Press Releases

Read this press release as an accessible PDF here. For Immediate Release: November 1, 2024 Contact: Lisa Hassenstab, Public Policy Manager, Disability Rights Wisconsin, lisah@drwi.org, (608) 308 – 2639 Disability Rights Wisconsin applauds the decision made today by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) to direct the Town of Thornapple to adhere to the law. The Town of Thornapple must provide a HAVA-compliant and accessible voting system in all future elections, including the General Election on…

Read this press release as an accessible PDF here. For Immediate Release: July 5, 2024 Contact: Kit Kerschensteiner, Director of Legal and Advocacy Services, Disability Rights Wisconsin, kitk@drwi.org, (608) 308-2642 Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) welcomes today’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling overturning the previous ban on the use of drop boxes for the return of absentee ballots in Wisconsin. Today’s decision is especially important for voters with disabilities since they are more likely to rely on…

Read this press release as an accessible PDF here. For Immediate Release: June 25, 2024 Contact Molly Carmichael, Communications Manager, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, mcarmichael@lwvwi.org, (608) 256-0827 Kit Kerschensteiner, Director of Legal and Advocacy Services, Disability Rights Wisconsin, kitk@drwi.org, (608) 308-2642 Press Release Today, a Dane County Circuit Court judge granted a temporary injunction that will allow voters with print disabilities to request that their municipal clerks send their absentee ballots by email,…

Read this press release as an accessible PDF here. For Immediate Release: April 17, 2024 Contact Molly Carmichael, Communications Manager, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, mcarmichael@lwvwi.org, (608) 256-0827 Kit Kerschensteiner, Director of Legal and Advocacy Services, Disability Rights Wisconsin, kitk@drwi.org, (608) 308-2642 Press Release On April 16, Disability Rights Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, represented by Stafford Rosenbaum LLP and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, filed suit in…

Read this press release as an accessible document here. For Immediate Release: March 28, 2024 Contact: Jill Jacklitz, Executive Director, jillj@drwi.org, 608-267-0214 Lisa Hassenstab, Public Policy Manager, lisah@drwi.org, 608-308-2639 Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) joins organizations and advocates across Wisconsin in celebrating the signing of Act 241, a bipartisan measure which appropriates $10 million in fiscal year 2023-24 for grants for sexual assault victim services, domestic abuse services, and child advocacy centers. This funding will help…

Read this press release as an accessible document here. Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) Board of Directors is excited to announce that Jill Jacklitz will become its next Executive Director, effective August 22, 2023. Jill comes to DRW from the UW-Madison Center for Patient Partnerships, where she served as Co-Director and Director of Education, leading the organization’s strategic direction, health equity, educational and advocacy programming. She holds a Master of Science in Social Work from UW-Madison…

The need for increased access to community-based mental health services is acute in every one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. While the state budget motions approved by the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) include some positive investments in mental health, there are also many missed opportunities. As the Protection and Advocacy system for people with disabilities, Disability Rights Wisconsin urges legislators to prioritize mental health and take further action to improve access and save lives and dollars….

Disability and aging advocates thank the Joint Finance Committee for increasing funding for some key transportation programs, including an 11% increase in the Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Specialized Assistance Program (85.22) and the 4% increase to paratransit services. As the budget moves forward, advocates ask legislators to advance an increase for another essential program for nondrivers that is especially important to older adults and people with disabilities in rural parts of Wisconsin: The County…

View the accessible, full press release here (PDF). June 14, 2023 Contact: Joanne Juhnke, (608) 320-6165, joannej@drwi.org Madison, WI – The Joint Committee on Finance of the Wisconsin Legislature has rejected the opportunity to finally provide a minimally adequate level of support for Wisconsin’s 122,187 public school students with disabilities. In a budget year with billions of dollars in surplus, and public education advocates across the state united in asking for at least a 60%…

Read the accessible Disability Rights and Resources for the April 4th Elections document. Tuesday, April 4th is Election Day in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition urges voters with disabilities to cast a ballot and participate in our democracy. The Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) Voter Hotline is available to answer your voting questions. Contact the Hotline at 844-347-8683 or info@disabilityvote.org. See our website at disabilityvote.org for Rides to the Polls, a list of transportation providers…