FEATUREFRIDAY - As summer heats up, Water World`s Inclusive Attraction Access Pass program ensures guests with disabilities can fully enjoy the park`s cooling attractions!

The Attraction Access Pass (AAP) is Water World`s accommodation program for guests with disabilities that specifically impact their ability to transport tubes/rafts/sleds or use standard queuing systems.

Key Requirements:
➡️ Must have a physical or cognitive impairment (including autism spectrum disorder) that limits tube transport or standard queue use
➡️ All guests still need physical/cognitive ability to maintain proper riding position throughout rides
➡️ If disability doesn`t affect tube transport or queuing, standard processes apply

How to Get It:
➡️ Visit Main Guest Services with ID to request 30-day AAP Service Card
➡️ Alternative: Use IBCCES Individual Accessibility Card (register at accessibilitycard.org at least one week prior)
➡️ One AAP per guest per 30-day period
➡️ No disability discount offered

How It Works:
➡️ AAP card must be presented at attractions with the pictured guest present
➡️ Requires a valid timed boarding pass (scanned at entry) - no boarding pass means no ride, regardless of AAP
➡️ Valid for the cardholder plus up to 3 companions
➡️ Can hold a maximum of 2 active boarding passes simultaneously (different time periods)
➡️ Request boarding passes at Guest Service locations: Front Entry, Cowabunga, Bayview, or Alpine Springs

Important Reality Check: The program specifically states that wait times may still occur as equipment is moved to attraction entry points, and queuing areas have varying shade coverage. This isn`t a heat-avoidance or line-skipping service - it`s an accessibility accommodation for those with legitimate disabilities that prevent standard queue use.

Inclusion Perspective: The program does represent thoughtful accommodation design, recognizing that some guests face genuine barriers to standard processes while maintaining safety requirements and preventing misuse.

Check out the link for further details on how AAP works on various rides throughout the park. #inclusion
www.waterworldcolorado.com

THOUGHTSONTHURSDAY: I`m finally taking a moment to look back and memorialize June 21st, the 3rd Annual Neurodiversity Resource Fair. What an incredible day! This was my second year as a vendor sponsor, and honestly, it just keeps getting better.
Before I dive into my experience, I would like to take a moment to thank Tiffany Feingold and the entire Guiding Bright Minds team for their hard work in bringing together 97 vendors for this amazing event. The coordination and dedication it takes to create something this impactful is truly remarkable.
I was there representing Kids 1st Advocacy, ready to dive into all those tricky IEP and 504 plan questions that keep parents up at night—trust me, I`ve been there!
The turnout was absolutely amazing—1,200 registered families! As Colorado`s first event of its kind, you could really feel the excitement and need in the air. I spent the day chatting with so many parents, and every single story touched my heart. There`s something so powerful about that moment when a parent realizes they`re not alone in this journey, and that there are people who genuinely understand what they`re going through.
The kids were having a blast too! Dinger from the Colorado Rockies stopped by (he`s always a hit), and we had some fantastic surprise Star Wars characters that had the little ones, and even some grown-ups, absolutely starstruck. It was so heartwarming to see families actually enjoying themselves while learning about resources—that`s exactly how it should be.
But honestly, one of my favorite parts was connecting with other providers. We`re all in this because we genuinely care about these families, and there`s something magical about brainstorming together about how to best support each unique child. I walked away with so many new ideas and potential collaborations.
Days like these remind me exactly why I`m passionate about this work. Seeing families leave with hope, resources, and new connections—that`s what it`s all about. I`m already looking forward to next year!
#guidingbrightminds #resourcefair #whataday #kids1stadvocacy

WHATSUPWEDNESDAY - The Politico article, `Education Department Dismisses Thousands of Civil Rights Complaints at an "Unheard Of" Pace,` documents the Trump administration`s systematic dismantling of civil rights protections, with complaint dismissals at an unprecedented rate that threatens federal enforcement in schools nationwide.
Link: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/education-departments-civil-rights-com

📍 The Numbers: Between March 11 and June 27, 2025, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) dismissed 3,424 complaints out of 4,833 received—a dismissal rate of roughly 71%. Only 309 cases were opened for investigation. By contrast, during the final three months of the Biden administration, OCR dismissed 2,527 cases while securing 449 resolution agreements and 146 successful mediations.
📍 Structural Decimation: The mass dismissals followed severe staffing cuts that eliminated seven of OCR`s 12 regional offices (Boston, Dallas, New York, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Philadelphia). A federal judge later ordered workers reinstated, ruling the cuts left OCR able to handle only "a small fraction" of complaints.
📍 Policy Shift: Under Education Secretary Linda McMahon, OCR has redirected its focus to:
➡️ Combating campus antisemitism
➡️ Ending protections for transgender student athletes
➡️ Eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs
➡️ Narrowing definitions of discrimination to exclude gender identity and
➡️ LGBTQ+ issues
📍 Expert Concerns: A former OCR official with 20 years of experience called the dismissal rate "unheard of," suggesting that the agency is abandoning proper procedures and dismissing cases it doesn`t want to investigate. Catherine Lhamon, who led OCR under Obama and Biden, characterized the data as showing a "shocking diminution of work output."

The Bottom Line: This represents a deliberate dismantling of civil rights protections that leaves students vulnerable to discrimination without federal recourse. The Trump administration is systematically abandoning its legal obligation to protect students, prioritizing a narrow ideological agenda over the safety and rights of children.

Join me at the 2025 Neurodiversity Resource Fair!

I`ll be on hand to answer your IEP and 504 questions throughout the event. This is an excellent chance for parents, educators, and professionals who support neurodivergent children to discover local resources, collect valuable tools, and connect with our community.

When: Saturday, June 21st, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Where: Accelerated Schools – 2160 S. Cook St., Denver, CO

Special Offer: The first 30 people to sign up for a 30-minute free consultation will receive a unique sensory kit!

Come with your questions and leave with practical support, new connections, and valuable resources.

FEATUREFRIDAY - Kids 1st Advocacy is celebrating a significant victory following a unanimous Supreme Court decision that makes it easier for students with disabilities to pursue civil rights claims against school districts.

👉 The Ruling: On June 12, 2025, the Supreme Court decided 9-0 in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools that disability discrimination claims in educational settings should follow the same legal standards used in other areas of disability law. The Court ruled that students and families no longer need to prove school officials acted in "bad faith" or with "gross misjudgment" - a particularly difficult standard that some federal appeals courts had required for decades.

👉 Legal Impact: The Court emphasized that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) explicitly states it should not limit rights available under other federal disability laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. By requiring a higher burden of proof for educational cases, lower courts had effectively made it harder for students with disabilities to enforce their civil rights compared to disability discrimination in other contexts.

👉 New Standards Going Forward: Under the Court`s guidance, families seeking court orders to stop discriminatory practices (injunctive relief) won`t need to prove intentional discrimination. However, those seeking monetary compensation will typically need to demonstrate "deliberate indifference" - showing the school district ignored a strong likelihood their actions would violate federal disability rights.

This decision removes a significant barrier that had made it uniquely challenging for students with disabilities to pursue civil rights protections in educational settings.

#Bigwin #VICTORY #Kids1stAdvocacy #EndDiscrimination #WinforDisabilityRights

TEACHMETUESDAY: School`s out for the summer, and while our kiddos are relishing in a much-deserved break, what is happening to the knowledge they worked so hard to learn during the school year? Meet Summer Slide.

Summer Slide Defined: Summer slide (also called summer learning loss) is the decline in academic skills and knowledge that occurs when students are out of school during extended breaks, particularly summer vacation. Neurotypical students typically lose 1-3 months of learning during these periods without structured educational activities, while neurodiverse students can lose double that amount.

The Core Issue: While the summer slide affects all students, students with disabilities experience more severe regression due to their reliance on structured supports, less consolidated skills, executive functioning challenges, slower learning rates, and the severity of their disabilities.

School Responsibility: Preventing the summer slide shouldn`t fall solely on parents. School districts can utilize outside community programs, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs` Summer Brain Gain, to provide crucial support through structured, engaging programming that maintains academic and social skills.

ESY Legal Requirements: Extended School Year services must be individualized based on each student`s specific IEP goals and regression patterns - not generic "one-size-fits-all" programming. IEP teams must determine ESY needs on a case-by-case basis, considering factors such as the rate of regression, recovery time, and vulnerable emerging skills.

Outside Program Funding: Districts are required to fund appropriate outside ESY services when their own programming doesn`t meet a student`s individualized needs. If an outside program better addresses specific IEP goals and prevents regression, the district must provide that placement under IDEA`s requirement for Free Appropriate Public Education.

Bottom Line: Summer Slide is a systemic issue that requires systemic solutions - from community programming for all students to truly individualized ESY services for students with disabilities. Districts are responsible for funding the services that actually meet each child`s needs.