Meet Barbra.  This worldwide traveler believes that people with disabilities should make their own choices and live their most meaningful lives--just like people without disabilities.  She’s excited that self-determination is being talked about more and more.  We’re so fortunate to have this strong advocate as a member of the Network! 

What's your story?  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 Barbra was born in Brooklyn New York and has lived in the Washington DC area and Minneapolis before coming to Madison in 1991.  She loves living in Wisconsin!  She’s married and is the mom to three wonderful adult sons.  She also has a very active eight-month-old puppy.  She shares that her middle son, Ben, has a developmental disability and continually informs her as she lives and works as an advocate alongside him.  

How are you involved with self-determination? Why did you join the SD Network?

Barbra believes that people with disabilities should make their own choices and live their most meaningful lives--just like people without disabilities.  She explains that to her, that is the core of self-determination. “While it makes perfect sense and sounds so simple, often services, supports and programs that people with disabilities depend on  get in the way,” she explains. For the past 15 years, she has worked as Co-Director of Family Voices of Wisconsin, ensuring that individuals and families know how to access, navigate, use and advocate within programs for health care and long term supports. If people have this knowledge, it can help them as they create self-determined lives for their children and for themselves.  She joined the SD network so that she can be up to date on opportunities to advance SD in Wisconsin and learn about how others live self-determined lives. 

Tell us some good news - what's the most exciting thing happening for you (or in Wisconsin) in terms self-determination?

For Barbra, the best news is that people are talking a lot about self-determination and they’re seeing growing numbers of people living self-determined lives.  “Wisconsin has amazing Medicaid long term support programs for children and adults, like the Children’s Long Term Support Waiver and IRIS, that promote and support living meaningful, self-determined lives,” she says. 

What tip or resource would you like to share with people who want to be more self-determined?

Barbra would like to share a new fact sheet, “Self-Determination and Children with Disabilities” that Family Voices of Wisconsin recently published.  You can check it out here.  It is never too early to start practicing self-determination!

What are some of your hobbies?  

 In her spare time, Barbra loves to travel, spend time with her family and friends and read books — she tries to read at least one book a week.  She has been fortunate to travel to 35 states, Canada, various islands in the Caribbean, Mexico, England, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey, Israel, Greece, Jordan, Argentina, Uruguay and will be traveling to Japan in May.

***We love hearing the views and opinions of Network members. We need to mention that the views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the person who is sharing them. They do not necessarily reflect InControl Wisconsin or any of our supporters and funders.