Randy Chapman Retiring from Disability Law Colorado after 38 Years

DENVER, Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Randy Chapman is stepping down as Director of Legal Services at Disability Law Colorado after 38 years with the organization.  Chapman came to Disability Law Colorado in 1977 as a VISTA Volunteer and stayed on as a staff attorney.  In 1980 he was promoted to be the Director of Legal Services.

During his career, Chapman has represented people of all ages with all types of disabilities.  Early on he represented people with mental illness in employment cases and challenged the hiring practices of the U.S. Postal Service.  He represented individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in obtaining appropriate housing in the community fighting discriminatory zoning laws. For more information on issues Disability Law Colorado handles, please visit https://www.disabilitylawco.org/issues.   

Chapman represented former policewoman Dale Coski from 1982 to 1985 in an employment discrimination case against the City of Denver requesting that the City make reasonable accommodations to continue her employment in the Police Department after she was severely injured while on duty.  Disability Law Colorado (then The Legal Center) won the case at the initial hearing but ultimately lost in the Colorado Court of Appeals.  Ironically, a similar case was won in Federal District Court after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities.

Chapman's influence is reflected in state statute and policy.  In the developmental disabilities arena, he established Human Rights Committees in legislation to review medications, behavioral programs, and insure investigation of abuse and neglect.  He added the requirement that people with developmental disabilities be represented on the boards of directors of the organizations serving them.  He also drafted the due process language in the developmental disabilities statute and had significant input in the development of the Colorado Department of Education's complaint process for children in special education.

In 1980 Disability Law Colorado and the Arc sued the Colorado Department of Education because children living in the institution for people with developmental disabilities in Wheat Ridge were not receiving an education, despite the passage of federal law in 1975 which entitled children with disabilities to a "free, appropriate public education." 

Disability Law Colorado prevailed in this lawsuit, and the impact of Chapman's work on the case laid the foundation of his advocacy in special education throughout his career.  For the first time, children with severe disabilities attended public school in Colorado. 

Chapman's work in implementing special education law in Colorado is legendary, and he is widely respected by parents and educators.  He is the author of The Everyday Guide to Special Education Law, initially published in 2005, which has received national notoriety.  The award-winning first edition and subsequent editions of the book have sold 15,000 copies nationwide.  In 2007, the book was translated into Spanish.  Publications can be viewed at https://disabilitylawco.org/resources/mighty-rights-press. In recent years, his attention has again focused on moving people into the community. When the State of Colorado reported in 2010 that there were more than 2,000 individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness residing in nursing homes, Chapman realized that there were more people with disabilities institutionalized in nursing homes in Colorado than in the Regional Centers and state mental health institutes combined.

During his tenure at Disability Law Colorado, he has overseen direct legal representation to more than 26,000 people, presented educational programs to thousands of people in Colorado and around the country, and reached thousands more with Randy Chapman's Ability Blog. To read his blog, please visit https://disabilitylawco.org/resources/ability-law-blog.

He is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award for his contribution to civil rights in our community.  On October 8 he will receive the Clarence Miller Award from Advocacy Denver.  Disability Law Colorado has established the Randy Chapman Lifetime Achievement Award in his honor.

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SOURCE Disability Law Colorado