Protection and Advocacy

Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) is part of a national system of federally mandated protection and advocacy (P&A) agencies for people with disabilities. There is at least one P&A in every state and U.S. territory; DRW is Wisconsin’s P&A. This means we work to protect people with disabilities in Wisconsin against abuse, neglect, or wrongdoing, and to enforce their civil rights. DRW’s Protection and Advocacy team:

Gives information and resources on education, housing, employment, and places of public accommodation
Advocates individually and systematically for people with disabilities to access services, supports, and treatment in the least restrictive setting possible
Monitors facilities and residential providers to decrease abuse, neglect, and resident rights violations

Eligibility

To be eligible for services from DRW’s Protection and Advocacy team, your issue or concern must fall within our Areas of Focus and you must be:

A person with a disability who has an issue or concern related to the disability, OR
A family member or guardian of someone with a disability who is trying to protect the rights of the person with a disability.

How We Help

Our Protection and Advocacy services are free. We give different types of services based on a variety of factors, including the person's:

ability to advocate for themselves
if the issue or concern fits within our Areas of Focus, and
the staff resources available.

To determine what type of help we may be able to offer, start with our Get Help page. It will guide you through your options for contacting Disability Rights Wisconsin and requesting assistance.

Our Protection and Advocacy advocates and attorneys can offer these services, depending on the situation:

Our Information and Referral (I&R) Advocates have access to a wide range of information and resources they can share. They will talk with the person who is asking for services and ask about their concerns to try to understand the person's needs.

If DRW can’t help the person directly, our I&R Advocates do their best to give information to help them better understand and address the issue on their own. Our staff may also give a referral to another community resource or agency that gives the kind of support the person needs.

DRW gives short-term help, such as rights coaching, when someone needs support in one of our Focus Areas. Our advocates and attorneys can share their expertise and give information, resources, and tools to help people self-advocate and achieve positive results for themselves. DRW also gives technical assistance on disability rights issues to other professionals serving Wisconsinites with disabilities.

In rare circumstances, DRW can take on someone’s case for individual legal representation or direct advocacy. This may be done through meetings, correspondence, telephone calls, or representation in a legal matter or hearing.

Our advocates may also do investigations when someone reports abuse or neglect. DRW’s Protection and Advocacy team is extremely limited in the number of individual cases we can take.

Sometimes a person’s issue may represent a larger, common issue for people with disabilities. In these situations, DRW may decide to take a more systemic approach in its advocacy to have a greater impact for people with disabilities.

Depending on the issue, systemic advocacy may include investigations or monitoring of facilities and institutions. It could also involve working with other organizations around the state to address program-specific issues, promoting law or policy changes, or improving practices in county or state systems.

Program Materials to Share

Download the English Large Print: Protection and Advocacy Brochure (pdf)

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