Badass Policy Advocate
Maureen Welch: a powerful voice for the disability community.
Maureen Welch (she/her) earned her reputation as the Badass of Colorado’s disability system by establishing herself as a leading authority and policy advocate. In 2015, the misuse of disability funds was exposed in Denver, a story that outraged Maureen and ignited her tenacious policy work.
She’s become a valuable expert resource to legislators. She was a lead contributor to legislation SB16-038, which increased the transparency of Community Centered Boards. In 2014, Maureen was appointed to Colorado’s Medicaid agency, Conflict-free Case Management Work Group. In this role, She represented the minority voice of children and advocated for greater choice among small, medium and large case management agencies. From 2019 - 2021, Maureen was appointed by the state legislature to the Medicaid Provider Rate Review Advisory Committee, which advises the state on the status of Colorado and how Medicaid rates should change.
Today, she is known as a leading voice for the disability community. When not serving NDC’s customers, Maureen is often at the Colorado Capitol speaking out, or arranging meetings with legislators to help them better understand disability-related issues so that they can craft policies that support disabled people and their families.
Slashing red tape. Fighting for truth and justice.
She’s just as skilled at navigating the disability benefits system as she is at navigating the political arena. She understands where the public benefits system is broken and devises real-world ways to fix it. She knows what legislation will be proposed in the future and proactively advocates for the rights of the disabled at every opportunity.
With two master’s degrees in education, Maureen is informed about the challenges and inequalities that disabled children face in our educational system. She supports educational reforms to ensure that children with special needs get the support they really need, not just what the school system deems ‘appropriate.’
Maureen is the badass who is committed to fighting systemic ableism and the marginalization of disabled populations. She leverages her powerhouse reputation and political clout to cut through red tape and fight for truth and justice. She fought for her child’s rights. Now she’s fighting for you and the community.
“Disability connects our community members to one another on a deeper level, through common experiences regardless of one’s class, race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, or faith. Navigating Disability Colorado’s resources empower community members to live amazing lives and shatter society’s false assumptions about what is possible.” — Maureen Welch
For years, Maureen was known as ‘Medicaid Mommy with the cardboard kid.’ She shared her motivation by carrying a cardboard sign of her son James to the legislature while advocating.