Disability Rights Iowa Reports
- Moving Forward: A guide to your rights for youth in detention
- In Jail and Out of Options: An Examination of The systemic issues Affecting the Housing and Treatment of Iowans with Mental illness in County Jails
- Suicide in Iowa County Jails: Beyond the Numbers, How Sheriffs can Save Lives
- Stalled on the Road to Olmsted Compliance
- Despite the best efforts of some providers and Employment First organizations, Iowa is not moving at a reasonable pace towards supporting integrated community-based employment for individuals with disabilities.
Advocacy Fact Sheets
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Advance Directives in Iowa
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Effective Letter Writing
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How to be Your Own Best Advocate: A Guide on How to Navigate Managed Care in Iowa
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Reasonable Accommodation
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Tips on Choosing Care for Children with Disabilities
Education Fact Sheets
Employment Fact Sheets
- Using ABLE Savings Accounts to Buy Assistive Technology
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Employment Discrimination
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Reasonable Accommodation
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FAQ about Disability Disclosure under the ADA
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The Interaction Between the ADA and the FMLA
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A Resource Guide for Iowa Farmers with Disabilities
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:
- Encourage voter registration for all Iowans with a focus on Iowans with disabilities and/or mental illness;
- Inclusion of the perspective of Iowans with disabilities and mental illness;
- Increased awareness of issues and policies that affect Iowans with disabilities and/or mental illness;
- 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
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.
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)
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:
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
