This page details how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodation Fund is managed, what the fund is used for, and how agencies can request funding.
Why do we have this fund?
On Aug. 27, 2020, Gov. Jared Polis signed Executive Order D 2020-175, “Directing the Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA) to lead State action on equity, diversity, and inclusion for the State of Colorado.” The order tasks DPA with developing standards “at or above the standards required in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act.”
According to a 2020 survey of State ADA coordinators, statewide accommodation funding was needed to improve access to ADA accommodations and meet the requirements of the executive order.
In 2021, DPA proposed the creation of an ADA Accommodation Fund to establish a centralized accommodation program and funding for all agency ADA accommodations.
In 2022 House Bill 22-1397 was passed, establishing the Statewide Equity Office. It requires DPA to “standardize a program of equity, diversity, and inclusion that seeks to support just and equitable opportunity for all Coloradans and State employees.”
Who manages the fund?
The ADA Accommodation Fund is managed by the statewide equity manager of accessibility and the ADA accommodations specialist. Both positions are a part of the Statewide Equity Office which falls under the Division of Human Resources and DPA.
What can State agencies use these funds for?
The State of Colorado ADA Accommodation Fund will cover physical accommodation requests for new and existing employees, members of the public, and other accessibility modifications.
All State agencies can request funding from the ADA Accommodation Fund.
How do agencies request these funds?
State agencies can request reimbursement for ADA accommodation and modification-related expenses by completing the Request Accommodation Reimbursement form.
Fund Reimbursement Request Steps:
- New requests are submitted using the request form.
Agencies must complete the form within 60 days of receiving an accommodation request. Approval for requests made after the 60-day window will be based on funding availability and impact. The managers of the fund will measure the impact using the following criteria:
- Effectiveness of the accommodation
- The outcome or result of the request
- Sustainability of the accommodation
- Availability of funding
- The ADA accommodations specialist reviews and approves/denies fund requests within 30 days.
If Approved
- The ADA accommodations specialist notifies the requesting agency of approval within 10 business days.
- Requests are submitted to DPA’s Finance Office for processing.
- The finance office updates the Statewide Equity Office’s budget to include the approved request.
- The Statewide Equity Office documents the requests in a central repository for record-keeping purposes. This folder will include:
- Submitted requests
- Requests in processing
- Approved requests
- Processed requests
If Rejected
The requesting agency can appeal the decision by submitting a justification to the Statewide Equity Office Director.
Statement on Improving Access
To ensure the ADA Accommodation Fund continues to improve access, the Statewide Equity Office will annually survey agencies and fund recipients to identify gaps in service or accommodation. The equity office will use budget and survey data to
drive future budgetary and funding requests.
Learn more by reviewing “Department Priority: R-05 Request Detail: Ensuring Equity for People with Disabilities.”