DRI Publications

Disability Rights Iowa Reports

Advocacy Fact Sheets

Education Fact Sheets

Employment Fact Sheets

Talking About Disability Rights

Voting Rights For Iowans With Disabilities

All Elections are important, Disability Rights Iowa encourages participation in elections big and small,with the following goals:

  1. Encourage voter registration for all Iowans with a focus on Iowans with disabilities and/or mental illness;
  2. Inclusion of the perspective of Iowans with disabilities and mental illness;
  3. Increased awareness of issues and policies that affect Iowans with disabilities and/or mental illness;
  4. Ensuring voting is accessible to all Iowans.

 

Disability Rights Iowa has a voting site DRIVoting where Iowans with disabilities can learn about their rights and upcoming elections. 

Voting Videos

Disability Etiquette for Poll Workers

Etiqueta de Discapacidad para los Trabajadores Electorales

Did You Know?  Important facts about your voting rights in Iowa!

Importante Votacion Hechos!

Curbside Voting in Iowa

Other Resources

Additional Information for Voters with Disabilities
Polling Place Accommodations
Know Your Rights
Different Ways to Vote in Iowa
Eligibility in Iowa
Register to Vote in Iowa
Pollworker Pocketguide on Accessibility
Tips for Serving Voters with Disabilities

Watch the video “Election Day in Iowa”, which explains the voting process and how to get help if needed.

Balletpedia –  Resource for sample ballot and candidate information

turbovote.org

Votesmart.org

League of Women Voters

Vote411 – Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) in October of 2006, VOTE411.org is a “one-stop-shop” for election related information.

Nonprofit VOTE – Nonprofit VOTE partners with America’s nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote. One of the largest source of nonpartisan resources to help nonprofits integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities and services.

“Access Denied – Barriers to Online Voter Registration for Citizens with Disabilities” , A 2015 Report by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Guide to Iowa Caucuses

U.S. Department of Justice Updated ADA Checklist for Polling Places

Caucus Accessibility Checklist
In an effort to provide current information to Iowans with disabilities, their families, and those interested in disability rights, Disability Rights Iowa has a specialized team of advocates who are knowledgeable about a wide range of services for people who have disabilities within and outside of Iowa.

Other Resources

Additionally, Disability Rights Iowa encourages you to review and use the resources and links we provide on this website.

Sexual Expression Policy Development – A Guide

Sexual Expression Policy Development – A Guide for Long-Term Facilities & Assisted Living Programs.

Sexuality is a basic human need and the choice to be sexually expressive is one that belongs to the individual. The right to freedom of sexual expression among residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and tenants of assisted living programs (ALPs) has proven to be a sensitive and sometimes controversial topic, particularly when cognitive capacity is in question.

The Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman and Disability Rights Iowa have developed materials to act as a guide for meaningful dialogue.

Sexual Expression Policy Development – A Guide for Long-Term Facilities & Assisted Living Programs.

SAMPLE POLICIES: Sexual Expression Policy 1 | Sexual Expression Policy 2

Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act

Child Find

Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA)

 Start Benefits Planning!

 Benefits Planning Videos

WIPA is a grant funded program sponsored by the Social Security Administration that provides work incentive planning and assistance services to Social Security beneficiaries who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), who want to pursue gainful employment/self employment.

DRI staff members who provide WIPA services are called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs). They focus on you, your choices, your future, and especially your work goals.

CWICs disseminate accurate information to beneficiaries receiving SSDI and/or SSI and the work incentives available under those programs. Information from CWICs will help individuals to make informed choices about employment/self employment, including:

  • How available work incentives can facilitate their transition into the workforce; and
  • Information on the impact of earnings on other support programs, such as:
    – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
    – Food Stamps
    – Federal Housing
    – Unemployment Insurance
    – Worker’s Compensation
    – Earned Income Tax Credit
    – Health Insurance

Work Incentives promote employment/self employment and greater independence for people with disabilities who are initially entering, or re-entering, the workforce.

  • SSI Work Incentives:
    • 1619(b) Continued Medicaid Eligibility
    • Student Earned Income Exclusion
    • Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS)
    • Earned Income Exclusion
    • Impairment Related Work Expense
    • Blind Work Expense
    • Expedited Reinstatement
    • Ticket to Work
  • SSDI Work Incentives:
    • Trial Work Period
    • Extended Period of Eligibility
    • Extended Medicare Coverage
    • Impairment Related Work Expenses
    • Subsidies and Special Conditions
    • Expedited Reinstatement
    • Ticket to Work

For additional Information visit:  www.socialsecurity.gov

For services, contact your area CWIC:

Map of Iowa with service areas

Ticket to Work helpline:
Voice: 1-866-968-7842
TTY: 1-866-833-2967

Mistie Johnson, CWIC, Project Supervisor
Disability Rights IOWA
PO Box 219
Klemme, Iowa 50449
mjohnson@driowa.org
Phone:641-529-6010
Toll Free: 800-779-2502
Fax: 641-587-2677

Tammy Crouch, CWIC
Disability Rights IOWA
PO Box 3653
Sioux City, Iowa 51102
tcrouch@driowa.org
Phone:712-560-3651
Toll Free: 800-779-2502
Fax: 712-560-3651

WIPA is authorized in:

  • 42 USC §1320b-21, P.L. 106-170
    Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999
  • Pub. L. 108-203
    Social Security Protection Act of 2004

WIPA is administered and regulated by:

  • Social Security Administration
    Office of Acquisition and Grants
    7111 Security Blvd., 1st Floor Rear Entrance
    Baltimore, MD 21244
    Telephone: 410-965-9469 / Fax: 410-966-9310