In Response to Channel 7s Investigation

Frank J. Lucero, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Each day at Laradon, we make great strides in helping children and adults with developmental disabilities gain independence, maximize their potential and become valued members of their community. We pride ourselves for inspiring creativity and new ideas, providing safe and state of the art programs to the individuals we serve. Our vision is that Laradon be the “best” organization of its kind.

Laradon’s donors can be assured their gifts are used appropriately and honor their wishes. Our operations are managed and controlled in an honest and socially conscious manner. We go above and beyond state and federal requirements by providing to the public audited financial statements, summaries of investment activities, annual reports, the IRS 990s and capital improvement plans. We are happy to share this information with you.

Laradon is poised to do even more for Colorado’s children and adults with developmental disabilities. We look forward to cultivating partnerships and relationships with the public so that we can continue to provide cost-effective, quality services and supports to children and adults with disabilities.

Foothills Animal Shelter Spreads Holiday Cheer at Laradon



Laradon participant and
Foothills Animal Shelter staff
take a photo with a sweet dog
in a cheetah print coat.



In case you missed it, Foothills Animal Shelter is one of the largest animal shelters in the metro-Denver area.  It is also where Laradon participants have been volunteering custodial crews five days a week for nearly three months.

Foothills Animal Shelter recently visited Laradon with Santa Claus as the driver of the shelter's Mobile Unit.  This unit is used for low-cost community clinics and community adoptions.  Santa and his elves brought some very gentle, but fun-loving dogs who were pampered with lots of belly scratches and loving pats on the head from Laradon staff and participants.

Heather Cameron, Executive Director of Foothills Animal Shelter, says that having Laradon participants and staff providing custodial services has been a tremendous help during their recent move to a new and much larger facility of 30,000 square feet.  She says it has helped her staff stay focused on animal care duties for the hundreds of homeless pets they care for.

Laradon participants enjoy working at the shelter and are learning some valuable job skills such as being thorough in cleaning, team work, and responsibility and kindness for animals.  We are very grateful that Foothills Animal Shelter has given Laradon this great opportunity for our participants to become involved in our community in this way.  We also thank them for spreading some great holiday cheer and for recognizing the hard work of our participants.

Technology Can Help People with Developmental Disabilities

Frank J. Lucero, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Recently, I find myself thinking of the uses of technologies in our work of helping people with disabilities reach their maximum potential. Consider a personal digital assistant which is individually programmed and equipped with a digital camera and global positioning system! All of a sudden a person with disabilities can come and go more freely in their community using public transportation, working, shopping, and socializing.

I wonder about using computers to foster collaboration and social interactions, which has proven to increase self-confidence, interpersonal and communication skills. Using computers in this way allows individuals to take part in problem solving. Computers have also been used to motivate on one-to-one tasks and guide the person working alone to interact and communicate with others.

I read about a program designed for people with visual, mobility, hearing, and/or cognitive disabilities. It is used to provide greater living independence. Functions and problems of daily life are addressed by sensors which control, regulate, measures, and switches on and off items in the house such as lights, electrical outlets, door locks, blinds/curtains. It includes a speech synthesizer and visual and tactile signaling devices. What a great way to increase a person’s independence while improving their safety and security.

I look forward to learning what the future of computers will have on people with developmental disabilities and other special needs and how we can use this technology to increase their independence and improve their lives.

October is National Disability Month

Frank J. Lucero, Ph.D.
Executive Director

On October 1, 2010 President Obama issued a proclamation marking October 2010 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The 2010 theme is Talent Has No Boundaries: Workforce Diversity Includes Workers with Disabilities.

Working age adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience an unemployment rate of about 80%. These are able-bodied people who want and deserve to work; yet, they are persistently UN- or under-employed. We all must re-double our efforts in support of people with developmental disabilities and other special needs.

Laradon is providing comprehensive employment services to people with disabilities through our Community and Employment Services program.  We recently became a Provider Network for the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program and we are working to help more people with special needs obtain competitive employment in the future.  We are hopeful that this proclamation will increase workplace diversity in Colorado; we are certainly looking forward to working with the community.  If you have a connection to a Colorado business that could benefit from Laradon’s Community and Employment Services program, we welcome your thoughts and comments.

Also, on October 6, 2010, President Obama signed “Rosa’s Law” which changes references of mental retardation to intellectual disability. This a good thing for everyone involved with the developmentally disabled community. It’s been a long time coming!

A Message from the Executive Director - September 24, 2010

The Legislative Council and Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) presented their September 20 economic forecasts. Both forecasts were lowered for FY 2010-11 (current year) and FY 2011-12. The Legislative Council’s forecast for FY 2010-11 is the higher of the two; still, the Legislative Council forecasts a General Fund (GF) budget deficit of $50 million for this year. The OSPB forecast estimates a shortfall of $257 million for this year.

According to the Legislative Council economists, Colorado’s economy will continue to “muddle along” and gradually improve over this fiscal year. After two years of job losses, “the state’s private sector started adding jobs in June and July,” though there is a lag between increases in employment and state revenue collections.

The table below shows the anticipated collections in Colorado’s primary GF revenue sources.

Legislative Council September General Fund Revenue Estimate by Source - dollars in millions

The General Fund revenues are very dependent on individual income tax and sales tax collections. Corporate income tax collections are a smaller – but more volatile – revenue source. Please note – the anticipated increases in individual income and sales taxes in FY 2010-11 are off of reduced bases from FY 2009-10.

Impact of Amendment 60/Proposition 101 on State Budget

The Legislative Council economists indicated that the passage of either Amendment 60 or Proposition 101 would impact the current year shortfall. From the Legislative Council “Bluebook”, if property taxes are cut and the state is required to backfill as per Amendment 60, “the state will have to decrease spending and services in other areas, increase fees for services, or some combination of both.” Also, the Bluebook anticipates a state revenue loss of $744 million in 2011 if Proposition 101 passes.