News

Voting Rights Groups Urge Wisconsin Officials to Preserve In-Person Voting, Develop Emergency Plan to Protect Voting Rights if Outbreak Continues In friend-of-the-court brief, advocates assert that preserving in-person voting as an option is vital to avoid widespread disenfranchisement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2020 Contact: Channing Grate MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin voting rights groups today said in-person voting must remain an option in the upcoming elections and called on state and local elections officials to develop…

As hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities develop policies that dictate allocation of scarce medical resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that great care be taken to prevent those policies from adversely affecting people with disabilities.  While we recognize the need to plan and be prepared for healthcare resource shortages during these extraordinary times, the guiding principles that are adopted must be consistent with federal civil rights law and must not discriminate against…

Governor Evers issued an order on March 24th in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency requiring all people to stay at home except for: essential activities, to carry out essential government functions, to operate essential business and operations, and for essential travel. This order goes into effect on March 25th at 8:00 am. What does this order mean for people with disabilities? You can read the full order here.

Disability Rights Wisconsin continues to offer services during the COVID 19 pandemic. Until at least April 1, 2020, or longer if needed, all DRW’s offices will be closed. DRW attorneys and advocates are using phone and video conferencing to continue providing advocacy and public policy services. Participation in gatherings has been cancelled. All staff in those offices are working from home and have the equipment and technology needed to do so. People can contact DRW…

Absentee Voting Because of concerns about COVID-19, the Wisconsin Election Commission is encouraging Wisconsin voters to vote early.  Any Wisconsin voter who is registered to vote, can request an absentee ballot. The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition website has great information about voting absentee in the upcoming election. Voter Accessibility Survey If you vote in person in the April election (either early or on April 7th), the Disability Vote Coalition wants to hear about your experience! …

It can sometimes be difficult to take in and understand all of the changing and sometimes confusing information about COVID 19.  A plain language explanation of COVID 19 has been developed by and for people with disabilities by selfadvocacyinfo.org.

On March 2, 2020, Governor Evers signed into law Act 118 which makes improvements to Wisconsin law regulating the use of restraint and seclusion in Wisconsin schools. This has been a top priority for Disability Rights Wisconsin and it’s very gratifying to see it become law. On behalf of the students, parents and staff this law will help — thank you to everyone who worked so hard to advance this much needed change. Act 118…

DRW was disappointed to learn Thursday that the Wisconsin Supreme Court had dismissed Waukesha County v. J.J.H., an important case regarding a deaf individual’s right to effective communication during a mental health probable cause hearing. DRW first become involved with this case months ago when we filed a brief with the Supreme Court in collaboration with several other advocacy organizations supporting J.J.H’s petition asking the Supreme Court to hear her case because of the important…

People with disabilities are historically under counted in the census.  It is vital that people with disabilities participate in the census because results are used by federal, state, and local government to make funding decisions about education, housing, health care, transportation, mental health other services. In FY2016, Wisconsin received $12,608,476,954 through 55 federal spending programs guided by data derived from the 2010 Census.  Census results are also used to determine representation in Congress. DRW is…