News

On June 12, 2025, the United States Supreme Court rejected an increased standard for school-aged children asserting their rights under federal disability rights laws. Disability rights laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, protect students from discrimination based on disability. In its June 12 decision, the Supreme Court did not accept the 8th Circuit’s increased standard requiring schoolchildren to show that school officials acted with bad…

Disability Rights Wisconsin is now hiring for two Family Care and IRIS Ombudsman positions. Family Care and IRIS Ombudsman About the Family Care and IRIS Ombudsman Position The Family Care and IRIS Ombudsman works with Family Care, Partnership, and IRIS enrollees in Wisconsin. The responsibilities of this positions are: collecting information about Family Care and IRIS cases. investigating complaints. supporting enrollees in meetings, appeals, hearings, and self-advocacy. giving information, guidance, and referrals. giving outreach and…

A new bill that would change remote language interpretation in courts has passed the Wisconsin Senate. The bill would let interpreters appear by telephone or videoconference in more types of legal proceedings, including trials. Right now, interpreters must appear in person for trials. The process to get an in-person interpreter can take a lot of time. This can be because of staffing shortages or if the clients need interpretation in a less-common language. Disability Rights…

Thank you so much to Madison Locally Sourced for spotlighting Disability Rights Wisconsin in their most recent issue! The article talks about who we are and the importance of our work. Two of our Board of Directors members feature in the article! Read about us in Madison Locally Sourced’s current issue (May-June 2025).

Disability Rights Wisconsin is now hiring for two positions within our IT team: Systems Administrator and Information Security Analyst. Systems Administrator About This Position The Systems Administrator is a key player within our IT team and maintains Disability Rights Wisconsin’s cloud-based IT systems and equipment. They are responsible for: supporting our staff across three offices and remotely. managing helpdesk operations and inventory tracking. managing systems, endpoint, and network management. planning and supporting IT projects and…

About the New Statewide Action Plan The Governor’s Interagency Council on Mental Health is making a new statewide action plan to improve the mental health of Wisconsin residents. The council wants to hear from Wisconsinites on ways they can address the mental health crises in the state. They hope to use what they learn from the public to expand prevention efforts and access to mental health services. Learn about the new plan and what the…

Jill Jacklitz is not only Disability Rights Wisconsin’s Executive Director, but the sibling of someone with autism. Published yesterday by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jill wrote an op-ed in light of recent inaccurate and harmful comments by the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr. His comments talked about individuals with autism and potential threats to Disability Rights Wisconsin’s federal funding. Read Jill’s op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel here.

About the “Future State” Project Milwaukee County has started a new project named “Future State”. The project will look at current programs, services, and policies in the county to find areas where they can make it better for all residents. As part of the project’s first phase, the county will get feedback from Milwaukee residents on what can be improved and what they want for the future. After this phase, they will collect information on…

Building a Better Future for Medicaid Do you have Medicaid benefits right now or recently in the last two years? Are you a caregiver for someone who has Medicaid benefits? Do you rely on it for your healthcare coverage? The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) would like you to join their new Medicaid Member Experience Council! The council is a group of people with experience using Medicaid who will talk about the gaps that…

Read and watch Disability Rights Wisconsin attorney, Eva Shiffrin, talk about the changes and its effects on beneficiaries via W.L.U.K. Fox 11 here: “Social Security’s new ID rules could complicate access for Northeast Wisconsin recipients” The Social Security Administration recently announced a new policy that would affect many Social Security disability beneficiaries. The new policy requires beneficiaries to verify their identities in-person at a field office if they cannot verify through their “my Social Security”…