RMHS encourages a strong community of services and supports for individuals with I/DD in Denver. Through the Denver Mill Levy Program, we partner with and provide funding for community organizations that offer unique programming for people with I/DD, which allows for even more choices and opportunities for connection in your community.
Projects Serving All Ages
Colorado-Cross Disability Coalition
Probate Power focuses primarily on special needs planning for individuals and families with disabilities andassists clients with all other aspects of estate planning and probate administration. Services include, but are not limited to, preparing simple and complex wills, revocable living trusts, special needs trusts, financial power of attorney documents, uncontested guardianships/ conservatorships, ABLE accounts, probate administration, and advanced medical directives.
El Grupo Vida
El Grupo Vida houses a Resource Center and Community Navigator that empowers people with disabilities and their families with information and training to help them become their best advocate. The purpose of the resource center is to provide culturally competent community navigation and support services to meet needs as well as increase awareness of and accessibility to services for non-English speaking immigrant families.
Projects Serving Children & Youth
University of Denver (DU) – Positive Early Experiences (PELE) Center
The Positive Early Learning Experiences (PELE) Center at DU aims to impact early childhood and elementary school-aged environments to benefit young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). It focuses on building the capacity of program leaders to implement high-quality inclusive processes and structures that foster a culture of belonging within their programs.
Evoke Behavioral Health
Qualified and willing Board-Certified Behavior Analysts and staff offer a Severe Behavior Day Treatment Program for eligible children and youth with severe behaviors through Evoke Behavioral Health. The project also offers training for their parents/caregivers that Medicaid does not cover. These youth have exhausted other treatment/provider options and are at risk of out-of-state and/or out-of-home residential placement.
Move Through Yoga
Move Through Yoga (MTY) partners with Denver Public Schools (DPS) to provide adaptive yoga programming for middle and high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Additionally, MYT expands access to the adaptive practices of yoga by providing training for the professionals and caregivers who support them.
Rise School of Denver
Licensed and qualified Early Childhood Special Educators and therapists carry out the Rise School of Denver’s mission to provide the highest quality early childhood education for all children, including children with developmental disabilities in an inclusive setting.
School Savvy
School Savvy guides Denver families through the school selection process, focusing on finding the best educational fit for their children. Through a series of workshops, they will provide families with expert knowledge about school types including public, private, charter, online, homeschool, parochial, and religious options. By working alongside families, School Savvy’s support in assessing each setting’s resources and accommodations helps ensure that each child’s unique needs are met.
Sewall Child Development Center
The Sewall Child Development Center provides early education and therapeutic supports for young children (birth through 6 years old) of all abilities through a continuum of programs. It also offers Family Leadership Development training to address comprehensive needs of families who have children with challenging behaviors because of trauma, toxic stress, autism, and disabilities.
Wonder Years
Wonder Years coordinates a classroom program called Wonder Next, which meets students where they are, with once-a-week in-class sessions coordinated alongside classroom teachers and supported by student volunteers. These sessions combine curricula on topics not typically covered in Pre-ETS Personal Adjustment Training (PAT) with bilingual and bicultural peer support and socialization with existing classmates.
Projects Serving Teens & Adulthood
Ability Connection RAMP
The RAMP project through Ability Connection Colorado provides evidence-based, career-focused mentoring and career exploration opportunities for youth with disabilities and other challenges. The RAMP Youth Intensive Services project targets eligible youth in and out of foster care to promote a successful transition into early adulthood in a peer-oriented environment with adult and community support.
Access Gallery
Access Gallery is a nonprofit dedicated to inclusive arts-based learning and economic opportunities for artists with disabilities. We open doors through our gallery for showcasing and selling art, a studio for skill-building, free community workshops, and Creative Services for commission-based projects. By providing accessible pathways and technology, we empower artists with disabilities to thrive creatively and economically.
GYMGUYZ
GYMGUYZ Denver South offers a comprehensive personal training and nutrition program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This includes an initial assessment, 12 weeks of training with a certified personal trainer, and three sessions with a nutritionist to create a personalized meal plan. Participants also receive a custom fitness plan, an equipment bag for at-home use, and a final reassessment to track progress and stay motivated.
Jewish Family Service of Colorado Inc
The Retail Customer Service (RCS) certification program through the Jewish Family Services of Colorado supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) transitioning from high school to the workforce. Participants will receive training to earn a certification from the National Retail Federation as a Retail Industry Fundamentals Specialist.
Jovial Concepts
The Jovial Gardens project converts lawns and public spaces into garden classrooms in low-income Denver neighborhoods. Individuals with I/DD utilize the garden classroom to engage in job training and learn marketable skills in “seed-to-table” programming. Opportunities include growing produce, harvesting crops, nutritional planning and learning to make healthy meals.
Shields Therapy Solutions- Culinary Pathways
Culinary Pathways is a program offered through Shields Therapy Solutions that provides hands-on culinary training. Through this training, participants gain essential life skills, job readiness, and the opportunity to earn the nationally recognized ServSafe Food Handler Certification. This certification and experience help them take the next step towards independent living and sustainable careers in the food service industry.
Teaching the Autism Community the Trades (TACT)
TACT is a trade and technical training program aimed at supporting youth and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). TACT’s goal is to increase students’ proficiency in their marketable interest(s) and impart the skills and confidence needed for workplace preparation and future employment.
Projects Serving Adults
Easterseals Colorado
Easterseals Colorado (ESC) offers a Disability Benefits Services (DBS) program that exclusively serves clients referred from RMHS’s Missions Supports program who are at risk of homelessness. A dedicated Disability Benefits Advocate at ESC supports this vulnerable population access disability benefits. These individuals also receive free access to Disability Benefits Services’ other educational resources, which include information on employment, supplemental trusts, ABLE accounts, Medicaid Waivers, representative payees, and other decision-making supports.
