The 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act was in late July.  This piece of  legislation changed life for many people with disabilities.  This article gives a great history of it and explains what it continues to do.

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For Wisconsin Representative Jimmy Anderson, the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) is personal. As a quadriplegic, he has fought for accommodations during his career.   In this piece, he talks about how there's so much more work that needs to be done with the ADA. 

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With the pandemic hitting the country hard, the topics of health care access has been front and center. Many with disabilities don't have accessible health care. Everything from funding to accommodations prevent people from receiving necessary health car. Many people feel it's time that health care systems be required to follow the non-discrimination laws to ensure that the medical system is accessible to everyone. 

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Meet Evelyn. Being in the education field for 22 years, she has a wealth of knowledge about different types of services for people with disabilities. She loves helping people with person-centered planning and finding employment opportunities. She believes the key to becoming more determined is to try to change things that might be obstacles into opportunities. We’re so fortunate to have Evelyn as a member of the Network!

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

Evelyn has been involved with education for twenty-two years. She worked with the Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative as a Family Engagement Coordinator in northern Wisconsin from the time the grant started in January of 2000 to June 30th of 2020. She explains that in the position she worked with families and educators of students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to ensure good outcomes for students. In that capacity she had the opportunity to work with other agencies that provided different types of support services for families.

In April of this year, she accepted the position of Business Developer with the Red Apple Center in Phillips, Wisconsin. “Red Apple is a private non-profit organization that has been providing employment opportunities and person-centered planning for adults with disabilities in Price County and the surrounding region since 1971,” she shares. In her new role, she works across private, public and corporate sectors to improve awareness of the Red Apple Center, manage their brand, build networks within the local and statewide community, and most importantly work to increase opportunities for Red Apple Center clients.

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

Whether being part of an IEP team, serving on a committee or facilitating a conversation Evelyn’s focus is always on an outcome that recognizes an individual’s capabilities. She explains that too often we build plans with the intent to minimize deficits. Although that approach is done with good intentions, she believes building from the perspective of strengths allows better outcomes for all. She joined the SD Network to stay informed and involved with current best practices.  

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

Evelyn thinks Wisconsin has been and continues to be a leader in the self-determination arena. “I am excited to be learning more about groups like Wisconsin Employment First and InControl Wisconsin and the projects they are undertaking,” she says. She’s also becoming more informed about the supports offered through our state agencies. 

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

Evelyn shares that she believes the key to becoming more self-determined is to try and change things that might be viewed as obstacles into opportunities to try something new.

What are some of your hobbies?

Evelyn enjoys cooking, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with two American Water Spaniels.

***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.

The pandemic has caused upheaval in everyone's life. For people with disabilities it's brought on some additional challenges. Everything from loss of independence and mobility, to Caregivers not showing up, to concerns over hospital accommodations,  The list is endless..  However, the situation would be much worse without the Americans with Disabilities  Act.

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Lifespan Respite Care Programs: Projects to Strengthen Program Development, Implementation, and Sustainability

ACL's Administration on Aging has announced a grant opportunity for special projects authorized by the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006. Lifespan Respite Care programs are coordinated systems of accessible, community-based respite care services for family caregivers of children and adults of all ages.

The special projects funded by this cooperative agreement will complement the work of the Lifespan Respite Technical Assistance and Resource Center. Projects will focus on strengthening:

• Respite workforce recruitment, training, and retention
• State-based frameworks for respite system planning and development
• Caregivers and family natural support systems

Optionally, projects may also address other areas of capacity building to improve state-based respite, as identified by applicants and their partners.

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In late July, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA). This video how the legislation changed the lives of people with disabilities and where there's room for improvement. 

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Working from home used to be a hard accommodation to get for people with disabilities and health conditions. However, the pandemic changed that. Companies were forced to make changes so that employees could work remotely. For people with disabilities, this is both good and bad news. Good news because employers are now familiar with how to set up remote business. The bad news is that there are already some misconceptions about accommodations related to the pandemic. To help with this, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released guidelines for accommodations during the pandemic. 

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ForwardHealth Updates

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has released two new ForwardHealth Updates that explain Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) policy and training:

• ForwardHealth Update 2020-31, “Implementation of Electronic Visit Verification for Personal Care and Supportive Home Care Services”
• ForwardHealth Update 2020-32,“Electronic Visit Verification Training for Personal Care Services and Supportive Home Care Services”

Next Steps

Non-Medicaid-Enrolled Providers

The EVV soft launch starts November 2, 2020, in Wisconsin. To prepare, provider agencies that do not have a Medicaid ID will need to obtain a unique provider agency ID. This includes provider agencies that plan to use an alternate EVV system and those who operate a self-employed business.

• Learn how to obtain a unique provider agency ID.
• Start the process to obtain a unique provider agency ID.

The provider agency ID is generated in real time and will display once you have finished submitting your information.

Medicaid-Enrolled Providers

Review the email listed on the Mailing Address panel in the demographic maintenance tool in your secure ForwardHealth Portal account, and update the email address if necessary. DHS will use this provider agency email address for EVV communication with providers. DHS must have the correct email on file for the individual in your organization that is responsible for the administration of EVV.

Please complete the email verification by July 31, 2020, to ensure receipt of needed EVV information.

Training

For information about and to register for EVV training, go to the EVV Training webpage. Training begins mid-August and is required to access the DHS-provided EVV system.

Please send questions or comments to Wisconsin EVV Customer Care by emailing or calling 833-931-2035.

FEMA is committed to making sure that people with disabilities have access to, and can benefit from, their programs and services. To celebrate the 30th ADA Anniversary,  they came up with 30 ways the agency supports emergency preparedness, response and recovery for people with disabilities.

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