Community Resources

Alianza Latina Aplicando Soluciones

Alianza Latina Aplicando Soluciones is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the independence of families of children and youth with diverse abilities in Wisconsin by providing educational workshops, parent support groups, family events, community building activities, and service referrals. To contact Alianza Latina Aplicando Soluciones, view our website https://www.alianzalatinawi.org/ALAS.htm or email us at Alasinc@Alianzalatinawi.org.

Arc of Wisconsin

The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. It provides information and referral services, individual advocacy to address education, employment, health care and other concerns, self-advocacy initiatives, residential support, family support, employment programs, leisure and recreational programs.

The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. We encompass all ages and more than 100 different diagnoses including autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and various other developmental disabilities. Visit: https://arcwi.org/about/affiliate-chapters/, Call: 608.422.4250, or Email: info@arcwi.org

Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN Regional Centers)

Wisconsin’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) has five regional centers to assist families with resources for their children. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/cyshcn/regionalcenters.htm

Western (800) 400-3678, Southern (800) 532-3321, Northern (866) 640-4106, Northeast (877) 568-5205, Southeast (800) 234-5437

Disability Rights Wisconsin

Disability Rights Wisconsin is a private non-profit organization designated by the Governor to ensure the rights of all state citizens with disabilities through individual advocacy and system change, DRW is part of a national system of federally mandated independent disability agencies and has staff who can provide legal advocacy.  Visit https://disabilityrightswi.org/contact-us/ or call Madison (608) 267-0368, Milwaukee (414) 773-4646, Rice Lake (715) 736-1232. Toll free number: (800) 928-8778.

Family Voices of Wisconsin

Family Voices of Wisconsin is a statewide network of families who have children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities and those who work on their behalf. We support families by providing information, training and leadership opportunities so that families can be informed and effective partners in their child's care and in the systems that support them.  https://familyvoiceswi.org/connect/ (608) 220-9598

Parent to Parent

Matches parents to other parents with similar needs.

Becoming a Support Parent Inforamtion 

833-361-6300 (Families) 715-361-6307 (Professionals). Email: P2PWI@chw.org

Special Olympics Wisconsin

Special Olympics is a global movement that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports. It empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities to become accepted and valued members of their communities, leading to a more respectful and inclusive society for all. Using sports as the catalyst as well as programming around health and education, Special Olympics works to end inactivity, injustice and intolerance.

State Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council 

The State Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC) provides advice to the state superintendent on family engagement in student learning. The PAC offers members the opportunity to learn about state education programs and priorities, while encouraging parents to share information about effective practices in their schools and communities. 

Waisman Center for Families

The Waisman Center mission is to advance knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Well Badger Resource Center

The Well Badger Resource Center is a health information and referral program operated by the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation (WWHF) in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. They are an information and referral hotline that assists families who have children, age birth to 21, with special needs and their providers. They assist in finding needed programs and services; such as early intervention screenings, financial resources, advocacy, research, respite care, family support, and transition services.

Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities 

The mission of the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (WI BPDD) is to unite ALL of Wisconsin in supporting our citizens with developmental disabilities to lead their most independent lives.

Wisconsin Family Ties

WI Family Ties is a statewide, not-for-profit organization run by families for families that include children and adolescents who have emotional, behavioral and mental health needs. Their mission is to provide greater understanding, acceptance, and support in the community for families having children and adolescents with emotional, behavioral and mental disorders. They provide information and referrals, family support, education, as well Parent Peer Specialists who can assist families to empower them to access services their children need to be successful.

https://www.wifamilyties.org/contact/ (800) 422-7145 (parents only) OR (608) 267-6888

WSPEI (Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiatives) 

WSPEI is all about partnerships. WSPEI helps families and school districts build positive working relationships that lead to shared decision making and children's learning. WSPEI Coordinators are parents of children with disabilities who work for CESAs (Cooperative Educational Service Agencies) through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). They assist families with navigating special education and partnering with schools through technical assistance, trainings, and programs such as Parents in Partnership (PIP) and Youth in Partnerships (YiPPE) programs. WSPEI also works directly with schools through trainings, developing family engagement plans, and training district family engagement liaisons to improve family engagement efforts for families of students with IEPs. To find out the contact information for your WSPEI CESA Family Engagement Coordinator for your region you can go to: http://wspei.org/contact/

WI FACETS (Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training, and Support) 

WI FACETS is the federally funded Parent Training and Information Center for Wisconsin. Their mission is to provide and broaden opportunities that enhance the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities and their families, with emphasis on support for underserved families in the community. They provide information on special education and IEPs and referrals to agencies and resources, parent support groups, parent and youth leadership development, and trainings.  (877) 374-0511 or https://wifacets.org/contact-us.