The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (IDDAC) will act as a body that will prioritize the recommendations outlined in the Boulder County Community Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Needs Assessment completed in January 2019. This Council will make recommendations to the Boulder County Community and Boulder County Department of Human Services for new and ongoing investments for intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) services, programs, and inform ongoing monitoring and transparency of the IDD Mill Levy investments.
Please note that for the purposes of the Mill Levy and the Council, intellectual and developmental disabilities are defined as:
- A disability that is manifested before the person reaches 22 years of age or brain injury acquired as an adult
- A disability attributed to a diagnosed intellectual disability or related conditions which include cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or other neurological conditions when such conditions result in either impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior similar to that of a person with a diagnosed intellectual disability.
Reference Materials
Boulder County’s IDD Community Needs Assessment
- Watch the Community Needs Assessment Webinar
- Full Report on Boulder County IDD Needs Assessment
- Imagine! Phone Survey June 2024
- Report Brief: High-level summary of needs assessment findings and recommendations
Contact:
Rebecca J. Seiden, M.A.
IDD Mill Levy Coordinator
Community Initiatives Unit
Email: rseiden@bouldercounty.gov
Allison E. Joel, M.S.W.
IDD Mill Levy Specialist
Community Initiatives Unit
Email: ajoel@bouldercounty.gov
Jolie Bernstein is the mother of an adult dually diagnosed with IDD and Schizophrenia currently living in a host home. Jolie has worked in Early Intervention for 25+ years beginning when it was just starting in Boulder County. For the past 23 years Jolie has worked at Imagine! as a bilingual Early Intervention Service Coordinator. During her son’s early years Jolie participated in and provided support to families through Spokes People, the parent to parent organization then funded through Early Intervention. Jolie serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
Teresa Greene is currently employed by The Center for People with Disabilities as a Youth Independent Living Adviser. Teresa obtained her Bachelor’s in Child Development from California State University Fresno. Her focus has been on Special Education and Mental Health. Teresa has ten years of experience working with people living with disabilities from early education to adult support programs. Teresa has four children and has seen first-hand the struggles they have faced due to barriers. Teresa has spent her life educating herself so that she can advocate for her children as well as other people living with disabilities. Teresa is also a Host Home Provider for an individual with multiple disabilities. Teresa describes herself as a compassionate soul with a loving heart who has a realistic outlook on life and can find the humor in any situation. Teresa serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
Heidi Que has always been tied to the IDD community in different ways. She is both a mother of a child in the IDD Community and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Heidi has been a Special Olympics volunteer and worked in group homes, hospitals and nursing homes. She graduated as a Presidential Scholar with a Master of Social Work from Gallaudet University and received an education in American Sign Language. She learned from some of the nation’s most prominent disabilities advocates on how to navigate community resources and macro change efforts of institutions, as well as clinical skills of working with people who have various forms of mental illnesses. She also earned a post graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies from Duke University. Mrs. Que has been a Social Worker for 23 years working in medical institutions, a Special Education School and Community organizations. Heidi served on the American Red Cross-National Headquarters Disabilities Task Force to plan how the organization would better serve people with disabilities. She lives and works in Boulder County and enjoys homeschooling her kids and enjoying nature and all creative arts activities. Heidi serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Business or Non-Profit Representatives.
Annette Treufeldt-Franck (Vice-Chairperson) is the mother of two neurodiverse young adults, one of whom is IDD identified. The journey to understand, advocate for, find resources and navigate systems for her children’s needs has led to an understanding of the systems, services, and supports available to the IDD community. Her youngest child has just transitioned to adult services and has access to the services and supports from a Medicaid Waiver, Medicaid, Social Security and DVR. Annette and her family live in unincorporated Boulder County, just outside of Nederland. Since 2015, she has served on the Board of Directors at the Nederland Food Pantry and as the Pantry’s Clothing Closet Coordinator. Annette is a member of the Peak to Peak Housing and Human Services Alliance and is just starting as a Family Recruited Employee (FRE) at Imagine!, so that her child can receive the services in their Medicaid Waiver plan. Annette wishes to increase resident’s access to the IDD Advisory Council by including those in the mountain region of Boulder County. Annette serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our Member at Large Representatives.
Lisa Slager is a retired marketing and financial professional with both nonprofit and private sector experience. She is also the mother to two children, one of whom has a rare genetic disorder involving an intellectual disability. Having lived in six different states during her daughter’s childhood, Lisa has spent considerable time learning to navigate systems and resources for her daughter in each location. Currently, she serves on The Threshold Program President’s Advisory Board at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where her daughter lives after graduating from the program. Locally, Lisa serves on the board for the Boulder Newcomers Club and volunteers with Cultivate and the I Have a Dream Foundation. She and her husband live in unincorporated Boulder County and are thrilled to be back in Colorado after a lifetime of summer visits and living briefly in Fort Collins over 20 years ago. Lisa serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
Julie Marshall is mom to a child who has autism and a seizure disorder. Julie created Brainsong when her child was in third grade. Brainsong is a nonprofit opening access to the professional art. It has grown, providing free art therapy for siblings, and free ASL classes for families living with different abilities. Brainsong has been a Community Foundation grant recipient for its “No Shushing” concerts that follow these rules: No Judging, No Explaining, No Apologizing. Brainsong with partners Expand and the Association for Community Living, was the catalyst for the first adaptive Nutcracker in Colorado three years ago with Boulder Ballet and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra at Macky Auditorium. Julie is the co-creator of the grant-funded city public art installation “What If Lafayette” and she continues to work as a freelance journalist after seven years as an associate editor for the Daily Camera. She is the author of Making Burros Fly: Cleveland Amory, Animal Rescue Pioneer (Big Earth, 2006). She lives in Lafayette with both of her children and husband who is a physician assistant at Kaiser. The family also includes three happy huge dogs sand two finicky cats. Julie serves on the IDD Advisory Council as one of our IDD Individual or Family Member Representatives.
Asher Johnson is a passionate self-advocate with firsthand experience in the Autism community, committed to creating meaningful change for individuals with disabilities. Inspired by personal experiences, Asher is focused on improving access to transitional housing solutions, particularly for those who face long-term uncertainties. Asher aims to bring data-driven insights to the Advisory Council, helping guide funding toward initiatives that positively impact daily life for individuals in the IDD/Autism/Brain Injury communities. Asher serves on the IDD Advisory Council as a representative with lived experience.