disabilityrights WISCONSIN

An Action Guide to the Rights of People with Disabilities in Wisconsin

The primary focus of this guide is to explain the basic legal rights and protections afforded people living in Wisconsin who have a disability. It is not a resource manual that provides complete descriptions of the various services and supports available to people with disabilities.

Descriptions of programs, funding sources, and agencies are intentionally limited. The degree of detail provided is governed by the amount needed to put the legal issues into context. However, most chapters direct the reader to a resource that can provide more in-depth information about a support, service, program, or agency. The Additional Resources Appendix is also intentionally brief and includes primarily statewide or regional legal services, advocacy groups, and disability (not direct service) organizations. 2001

Spiral Manual: 400 pages. $15.00 for consumers and families. $20.00 for others.

CD-ROM version: key word search capability; increase screen image size to 800%; can be run on Windows or Macintosh platforms; print directly from CD-ROM. $15.00 for consumers and families. $20.00 for others.

Click here to order Rights & Reality 2

Or contact us by email at info@drwi.org or by phone at (608) 267-0214 / (800) 928-8778 / TTY: (888) 758-6049

Or click below to download individual chapters:

How to Use this Guide

Rights and Values in the 21st Century

Becoming an Effective Advocate

Social Security Disability Insurance & Supplemental Security Income

Medicaid and Badgercare

Medicare Program

Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan

Private Health Insurance & HMOs

Insurance Discrimination

Assistive Technology

Birth to three

Special Education

2006 Update of Special Education Chapter

Family Support Program

Child Care for Children with Special Needs

W2 and Related Programs

Integrated Services for Youth with Mental Health Needs

Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

Supported Parenting

Community Options Program

Medicaid Waiver & Home and Community Based Services

Family Care

Partnership Program

Self-Determination

Vocational Rehabilitation

Housing Resources and Strategies

Rights of Consumers of Disability Related Services

Rights in Residential Settings

Voting, Holding Office, and Jury Duty

Fair Housing

Access to Transportation

Wisconsin Fair Employment Act

Driver Licenses and Parking Privileges

Recreational Licenses

Services for People with Sensory Impairments

Service Animals

Independent Living Centers

Abuse and Neglect of Vulnerable Adults

Americans with Disabilities Act Title 1

Americans with Disabilities Act Title 2

Americans with Disabilities Act Title 3

Guardianship

Chapter 55: Wisconsin’s Guardianship and Protective Placement statute

Civil Commitment and Voluntary Treatment

Forensic Mental Health Commitments

Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Correctional Settings

Additional Resources Appendix

Judge Orders MPS to pay legal fees

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
FRIDAY, Aug. 15, 2008
By Dani McClain

Milwaukee Public Schools must pay nearly $500,000 to the legal staff that represented plaintiffs in a class-action suit over how the district serves students with special needs, a federal judge ordered today.

Today’s order follows on a federal ruling in June that MPS must do more for special-needs students, including assessments for children who might need services and interventions for students who have a high number of suspensions and for those who have failed a grade.

Click here to read the rest of Milwaukee Public Schools ordered to pay legal fees to DRW in class action lawsuit »

Not everyone who is under guardianship has lost the right to vote. This brochure tells you how to find out if you have lost your right to vote, and the steps you can take if you want to restore that right.

Click here to download Competency, Guardianship and Voting in Wisconsin.

Madison rapped for preschool gap
Judge says district must pay for services it does not provide
By Bill Lueders
Isthmus 07/24/2008

Jeff Spitzer-Resnick says the case could spur the Madison school district to offer 4-year-old kindergarten and amp up its assistance to dozens of families.

Click here to read the rest of DRW Challenges Madison School District on Pre-School for Kids with Disabilities »