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Susan J. Elliott Award | Mark Your Calendar | Awarded Grants | New Website

Southern Colorado DHHDB Event - Exhibitors | New Complaint Form

Image Description: CCDHHDB Staff celebrates the recipients of the 2023 Susan J. Elliott Award, Colorado Family Voices. Left to Right: Christine Pendley, Luke Adams, Kevin Harrer, Kiera Zink, Cliff Moers, Elli Streifer, JoAnne Hirsch, Ellie Carlson, Heather Wilcox (seated), Trish Leakey, and Katie Cue.

Susan J. Elliott Award

Image Description: Kiera Zink (left) and Elli Streifer (right) accept the 2023 Susan J. Elliot Award on behalf of Family Voices, Colorado.

It is presented to individuals or organizations whose contribution to the CCDHHDB and its services to the communities is exemplary. 

The award was presented during the commission meeting on September 6. Without question, Family Voices Colorado deserves the honor for their undying passion and vision for the Community Intervener Program. This program works with children who are “deafblind plus” to facilitate critical connections between the child and the child’s family, community, and environment. Family Voices Colorado, a family-to-family health information center for Colorado, is also a grassroots organization run by parents of children with special healthcare needs. 

This much-needed program was created by Kiera Zink and Megan Browser, parents of “deafblind plus” children, and Christy Blakely, Executive Director of Family Voices Colorado. It began with Kiera and Megan approaching Christy with an idea of starting a community intervener program after they sought an intervener for their children outside of school. These parents believe that constant exposure to the world outside of home and school is essential to their children’s whole-being development and learning.



After obtaining a grant from the commission and receiving additional funds from other sources, the group implemented and ran a successful pilot program for two years. 

In January 2023, they introduced legislation (House Bill 23-1067) to convert the pilot program into a permanent program to be housed within CCDHHDB. It was their first such attempt and it sailed through smoothly due to their collaboration and passion for this program. It was signed into law by Governor Polis on May 15, 2023. (Read the blog post here!)

By October 2023, this program will be known as one of two Community Intervener Programs in the nation serving “deafblind plus” children outside of school settings. It will include funds for a program manager position and community interveners to work with children.

This incredible feat is a true representation of Family Voices of Colorado’s heart and belief in the program.



Mark Your Calendar

September is recognized as Deaf Awareness Month. International Week of the Deaf is celebrated the last week of September every year. This year, Week of the Deaf celebration falls on September 24-30. We promote awareness of the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind communities every month!

To celebrate Deaf Awareness Month in 2023 check out our calendar section below to see if any events interest you.

COEHDI Alliance Meetings 

Friday, September 15, 2023

from 10-11:30 a.m. 

COEHDI Screening Task Force

Contact info@coehdi.org for the link

The COEHDI Alliance meets the third Friday of each month from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Meetings are open to the public and members of the public are invited to submit a public comment.

Deaf Awareness Night at the Colorado Rapids 

Last year was a blast - and this year we will be squaring off against Austin FC. Come enjoy community time and watch some football/soccer! 

Proceeds from these ticket sales will go to Rocky Mountain Deaf School and DOVE: Deaf Overcoming Violence through Empowerment.

Safari Day - Access Now! At the Denver Zoo

Sunday,Oct 1, 2023, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Denver Zoo, Conoco Gardens, 2300 Steele St., Denver, CO

An opportunity to bring community members together to collect resources/information on accessible technology and services related to communication access for hearing loss.

A limited number of complimentary tickets are available while supplies last! Reserve your tickets now! 

Complimentary tickets are for customers with a hearing loss and their family members. Limit four tickets per family.

If you do not qualify for the free tickets, or need more than four … you can purchase tickets for $15 through the event page on the Denver Zoo website.

State Offices Closed - Frances Xavier Cabrini Day

Monday, Oct 2, 2023 

All State Offices

The new, legal holiday on the first Monday in October was created to replace Columbus Day (second Monday in October). House Bill 20-1031 created the new holiday and was passed by the legislature on March 10, 2020 and signed into law by Governor Polis on March 20, 2020. Cabrini Day is the first State paid legal holiday to recognize a woman in the nation.

Cabrini Day is the first state paid legal holiday to recognize a woman in the nation.

Interpreter CEU Opportunities at the Colorado Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Conference

October 6-8, 2023

1717 Denver West Marriott Blvd Lakewood, CO 80401

The Colorado Commission for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind will proudly partner with the Colorado Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (CRID) at the 2023 conference on October 6, 2023. The Auxiliary team will be providing two workshops:

• "How to obtain a Colorado Legal Credential - The What, Why, and How" 
• "Interpreters as Gatekeepers: Understanding PPO” 

For more information you can check the CRID conference webpage.

To learn more about CCDHHDB’s auxiliary services, please visit our booth at the Marriott Denver West hotel from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7.

Southern Colorado Event for the Deaf,

Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind

October 14, 2023, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Rawlings Pueblo Public Library, 100 E Abriendo Ave, Pueblo, CO 81004

CCDHHDB Rural Auxiliary Services is proudly hosting the Southern Colorado Event for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind. Everyone is welcome to this family friendly gathering in the Ryals Grand Event space located in the Rawlings Pueblo Public Library. This is a good opportunity to socialize, collect resources related to accessibility, services, and wellness. We will have booths, activities, presentations, and raffle prizes! 

The intention is for this event to be family-friendly, open to DHHDB community members, and to welcome family, friends, and professionals that work with DHHDB populations. It will have booths, presentations, and raffle prizes! This event is a good opportunity for participants to learn more about the services available for DHHDB individuals living and working in the rural areas of southern Colorado. Attendees will have the opportunity to obtain resources related to accessibility, services, and wellness. 

Commission News

Awarded Grants

The Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind is pleased to announce that five applications were approved for funding, totaling $45,066.16 for Fiscal Year 2023-24 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024). A total of 12 applications, requesting a total of $103,391.16 were considered. Congratulations go to the awarded grant recipients below! 

Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics      

Amount: $9,999                

Project: Improving Care of Colorado Children who are Deaf

Due to Cytomegalovirus Infection

This provides community outreach to 1) inform, through social media, women of child-bearing age and pregnant people regarding hygiene measures which can decrease the risk of Cytomegalovirus (cCMV), 2) educate Colorado birth centers during virtual visits conducted by the Colorado Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program, and 3) work with the Colorado Child Care Administration to instruct childcare workers about cCMV prevention. cCMV is the most common congenital viral infection in the United State. Diagnosis of cCMV requires testing within the first 21 days of life. 

Colorado Environmental Film Festival          

Amount: $5,775                

Project: Captioned Films at the Annual Film Festival

Colorado Environmental Film Festival’s project is to focus on making their festival accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people who attend the upcoming virtual and in-person festival Feb. 22 to March 3, 2024, in Golden. This fund will cover the costs associated with captioning for all films shown at the festival and provide captions for Filmmaker Q&A sessions before and during the festival. Films that are not already captioned will receive technological and financial support. 



Hearing the Call Colorado Project            

Amount: $9,999

Project: Hearing assessments and hearing aid resources

This project will provide hearing clinic days in seven Colorado communities and give hearing assessments for low-income individuals, hearing aid fittings and accessories (earbuds, wax guards, batteries, etc.), initial follow-up care after hearing aid fitting, ongoing care, including hearing aid device cleaning and maintenance, for one year. Hearing the Call Colorado Project is a statewide network of licensed audiologists and audiology practices who donate their time to provide services to low-income individuals who are not qualified through healthcare programs. 



Image Reborn

Amount: $9,999

Project: Retreat for Deaf Women

The main objectives of Image Reborn’s Renewal Retreats have been to provide women diagnosed with breast cancer a chance to connect with their emotions, process the grief associated with their losses, and bond with women who have gone and are going through similar experiences. With this fund, Image Reborn will host a first-ever three-day, two-night breast cancer retreat for eight deaf women in Dillon. The activities will include cancer-specific exercises, yoga, mindfulness, massages, reiki, and a lot of time connecting with survivors. 



Mesa County Libraries Foundation

Amount: $9,294.16

Project: Hearing Loop Technology

This funding opportunity will enable the Mesa County Libraries to purchase and install hearing loop systems in two large community rooms at the new Clifton Branch. They will partner with the Hearing Loss Association of America, Let’s Loop Colorado, and the Center for Independence to promote the availability of hearing loop systems in their county libraries. The hearing loop is a closed-circuit system, allowing users with t-coil-enabled hearing aids to connect directly to the room’s audio system. Mesa County has been a popular destination for older populations. 

CCDHHDB's New Website

Oops! You may have noticed that our old URL www.ccdhhdb.com is no longer active. That was not supposed to happen! Luckily, our new and improved website is live and ready for use at ccdhhdb.colorado.gov.

Please pardon our dust while we continue to wrap up the migration of the website.

You will see some information may be missing. We are working to get the site up and running as quickly as possible.



What has changed?

• We moved the site from Wordpress to Drupal. This provides a more secure user experience and allows us to align our content with state guidelines.
• We are working on updating our content for accessibility. All content will be reviewed for plain language, clarity and understanding.
• We have reorganized our site to better meet the needs of users.
• We have added pictures and visuals to show the work we do.

If you are on a page and the links are still giving you a 404 error, try CTRL+F5 to clear your cache. The page will update to the current links.

We value your feedback and would love to hear what you think about our new website. If you have comments or suggestions you would like to share, please complete our feedback form. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you would like to submit your feedback in ASL include a link to a video of your comments in the form. You can also email the video to outreach.ccdhhdb@state.co.us.

Southern Colorado Event for DHHDB Exhibitors

The Rural Auxiliary Services program housed under the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (CCDHHDB) is proud to partner with several other organizations to host an event for the DHHDB communities in southern Colorado. 



We are seeking additional service providers to sign up for exhibit booths. Our goal is to provide 20 booths. There is no fee for the booth, however, we ask all service providers to provide a prize (valued between $20-50) for the raffle. Service providers will be allotted 5 minutes each to present their organization and services before drawing a raffle ticket for their donated prize. 

If you are interested in signing up for a booth with us, please fill out the Google form. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at ras.ccdhhdb@state.co.us. 

New Complaint Form

The commission has shifted the process for informal and formal complaints regarding individual program’s, (e.g., Auxiliary Services Program, Communications Technology Program, DeafBlind Services, Grant Program), to the department after determining that it would be more transparent and impartial.

The commission complaint form, in English and American Sign Language, is currently live on the department’s contact webpage. You can go to the complaints section for CCDHHDB’s complaint form. You can also access the CCDHHDB Complaint form directly. 

Department Client Services will handle the complaints if your issues were not amicably resolved with the person first. They will also arrange accommodations for you when requested for an in-person appointment to file a complaint. Further details are on the form. 

You can file your complaint using the online form, telephone, or in person. 

CDHS Client Services Contact

303-866-3275

cdhs_clientservices@state.co.us.