This bill requires that publicly-funded programs prioritize competitive integrated employment, and that the departments of Workforce Development, Public Instruction and Health Services work together to lead a collaboration among state agencies and jointly develop a plan to ensure that programs, policies and procedures support competitive integrated employment.
This program helps farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities attain gainful employment in production agriculture or a related occupation, access appropriate assistive technology needed for work and daily living activities, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program enables individuals with disabilities, service providers and others to learn about, access, and acquire assistive technology needed for education, employment, and community living. Services include device demonstrations, reutilization, loans, and financing.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin's Assistive Technology Program (WisTech)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
The Business Enterprise Program helps people who are blind become food service or vending operators.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
CAP helps individuals who experience problems when applying for or receiving vocational rehabilitation or independent living services. This includes advising and informing individuals of their rights and providing advocacy services.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program serves people receiving services for developmental disability, mental health, and substance use, and works to promote and consult on client rights.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Client Rights Office
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program helps ensure underserved parents of children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of children who are English learners, and parents with disabilities, have the training and information they need to enable them to participate effectively in helping their children.
Operating Entity: Alianza Latina Aplicando Soluciones (ALAS)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Family Engagement
This behavioral support program serves children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities and their families, to address behavioral, psychological, and emotional needs to facilitate participation in supported community life. Services include crisis response, psychiatric care and consultation, and an Adaptation & Modification program to create safe and appropriate home and work environments.
Operating Entity: University of Wisconsin, Waisman Center
Entity Type: College / University
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program seeks to increase the knowledge and engagement of families to take a more active role in the education of their children with disabilities. It is a collaboration between WI FACETS and school districts throughout the state.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin FACETS
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Family Engagement
This program works with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Department of Health Services (DHS) to help students transition from school to the world of work and community services. This includes providing Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) beginning as early as age 14.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
These programs help people with developmental disabilities maintain, improve, and grow their skills, including in the areas of work, daily living, education, and more. Facilities are operated by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, county governments, and non-profits.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This project provides partial scholarships to select graduate students enrolled in the MS in clinical mental health counseling with clinical rehabilitation counseling specialization.
Operating Entity: Marquette University, College of Education
Entity Type: College / University
This program provides a range of independent living services to people with disabilities at Centers for Independent Living across the state. Services include help connecting to local services, assistance with job searches, local transit skills training, assistive technology help, peer mentoring support, assistance with school-to-career transitions, self-advocacy help, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program helps people with mental illness find and keep jobs, through a rapid job search, time-unlimited job support, and benefits counseling. Services are provided in 21 counties through ten employment agencies.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program works with state agency departments to target and increase paid on the job training (OJT) limited term employment (LTE) internship opportunities for job seekers with disabilities. It also helps interns develop valuable experiences and references to prepare them to compete for LTE or permanent state agency positions.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program assists individuals with disabilities in accessing necessary services and supports, including Disability Benefits, Drug Benefits and Medicare Part D, and SSI Managed Care programs.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program links parents whose children who have social, emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges with trained parent peer specialists (PPSs), who help families navigate relevant systems.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Family Ties (WFT)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Family Engagement
This program supports Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers in 16 midwestern and western states. Services include one-to-one consultations, trainings and webinars, peer-to-peer mentoring, site visits, non-profit management tools, and more.
Operating Entity: WI FACETS
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides a variety of direct services for children and youth with disabilities, families, professionals, and other organizations that support them. This includes helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development and partnering with professionals and policymakers to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin FACETS
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
These programs offer students with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to take college classes, engage in career development and independent living activities, and participate in the social life of a college campus.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Pre-ETS assist students with disabilities in identifying career interests and developing skills to be successful in the workplace. This includes five required activities: job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, workplace readiness training, counseling on comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs, and instruction in self-advocacy.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Project SEARCH is a one-year transition-to-work program for students with significant disabilities that includes classroom instruction, career exploration, and internship rotations. It is a collaboration between local businesses, state agencies, local school systems, and other entities, and is offered at several locations.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program protects individuals with disabilities by empowering them and advocating on their behalf. This includes providing information and referrals, providing training and technical assistance to service providers, and conducting self-advocacy training.
Operating Entity: Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program provides a range of training and skill building opportunities to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, including around orientation and mobility, daily living, communication, counseling and vocational exploration, adjustment, and social skills.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
These services help people with disabilities develop and pursue self-employment opportunities, in the form of one-on-one assistance to evaluate business ideas, identify opportunities, develop business plans, and understand funding alternatives.
Operating Entity: Easterseals Wisconsin
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides training and technical assistance on a wide variety of special education topics, to support Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), parents, and students with disabilities. Topics include evaluation, educational placements, parental involvement, transition goals, post-school outcomes, and more.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Special Education Team
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
These groups meet to improve transition services for students in their local communities, through relationship-building and the sharing of best practices. Each CCoT consists of individuals from local schools, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, service provider agencies, long-term support agencies, Aging and Disability Resources Centers (ADRCs), parents, and employers.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Systems Coordination
This online learning program helps people with disabilities increase their leadership, self-determination, and self-advocacy skills, and improve their well-being.
Operating Entity: The Arc Wisconsin
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Youth Development & Leadership
This program helps individuals with intellectual disabilities access college. It includes transition-based programs, which are developed between school districts and local technical colleges or universities to provide access to college courses, job opportunities, and campus activities for individuals with disabilities. It also includes Adult Learner Options, for individuals who have finished high school and no longer receive transition services from their school district.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program offers financial assistance of up to $5,000 per year to assist individuals with disabilities with the costs of postsecondary education tuition. The program also makes referrals to technical college Career Pathways programs and to adult and youth apprenticeship programs.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program provides statewide technical assistance and professional development to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and teachers in the area of postsecondary transition planning, to improve post-school outcomes for students with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Special Education Team
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides funding to school districts and charter schools to support the successful transition from high school for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), including through transportation options, Competitive Integrated Employment Training Programs, post-secondary tuition and supports for students, and transition training for staff members.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Special Education Team
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides culturally relevant vocational rehabilitation services to assist Alaska Native and American Indian individuals with disabilities residing on or near reservations in the state to prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Program services are provided under an individualized plan for employment.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) provides disability awareness training to all WIOA partners at WIOA Roundtables. This includes an overview of accessibility, the DVR talent pool, innovative business services, and other topics related to customer service for individuals with disabilities seeking employment.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program help out-of-school and in-school youth with one or more barriers to employment (including having a disability) prepare for and secure employment and postsecondary education opportunities. Services include tutoring; work experiences; occupational skills training; leadership development opportunities; and postsecondary education and training preparation activities.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
REDI is a 4-week, paid in-store training program that aims to help individuals with disabilities gain retail and customer service skills. The program is implemented in collaboration between Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Walgreens.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This group brings stakeholders together to improve outcomes for students with disabilities through interagency collaboration. Participants include state agencies, WI FACETS, the University of Wisconsin Waisman Center, Wisconsin Technical Colleges, and parents.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Systems Coordination
This week-long forum teaches high school students with disabilities about leadership, self-advocacy skills, and career awareness.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
Entity Type: Other
This program helps individuals with disabilities who are receiving Social Security Disability benefits make informed choices about work and make a successful transition to self-sufficiency.
Operating Entity: Employment Resources, Inc.
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
YiPPE is a group of youth and their parents who meet multiple times a year to learn about and plan for transitions to adulthood. Parents and youth engage in parallel but tailored programming that includes hearing from speakers and participating in hands-on activities.
Operating Entity: University of Wisconsin, Waisman Center
Entity Type: College / University
Topic(s): Family Engagement, Youth Development & Leadership
These services are designed to alleviate behavioral and emotional challenges and are provided in a non-residential setting. Services include vocational services, social work services, counseling, and more, and are offered at a variety of non-residential settings across the state.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This week-long summer program serves Milwaukee and surrounding area high school students with disabilities, to help them learn independent living topics related to conflict resolution, college and employment issues, money management, disability rights, and more.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin FACETS
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Youth Development & Leadership
This guide focuses on resources for those with mental health and/or substance use concerns during COVID-19, including hotlines and virtual support groups.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This guidance document is an update to the March 2020 document, and was developed to help school districts develop IEPs and strategies for providing special education services during COVID-19 conditions.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Distance Learning, IEP
This webpage details information about Long-COVID, including symptoms, who is at risk and potential health conditions that could arise. It has embedded links to a variety of other resources and also informs Wisconsinites of a survey being conducted by the Department of Health Services.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This memo explains that all Division of Vocational Rehabilitation offices will be closed due to COVID-19, and provides links to resources that people can use in the meantime (e.g., online job search tools, Job Center directories and a technical assistance number).
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Topic(s): Transition
This webinar informs educators and education administrators of the effects of COVID-19 on student mental health and provides a general plan on how to create better mental health outcomes.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Mental Health
This FAQ document is designed to explain special education requirements to school districts and educators during COVID-19 school closures. It covers topics like implementing IEPs and holding virtual IEP meetings.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Distance Learning, IEP
This web page provides links to resources that relate to "future readiness," and covers topics such as work-based learning requirement updates and virtual career exploration resources. While it does not specifically relate to students with disabilities, it is relevant to those students and their families.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Family Engagement, Transition
This guide gives strategies for how mental health professionals can adjust the techniques they use to better fit a pandemic environment and includes both advice and potential resources.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This planning worksheet was developed to assist parents and families with preparing for additional services discussions with their IEP teams.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative
Topic(s): Assistive Technology, Family Engagement, Telehealth
This webpage addresses mental health supports and strategies available during challenging times and includes specific advice for certain demographics (such as essential workers and youth/young adults). Although the webpage does not explicitly mention COVID, it was designed with such large-scale events in mind.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Topic(s): Mental Health
This FAQ document provides answers and resources to help school districts and service providers understand how teleservices can be used to continue providing services to students with disabilities. It includes a professional development resource bank, organized by service provider type.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Telehealth
This webinar addresses how COVID-19 is impacting students in transition, and how various stakeholders can continue supporting those students.
Operating Entity: Transition Improvement Grant (supported by Wisconsin DPI)
Topic(s): Transition
This presentation was developed to help people (especially families) understand guidance issued in response to challenges facing school communities as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It focuses on the guidance contained in the Extended School Closure Due to COVID-19 Special Education Question and Answer Document.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Family Engagement
This document summarizes the “Additional Services Due to Extended School Closures” Bulletin, putting it in parent-friendly language and providing information, tips, and actions so families can support their child in receiving additional services.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Family Engagement, IEP, Telehealth
This guide provides educators information on how to conduct inclusive state assessments; while the guide does not mention COVID, it was specifically updated for the 2021 exam.
Operating Entity: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Topic(s): Distance Learning