having to share a cell with another person. It’s just… it’s really stressful for me to have to do that because you constantly having to think about this other person. You know, what you’re doing, how is that going to affect this other person. To when you were in solitary confinement, all you had to do is just think about yourself.
2:17 –> 2:40
I was 21. Nine days after I got arrested, I got put in solitary and stayed there until I was 36. And what they used to do to punish you, they would strip you down to your underwear and they would chain you up around your waist and put leg shackles on you, and leave you like that in a holding cell down the stairs for three or four days at a time, with the lights turn on 24 hours a day, so you can’t sleep.
2:40 –> 3:22
Well from my personal experience …I mean, we’re all people. We are all human beings. We are not some kind of subspecies. We have our breaking points just like anybody else you know. I was able to get my handcuffs open and then I was able then I punched the two prison guards. And so, they kept me on dry cell confinement for a few more days. and it was towards the end of it, they have me in a holding cell, they had finally taken all the cuffs and restraints off of me.
3:22 –> 4:11
Yeah, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I started thinking about it all. I started giggling and laughing. And I couldn’t even replicate it right now if I wanted to. It was like what you hear in a lunatic asylum. It went on for about 12 or 14 hours. I started hallucinating. The room started getting smaller and larger. I would be crying one second then not crying the next, then giggling and screeching and I didn’t even really realized it was going on until later when… yeah.
4:11 –> 4:48
Until later when the prison guards told me about it after it ended. They told me that I had sat for like 45 minutes straight and I didn’t blink my eyes, and I had tears just streaming from my eyes because I wasn’t blinking for 45 minutes. And then I remember towards the end of it, I wasn’t able to feel anything. Nothing. I couldn’t feel my body. I couldn’t feel it. And that’s what Ad Seg is. It’s solitary confinement, we’re going to put the boot on the back of your neck and you’re gonna do what we want you to do. And that’s… it just doesn’t work and I really wished that people would spend more time trying to focus on, like I said, the caret approach rather than the stake.
4:48 –> 4:56
[Background Music]
[On-screen text] This video was created in partnership with the AVID project with Disability Rights Washington’s Rooted in Rights program.
Disclaimer
Please note that we cannot take all cases as the demand for our services exceeds the availability of our staff and attorneys. Cases are selected based on available resources, our priority areas and our criteria for representation. In deciding what level of service we are able to provide, Disability Rights Colorado staff will consider:
- The specifics of your case
- Other resources available to you
- Your ability to advocate for yourself
- Whether your problem falls within one of our priority areas as determined through public surveys and board approval
- Availability of resources within our organization
- Whether your case requires taking a position against another person with disabilities
- The extent to which your case may benefit others with disabilities
Please remember that we only represent people with disabilities.