Press Releases

The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition is releasing Voting Rights Are Human Rights: In Our Own Voices. This document shares the voices of voters with disabilities and their allies who are concerned about voting bills recently approved by the Wisconsin State Legislature.  The bills will create new barriers and impact the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites with a disability, older adults and other voters. We are releasing this new resource as we honor…

Disability Rights Wisconsin is calling upon the Joint Finance Committee of the state legislature to support a state budget investment that funds 50% of special education expenses for Wisconsin’s nearly 118,00 public school students with disabilities when the committee meets on Thursday to take up education provisions in the budget. “Wisconsin has underfunded special education for years and none of the options that the JFC has proposed come close to meeting the need for our…

Disability Rights Wisconsin has asked the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to reconsider their priority system for COVID vaccine distribution.   DRW requests equal access to all groups in phase 1b, including Family Care members, IRIS participants, and older Children’s Long Term Support (CLTS) and Katie Beckett recipients. Read the letter to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services here (accessible PDF).

Today, Governor Evers shared his proposal to expand BadgerCare and to invest over $150 million in mental health and behavioral health services. Disability Rights Wisconsin supports this investment, which will expand access to mental health services for Wisconsin at a time of great need in our state. View Disability Rights Wisconsin’s statement here (accessible PDF). View Governor Evers’ mental health budget proposal here.

DRW commends Governor Evers’ budget proposals investing in Wisconsin children, families and caregivers.  The proposed $600 million package includes many of the recommendations form the Governor’s Task Force on Caregiving, and investments important to people with disabilities and their families. View DRW’s statement here (accessible PDF). View Governor Evers’ Proposal here.

(View this press release as a PDF or read the content below.) As the federally mandated protection and advocacy agency for Wisconsin, DRW provides education and assistance to people with disabilities to promote their full participation in the electoral process. During the 2020 elections, DRW has provided assistance to hundreds of Wisconsinites with disabilities and older adults, who wanted to safely and lawfully cast a ballot during the pandemic. This year, voting absentee was a…

The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition urges voters with disabilities to make a plan to safely cast their ballot tomorrow. Approximately 23% of the electorate will be people with disabilities, according to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Many voters with disabilities report barriers to asserting their right to vote, and COVID-19 has created additional difficulties. The Disability Vote Coalition encourages voters to check MyVote Wisconsin for their polling place as it may have…

Contact: Barbara Beckert, barbara.beckert@drwi.org, 414-292-2724 Voters with disabilities are historically underrepresented at the polls, and COVID-19 has created additional barriers. The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition is working to advance full participation of voters with disabilities and provide guidance on how to safely vote during the pandemic. Approximately 23% of the electorate will be people with disabilities, according to the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Early voting begins in many communities today, October 20….

Disability Rights Wisconsin is extremely pleased with the Department of Health Services’ announcement that it will no longer terminate Medicaid eligibility for individuals for entering Wisconsin jails and prisons and will suspend their coverage instead. Read the full press release about this new policy.

Disability Rights Wisconsin has issued a statement recommending that Wisconsin schools stop relying on school resource officers (SROs) as a response to school violence and invest instead in appropriate school personnel and programs to address the needs and safety of students with disabilities. DRW Press Release: SROs Do Not Belong in Wisconsin Schools Full Statement: School Resource Officers Do Not Belong in Wisconsin Schools