News

Disability Rights Wisconsin is seeking energetic and passionate people to join our Board of Directors. If you are committed to protecting the rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy and public policy and share DRW’s dedication to disability rights, come share your skills and experience with us! Members of the Board engage in DRW’s long-term goal setting, help build community networks, and act as positive ambassadors to create a welcoming environment for individuals with…

DRW has issued a statement expressing unity with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.  We stand in solidarity against race-based violence and call for changes in systems that support it. Read DRW’s full statement here (accessible pdf).

DRW expresses appreciation to the Department of Health Services for reprioritizing vaccine eligibility for people with chronic medical conditions, and for specifically naming those with intellectual disabilities.  This group will now be eligible for the vaccine on Monday, March 22 — one week before previously planned. Read DRW’s thank you letter to Secretary Timberlake here (accessible PDF). For more information on vaccine eligibility and other frequently asked questions, see the DHS COVID-19 page. For more…

Disability Rights Wisconsin has sent a letter to Interim Secretary Timberlake, urging the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to prioritize people with chronic medical conditions in the next group to receive COVID-19 vaccines.  DHS will be announcing the next priority group soon. Read DRW’s letter to Secretary Timberlake here (accessible PDF).

The Milwaukee SHIP Collaborative presents its next video in its Medicare Hot Topics series: How to Read Your Medicare Summary Notice. The Medicare Summary Notice is a quarterly statement from Medicare, that outlines Medicare-covered services during that 3-months period. It is important to review this regularly to make sure that it is an accurate reflection of your Medicare covered services. View the video transcript here (accessible PDF). Watch the How to Read Your Medicare Summary…

In response to concerns raised by DRW, Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake has clarified that Family Care members, IRIS participants and older CLTS and Katie Beckett recipients are all eligible for COVID vaccine beginning on March 1, 2021.  Guidance from DHS from last week (week of February 22nd) indicated that recipients of long term care recipients would have to wait for vaccine until all teachers, child care workers, and people 65 and older…

The Big Share 2021 is on-going! Support us in protecting the rights of people with disabilities! Follow along with our campaign on our Big Share page here and via our Facebook page and our Twitter. For Big Share live updates, follow the live stats here! Media We’ve been counting down to the beginning of our campaign on our various social media platforms. Watch our videos and read quotations from our staff members down below. DRW…

The SHIP Technical Assistance Center has postponed the virtual fair until June. We will send an update when the new date is finalized. For additional event information, view the event page on the SHIP site here. View the accessible “Welcome to Medicare” event flyer here.

State legislators are considering new legislation that could make it harder for many voters with disabilities and older adults to vote. PBS Wisconsin’s Here and Now looks at the impact of these changes with DRW’s Barbara Beckert. Watch the Here and Now interview here on Facebook. If these issues are important to you, tell your legislators about your concerns. To find contact information for your legislators, you can call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472 or…