According to a recent survey, businesses continue to fall short when it comes to meeting the needs of customers who have disabilities. Many people think that the main problem is knowing the steps required. This article explains in detail about all what businesses should doing 

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After strong pushback from the disability community, the U.S. Census Bureau is no longer moving forward with a proposal that could have decreased the estimated disability rates in the country. This proposal would have had a new set of questions that would have asked people to rate their level of difficulty with certain activities. 

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As the start of 2024, many issues are at play that will affect Medicaid coverage, financing, and access. Medicaid is the primary program providing comprehensive health and long-term care coverage to one in five low-income Americans. This article explains what else to watch for in Medicaid coverage in 2024.

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Meet Chad. This rock climbing fanatic volunteers his time doing all sorts of advocacy things. He believes getting involved in the community is the key to being self-determined. We’re so fortunate to have him as a member on the Network!

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

Chad is a disability advocate in the Madison area.  He currently lives independently in his own apartment and receives supportive homecare.

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

Chad wants to help empower people to have self-determination by helping advocate in our community. “I think it’s important for people to have self-determination to advocate for themselves and to be the most independent they can be,” he says.

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

Some exciting news for Chad is that last year he became the president of the People First Wisconsin Madison chapter.  He also volunteers for the Youth Leadership Forum. He’s taking Partners in Policymaking this year as well.

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

Chad encourages people to get involved in the community. He explains that it is the best way to be self-determined. “I’ve met a lot of friends through my advocacy journey, and it helps me be a better advocate for myself,” he tells us. 

What are some of your hobbies?

In his spare time, Chad enjoys spending time with his friends, playing video games and going outside when the weather is nice.  He also loves rock climbing.

***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.

Beginning in September 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) will require all adult long-term care waiver service providers to enroll with Wisconsin Medicaid through the ForwardHealth Portal.

The new enrollment process is how you will become certified as a Wisconsin Medicaid provider and be assigned a Medicaid Provider ID. The new process is for those who provide services to adults who are older, have a physical disability, or have an intellectual or developmental disability and participate in any of the following programs:

• Family Care
• Family Care Partnership
• Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)
• IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self Direct)

The new enrollment process is also for individuals, agencies, organizations, vendors, and sole proprietors who provide services listed in the DHS MCO contract or the IRIS Service Definition Manual. Existing Medicaid providers who also want to provide waiver services must access the Portal to add long-term care waiver programs and services to their current Medicaid provider file.

Individual self-directed support (SDS) workers and participant-hired workers will continue to be Medicaid certified and contracted through managed care organizations and IRIS fiscal employer agents.

Sign up for email updates from the Adult Long-term Care Waiver Service Provider Enrollment Project

You will access the E-mail Subscription Sign-up page on the Portal to sign up to receive emails. You can sign up for as many lists as you are interested in.

Subscribe to the Adult Long-term Care Waiver Service Provider Email list.

• Expanded commitment to broader inclusion of people with disabilities across the research enterprise;
• New opportunities for international research and development activities;
• An increased focus on the enabling or disabling characteristics of the communities in which we live; and 
• Call to the field to pursue work that has an intersectional focus.

For 18-year-old Anna Konkel of Brookfield, rock climbing is just a sport. She's proving anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself. This teen who has a visual impairment is competing with assistance from a volunteer who gives her verbal directions as to how to navigate the wall. "(People with disabilities) can do whatever we put our minds to," she says.

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