Dale Coski's Biography

Dale Coski was a woman who refused to be categorized and always wanted to help people. Born in Maryland living briefly in Louisiana she developed a lasting passion for crab cakes, but Denver was always home to Dale. She grew up and lived most of her adult life in the same neighborhood area. 
 
From her deep Catholic faith came a calling to join religious life as a Sister, but she left before professing vows and joined the army as a cold war Army Sergeant Intelligence Officer. As Dale would joke, she always loved a uniform. 
 
After an honorable discharge, she moved back to Denver and became a police officer who would write cards to check in on the people she helped. She was a champion bowler and a great accordionist. 
 
Before dawn on September 12, 1983, she saw a stranded motorist under a bridge with no shoulder. Dale got out of her cruiser to get tools to help change his tire and was crushed between the open trunk of her car and a pickup truck going at least 40 miles per hour. 
 
Dale lost her left leg above the knee, suffered a spinal cord injury rendering her a quadriplegic and was forced to retire from the Denver Police Department. This experience and her own disability did not stop Dale. She persevered when most people would have given up, and became an advocate and champion for those with disabilities.
 
Dale had many accomplishments during her almost 30-year career with the City of Denver Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships. She helped enforce compliance of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and later continued her advocacy for disability rights guaranteed under the American with Disability Act of 1990. 
 
Perseverance was a word others often used to describe Dale. Dale’s first service dog, and the first service dog in Colorado, was named Perseverance (nicknamed Percy). Dale and Percy had an extraordinary partnership. Percy was by her side in 1985 when Dale testified before the state legislature to create laws granting service dog access. Through the years Dale partnered with many service dogs. All of them accompanied Dale in her advocacy.
 
Dale developed the handicapped parking application program that has been modeled across the country. She also helped create the Denver Disability Parking Enforcement Program. Dale put forth legislation through the House of Representatives that was approved in 1989 regarding parking passes that permit persons with disabilities to park in specially marked areas.
 
Dale could infuriate those who tried to put obstacles in the path of those with disabilities, and she was known to be inspiring to everyone else. Dale was a courageous and determined individual who maintained hope and saw the glass as half full. She had a keen sense of humor that often brought humor and joy to those she was around.
 
On September 26, 2024 after an extraordinary life and a steadfast commitment to public service, Dale succumbed to complications of her paralysis.