The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that a commission for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind facilitates the provision of state and local government services to the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind while making government more efficient. Under the federal "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990", 42 U.S.C. sec. 12101 et seq., as amended, Colorado has a duty to provide equivalent access to state government and public accommodations to the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind. This duty requires state departments and agencies to provide auxiliary services, communications technology equipment, and other resources to ensure access. Centralizing and unifying such resources under a Colorado commission creates cost savings for the state. In addition, the consolidation of resources facilitates quality control and increases the effectiveness of services while increasing access to services by the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind.
Source: L. 2000: Entire article added, p. 1624, § 1, effective June 1. L. 2009: Entire section amended, (SB 09-144), ch. 219, p. 985, § 1, effective August 5. L. 2018: Entire section amended, (HB 18-1108), ch. 303, p. 1836, § 12, effective August 8.