A new cafe in Racine gives people with disabilities a opportunity to use their skills. The cafe employees work on following multi-step directions and practicing their executive functioning skills which include: critical thinking, planning, time and resource management, and organization among others.The cafe makes people with disabilities feel valued.

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Voters with disabilities continue to advocate for better voting accessibility. Many polling places still aren't fully accessible and absentee voting has become more challenging in recent years.. The outlawing of drop boxes last year made it harder for people to return their ballot. Another issue is training poll workers on the accessible voting machine. Advocates continue to raise these issues with legislators.

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The US Department of Labor recently released a new resource in hopes of increasing integrated employment opportunities for people who have disabilities. The Competitive Integrated Employment Transformation Hub collects resources from the federal government to provide practical guidance, policy information and evidence-based best practices for people with disabilities, their families, employment service providers, and state agencies. 

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Hundreds of disability advocates gathered in Madison for Disability Advocacy Day in mid March. Before marching to the Capitol, advocates gathered at Monona Terrace for a briefing and to fine tune their messages. People talked with their legislators about everything from living safely in their own homes to, to transportation, to the direct care crisis . According to the CDC, 23% of adults in Wisconsin have a disability. Advocates spoke about what people with disabilities and their families need!

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Input Opportunity: Ensuring Wheelchair Users Can Fly With Dignity 

Comments due Monday, May 13, 2024

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking public comments on a new proposed rule designed to ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. 

An estimated 5.5 million Americans use a wheelchair, and many encounter barriers when it comes to air travel. In 2023, 11,527 wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled by carriers required to report data to DOT. 

The proposed rule would set new standards for prompt, safe, and dignified assistance; require enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs; and specify actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during transport.

Notably, the proposed rule would require airlines to provide passengers with two options to repair or replace their wheelchairs if mishandled by the airline. The two options are:

• The carrier handles the repair or replacement of the wheelchair with one that has equivalent or greater function and safety within a reasonable timeframe and pays the associated cost.
• The passenger arranges the repair or replacement of the wheelchair with one that has equivalent or greater function and safety through their preferred vendor and the airline pays the associated costs. 

In addition, the proposed rule would make it easier for DOT to hold airlines accountable when they damage or delay the return of a wheelchair to its owner by making it an automatic violation of the Air Carrier Access Act to mishandle wheelchairs. 

As part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, DOT is also requesting input on two topics not currently included in the proposal: lavatory size on twin-aisle aircrafts and reimbursement of the fare difference between a flight someone could've taken if their wheelchair fit in the aircraft and the more expensive flight they had to take instead.

Comments can be submitted online, by mail or fax, or hand-delivered through Monday, May 13, 2024.

The proposed rule was announced at a White House convening on protecting the safety, rights, and dignity of air travelers with disabilities.

Read DOT’s press release for a summary of key provisions.

Attn: All Regulated Health Care Providers

Call for Presenters! 2024 FOCUS Conference.

We’re now accepting online proposals for 75-minute breakout sessions.  

FOCUS 2024 is being held at the KI Center in Green Bay on November 20 and 21, 2024. FOCUS brings together provider associations, health care providers, and Division of Quality Assurance staff to provide better care and service for Wisconsin elders and those with disabilities. FOCUS is a unique opportunity to teach, learn, and collaborate.

The conference serves:

• Aging and Disability Resource Centers
• Assisted Living Facilities
• Division of Quality Assurance
• Facilities Serving Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
• Nursing Homes

We look for proposals that apply to a variety of provider types.

The conference is intended to be applicable to administrators, case/discharge managers, caregivers, dietitians/dietetic technicians, medical directors, nurses, pharmacists, quality improvement managers, risk managers, social workers, and therapists.

Please complete the Online Proposal Form by May 1, 2024. The FOCUS 2024 planning committee will review all proposals and notify selected presenters by June 1, 2024.

Contact the FOCUS Committee for more information.

Funding Opportunity: RERC on Technology for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

President Biden is pushing to improve support for people with disabilities living in the community. In the State of the Union address, he urged Congress to add funding for Medicaid home and community based services. The President included $150 billion in his budget request for the 2025 fiscal year to " strengthen and expand Medicaid home and community based services" over 10 years.

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