IDDEAS Advisory Council

The next meeting of the IDDEAS Advisory Council is 1-3 p.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. This meeting will be held hybrid (both virtually and in person).

How to Join (Virtually)

We have a new registration link! Be sure to update your saved links and bookmarks.

Meetings are open to the public and take place virtually on Zoom. To register, please click on the box labeled "Register (Zoom)" below:

How to Join (In Person)

When

Tuesday, May 27, 2025
1-3 p.m.

Where

Denver Human Services (Richard T. Castro Human Services Center)
1200 Federal Blvd.
Room 1017
Denver, CO 80203

Parking

Free parking on surface lot and in visitor parking structure.

Brian Be’s philosophy is written right into his name: “Simple, ‘Be’ yourself, quirks and all.” Brian identifies as an Autistic artist, advocate, and public presenter / facilitator. He is a caregiver and has a family member with I/DD. He is the first Self-Advocacy Coordinator for JFK Partners at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is also a Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disability (LEND) alumni, with a focus on interdisciplinary healthcare leadership training.

Brian works to strengthen community wellness through outreach and engagement. He uses edutainment, showcasing people with and without disability. As a Poetry for Personal Power (P3) Artist/Advocate and Project Manager, Brian uses art to show that “distress can be temporary, and that adversity can be transformative.” He is also a proud co-developer of the P3 Wellness & Resiliency Story Circle model, as one of many community wellness tools to boost shared risk and protective factors.

“Much of my life’s work fosters empowerment and interdependence including with marginalized & diverse populations,” he says.

Kizzly Blue (she, her, hers) brings more than 10 years of experience working with a diverse population, including in the juvenile courts system. Kizzly is a non-voting Rocky Mountain Human Services delegate, bringing a wealth of experience navigating the I/DD determination and enrollment process. Previously, Kizzly worked as a crisis specialist. She provided trauma-informed care and consultations for those in crisis, as for children and adults with complex needs.

Kizzly cares deeply about equity, and is committed to increasing and improving access to community-based services. “I look forward to sharing my knowledge of the intake process and other insights to help inform services and initiatives that can make a difference in the lives of those we serve.”

Kizzly is a Denver native, but Denver hasn’t always been home. At one point, she lived in Anchorage, Alaska. “I love to travel and explore new places and cuisines while experiencing different cultures."

Michelle Dumay (she, her) is an employee at AMI Wellness, a home health care service in Denver. Michelle’s work and life experience has opened her eyes to what people in marginalized communities need. It has also helped develop a passion for “raising the voices of marginalized folks in places in which I am,” she said.

As someone who has lived in Denver for just about one year, Michelle sees her participation on the IDDEAS advisory council as an opportunity to give back to her new community. “I am most excited about being a part of the cacophony of divergent Denver voices,” she said. She enjoys traveling, and hopes to visit “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific” (in Hawai’i) in Summer 2023.

In addition to serving as a voting member on the IDDEAS Advisory Council, Michelle was elected by her fellow IAC members to serve on the Rocky Mountain Human Services Community Advisory Council for their mill levy funds for 2022.

Alexxa Gagner is a wife and mother of three girls. Her youngest daughter with intellectual and developmental disabilities inspires her and her family each-and-every day.

She is the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at Denver Rescue Mission. For 15 years, she has supported communications and fundraising efforts to help vulnerable people in Denver through the services of DRM. Alexxa is a Phoenix, Arizona native and graduate of the University of Arizona, where she studied Journalism and Media Arts.

Through participating in this council, she is looking forward learning more about how to support the IDD community.

Stefanie Gross (she, her) is a passionate educator and advanced yoga practitioner with 20 years of teaching experience and extensive training in trauma-informed and adaptive yoga. She holds two master's degrees (M.A. and M.Ed.) in adapted physical education, secondary education and holds two professional certificates as a certified adapted physical educator and in positive behavioral intervention support. Stefanie applied her extensive experience in designing curricula, and differentiating instruction for diverse learners, to developing the methodology and curriculum that guides Move Through Yoga trainings and classes. When she isn’t leading an adaptive yoga training or workshops, she is enjoying her time as a new mom, and celebrating the journey of her beautiful blended family.

Molly Mason (she, hers), has worked with individuals in the Denver I/DD community for the past ten years. She is currently a Special Education Teacher and Case Manager in the 18-21 Transition Program in Denver Public Schools. Molly holds her masters degree in literacy instruction from CU Denver. She is hoping to increase awareness and access of the resources and supports available to the I/DD community here in Denver.

Chris has always considered himself a teacher and a poet. Though he does not speak, he uses a variety of keyboards to type his thoughts. It is his greatest desire to use his words and unique voice to create positive change and make an impact on our world.

Chris graduated from PS1 Charter School in Denver in June 2005. His senior project involved silk-screening his “sayings” on t-shirts, and with the success the sale of these shirts brought, he became the first self-employed person with a disability to be funded by the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Chris continues to sell his shirts at a variety of conferences and local arts festivals, and on his website.

Chris was a member of Watch our Words (WOW), and with a number or colleagues, is involved in developing best practices and training people in supported typing throughout metro Denver.

In addition, Chris has made presentations to a number of groups including State Wide Assistive Technology, Augmentative & Alternative Communication (SWAAAC), Peak Inclusion Conference, and Sewall Child Development Center.

Jessica is a community member within Denver serving on the Council to share her lived experience and advocate for other community members with disabilities.

Note: due to disruptions and technical issues, no recording for this meeting is available.