Press Releases

Disability Rights Wisconsin condemns the law enforcement treatment of Jacob Blake. After a racially charged incident in which Mr. Blake was shot in the back by police, he was shackled to his hospital bed. Though the shackles have now been removed, his treatment after being rendered paralyzed from the waist down put his health at further risk and violated his right to a disability accommodation. Read the statement here.

Disability Rights Wisconsin applauds DWD Secretary Frostman, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representatives Ron Kind, Mark Pocan, and Gwen Moore, for their work to secure Pandemic Emergency Unemployment relief (PUA) for Wisconsin SSDI recipients out of work due to COVID-19. Read the full press release about the PUA benefit that is now available to SSDI recipients in Wisconsin.

Disability Rights Wisconsin thanks Governor Evers for allocating CARES Act funding to provide financial assistance to providers who serve people with disabilities, including home and community based-services and long term care providers.  Read DRW’s statement. The Governor will use $100 million of the federal COVID CARES Act funds provided to Wisconsin to target support for Long-Term Care in Wisconsin, including support for providers of home and community based services.  Read Governor Ever’s Press Release.

Disability Rights Wisconsin joined Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) and several individuals with disabilities in filing suit in the Federal Court of the Western District of Wisconsin against the Wisconsin Election Commission, to make voting in upcoming elections safer and accessible for people with disabilities and other at risk communities. The lawsuit asks the court to remedy Wisconsin’s shortcomings of the recent April election and ensure that all Wisconsin voters will be able to…

Disability Rights Wisconsin was disappointed to see that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down Secretary-Designee Palm’s Safer at Home order. DRW filed an amicus brief in this case, in collaboration with a number of national and local disability advocacy organizations, to provide the Court with insight into the heightened risk COVID-19 poses for people with disabilities and concerns for opening up the state too soon or suddenly. Read DRW’s statement about the Supreme Court…

Disability Rights Wisconsin, in partnership with 32 state and national disability advocacy organizations, filed an Amicus Brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday warning the WSC about the potential catastrophic risk to life for people with disabilities and older adults if the Safer at Home emergency order is lifted at this time. Follow this link to the press release. Read DRW’s press release about this amicus brief.

Disability Rights Wisconsin, along with state criminal defense lawyers and two incarcerated individuals with pre-existing conditions, filed a petition in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court today seeking the release of elderly and vulnerable people from state prisons in order to avoid a dangerous outbreak that would further strain the state’s health care capacity and put public health at risk. The lawsuit filed by ACLU Wisconsin asks the court to order Governor Tony Evers and state…

Disability Rights Wisconsin applauds the full Assembly for passing SB 527 which makes common-sense changes to Wisconsin’s seclusion and restraint law.  We especially thank Representatives Quinn and Considine for their leadership in the Assembly on this bill.  Please see our Release on the Passing of SB 527. In February 2016, Wisconsin Family Ties (WFT), Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), and WI FACETS produced a report Miles to Go detailing the distressingly high data on restraint and…

In his State of the State speech last night, Governor Evers highlighted two important legislative successes last year for people with disabilities and he identified an important priority for the coming year. One of these successes was a bipartisan effort resulting in the passage of Wisconsin Act 48, which changed a polling place rule that was a barrier to some people with disabilities.  We were pleased that the Governor recognized DRW’s and advocacy partners’ successful…

Today, Governor Evers will sign into law AB 168 which addresses a significant barrier to voting for some voters with disabilities.  Wisconsin law requires voters to speak their name and address at the polling place before voting.  AB 168 will allow voters who cannot state their name and address to have an election official or another individual selected by the voter state the name and address for them. During the November 2018 election. DRW received…