News

We want to congratulate this year's Diehard Award winners who were recognized at the Self-Determination Conference. These individuals received a Diehard Award for going above and beyond in supporting the lives of people with disabilities. Please help us congratulate and thank these people for their outstanding advocacy efforts:

• David Pinno
• Sue Urban
• Deb Wisniewski
• Abigail Tessmann

The State Assembly passed a bill that would allow people with disabilities to hunt from a car with a lift.  Permits are available for hunters with disabilities, but people who can't climb a tree stand and aren't eligible for a permit, hunting options are limited.  This new bill would allow hunters with limited mobility to enjoy the sport with use of a car lift.  The bill now heads to the Senate.

Read more 

A new report found that less than 20% of polling places were fully accessible during the 2016 election.  Issues with parking, accessible entrances, and problems with the actual voting area itself were reported.  Under the Help America Vote Act, all polling stations are supposed to have at least one accessible voting system for federal elections.  The Government Accountability Office recommends that the Justice Department study how existing polling place accessibility requirements are being implemented.

Read more

ABLE accounts are accounts that allow people with disabilities to have a savings account without jeopardizing their  benefits.  Accounts can be used for disability-related expenses that will increase and/or maintain a person's health, independence, or quality of life.  It was recently announced that  the total annual contribution limit to an ABLE account will be increased from $14,000 per tax year to $15,000 per tax year beginning in 2018.

Read more

As people age, they may experience new and chronic health conditions that make it difficult to participate in activities at home, at work, and in the community.  Thanks in part to improved medical care, people with physical disabilities are living longer.  A study showed that there are four  areas that people felt were important for successful aging with a physical disability.  Those include:

1. Resilience and adaptability
2. Autonomy and choice
3. Social connectedness
4. Physical health and access to health care

Read more 

This is an interesting court case.  In October, the Supreme Court declined to review Magee v. Coca-Cola, a decision in which the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that vending machines were not public accommodations under the ADA. Magee is blind and sued Coca-Cola over their glass-front vending machines. Magee said that these types of vending machines were inaccessible to him, because he was unable to know what item he was selecting or its price. The Fifth Circuit rejected his claim, stating the vending machines were not public accommodations under the ADA, because they were not physical places open to the public. On appeal, Magee argued that Coca-Cola has many options, such as an audio interface with a tactile keyboard, to make their vending machines accessible. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, argued that Congress did not intend to cover vending machines with the ADA. The administration submitted a brief supporting Coca-Cola's argument. By rejecting the appeal, the Supreme Court kept the Fifth Circuit's decision in place.

Read more

Recently, the National Federation of the Blind and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers hosted a conference titled "The Promise: Autonomous Vehicles and the Disability Community". The conference brought together representatives from government, the automotive industry and advocates for people with disabilities to discuss the advances, challenges, and path forward for autonomous vehicle development. 

Read more

Apply for a Building Full Lives Grant!

Deadline to apply is Nov. 17 

The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities in partnership with Wisconsin In Control is offering a great opportunity for organizations Interested in supporting individuals with disabilities to Build FULL LIVES in the community.

Is your organization committed to shifting your business model from segregated to fully integrated services that are individualized, full of choices, and built around the dreams and aspirations of individuals? Is your organization invested in establishing services that support individuals FULL LIVES by flexibly combining customized employment with individualized community integrated activities?

If yes, then you should apply for a Building FULL Lives in the community technical assistance grant.

It is easy to apply.

Download the application here: http://wi-bpdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-2018-BFL-RFA.final_.pdf

Deadline to apply is Friday, November 17th.

If you have any questions contact Shannon Webb at 608-318-0700 or
shannon@incontrolwisconsin.org

If you need a Microsoft Word revision of the document, contact Ann Sievert at 608-267-9897.or email ann.sievert@wisconsin.gov.

A growing number of states are enacting laws designed to keep people from passing off their pets as service animals.  Service dogs, which are trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability, were first used by people with vision and hearing impairments. They are now also used by those who use wheelchairs or have other impairment in mobility, people who are prone to seizures or need to be alerted to medical conditions, like low blood sugar, and people with autism or mental illness. 

Many states are pushing for legislation to  crack down on people who try to pass their pets off as service animals.  The laws would make it a misdemeanor to represent an untrained dog as a service animal and would come with fines.

Read more