Narrow Margin
A Wisconsin man with visual impairment tried to vote. The coronavirus got in his way.
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Don Natzke says he was stymied by a series of insurmountable barriers as Wisconsin held its April 7 election in the midst of the pandemic.
Disabilities
Wisconsin cuts back on long-term institutional care for the disabled
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It’s part of a national trend. But parents and guardians of patients at Central Wisconsin Center, one of the state’s facilities for the developmentally disabled, are worried that the state’s no-new-admissions policy could endanger people who could benefit from the centers’ services. Now a couple have gone to court to keep their child at the center.
Institutional Care
State’s move toward community care for disabled follows national trend
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Wisconsin’s declining reliance on state-run centers for people with intellectual disabilities fits a national pattern.
Family Care
Gov. Scott Walker’s budget would shake up long-term care programs; disabilities advocates concerned
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Gov. Scott Walker is proposing sweeping changes to the state’s long-term care programs for the elderly and disabled, but the lack of detail has advocates concerned.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Walker changes stance, signs bill for workers with disabilities
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After reversing his original position, Gov. Scott Walker on Friday signed legislation to request more federal money to help unemployed people with disabilities find jobs faster.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Walker now backs funding for disabled workers
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Gov. Scott Walker has announced plans to change course and seek full federal funding of a program that helps people with disabilities find jobs. Advocates at Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Council credit a report by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism for new legislation aiming to fully fund the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, an arm of the state Department of Workforce Development.
Disabilities
State passes up federal disabilities aid for jobless, despite backlogs
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Thousands of people with disabilities must wait for months to access state employment services, although the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has not requested the full amount of federal funds available to it for the past three years, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has found.
Disabilities
Wait list long, caseloads high
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Thousands of people with disabilities must wait for months to access state employment services, although the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has not requested the full amount of federal funds available to it for the past three years, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has found.
A Frail System
Wisconsin nursing homes fail to report deaths, injuries
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Attorneys for families of residents say that facilities’ failure to report serious injuries or deaths related to abuse or neglect is not uncommon. Far more often, they say, the state health department only learns about a case of alleged neglect or abuse after a family member files a complaint. Advocates for health care providers stress that incidents of neglect and abuse are extremely rare, and can come to regulators’ attention in a variety of ways.
A Frail System
New state law conceals records of abuse, neglect in nursing homes
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A new Wisconsin law, which went into effect in February 2011, bars families from using state health investigation records in state civil suits filed against long-term providers, including nursing homes and hospices. It also makes such records inadmissible in criminal cases against health care providers accused of neglecting or abusing patients.