Get Involved with a BPDD Project
Self-Determination Conference
Self determination means taking control of your life. Join us in October for one of the biggest events for people with disabilities and the people who support them. Learn how to live more independently, participate more in your community, and direct your public funds efficiently.
Registration Opens July 1, 2025.
Youth Leadership Forum
If you are in high school and have a disability, apply for a week-long leadership training where you improve your leadership skills and meet other students your age who have similar experiences.
Applications Open
Supported Decision-Making
There are alternatives to guardianship. Supported decision-making empowers individuals with disabilities to make informed decisions about their life that protect their rights and ensure their safety and privacy. It involves family and friends working together to help them make complex decisions. Toolkits now available in Spanish and Hmong!
WI Disability Policy Leadership Program
The Wisconsin Disability Policy Leadership Program aims to train future leaders by equipping people with the knowledge and skills necessary to impact disability policy and advocate for change through year-long paid Fellowships and short-term (4-6 month) part-time paid internships. This program focuses on professional development, offering valuable work experience and mentoring to enhance career opportunities in the disability policy and advocacy field. By fostering a better statewide understanding of disability issues, the program seeks to expand inclusive policies in Wisconsin.
Sparks Grants
Do you have an idea to make your community a better place for people with disabilities? Organize your grassroots group and apply for funding to help make it happen! Individuals with developmental disabilities and family members may apply.
Applications Closed
Wisconsin Partners in Policymaking
Learn how to become a seasoned leader in Wisconsin! This six-session workshop will train you how to advocate for policies and initiatives that support full participation and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities.
Applications coming Summer 2025
Partners with Business
Hiring people with disabilities is good for business! The Partners with Business model helps you support workers with disabilities to be successful, and helps you attain greater flexibility to meet your business needs, improve your bottom line, and achieve your workplace diversity goals.
Living Well
How do we increase health, safety, independence and well-being of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in our community? Over the next five years, the Living Well grant plans to develop and test approaches to improve home and community-based services for people with developmental disabilities.
Turn Out the Vote
Your vote matters! The Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition (WDVC) is a non-partisan effort to get members of Wisconsin’s disability community to the polls.
Self-Determination YouTube Channel
Do you see life as a journey? Are you looking for a path that personally empowers you? We are a group of self-advocates with developmental or intellectual disabilities who believe self-determination is essential to living our best life–the life we all deserve. This channel is dedicated to sharing our voices about using choice and control in our lives. We will celebrate successes and show that, through perseverance, anything is possible. Through this channel you can connect with other self-advocates and people who support us. If you’re interested in being a part of the channel, contact Fil Clissa at Fil.Clissa@wisconsin.gov
Coalition on Lead Emergency
COLE’s MISSION: to create a sustainable lead safe environment in Milwaukee by engaging a broad range of community partners.
Building Full Lives
Center for Youth Choice Youth Voice
The Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice is a national resource center for youth with disabilities. We talk about alternatives to guardianship. The Center does research, advocacy, and teaches about alternatives to guardianship.
BPDD helps to organize and support the WI youth ambassadors spreading the word about Supported Decision-Making to other youth, parents, and professionals. It is giving presentations; working on engaging, short videos to pique the interest of youth and families; developing youth friendly materials; and holding focus groups with youth and parents to get better strategies for making choices and using SDM strategies.
Early Choice-Making Project
For children with intellectual and developmental disability practicing choice-making is especially important because it can lead to a more self-determined life as an adult. This means an adult with connections to the community, a sense of empowerment and a sense of safety because they know their opinions matter. We have everything you need to start choice-making for your child.
Families Supporting Families
Family members often say the best support they get is from other family members. Families Supporting Families is a joint effort to help families connect to each other and to information. BPDD partners with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and five community-based organizations to foster these connections.
Take Your Legislator to Work
How do we convince legislators that hiring people with disabilities is a great idea? We take them to work and show them! Here they see firsthand how people with disabilities contribute to the local economy. They meet employers who say their business is better because they employ a person with a disability. Get started today.
Wisconsin Employment First
Are you interested in increasing integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Become part of the movement that helps businesses hire and support employees with disabilities using co-worker support. Join WI-APSE for the annual conference to learn strategies that support people with disabilities to get jobs, develop local action plans, and develop a statewide network.
What are the Issues?
We want to help you connect with your constituents with disabilities and help you make confident decisions that consider and support them. BPDD serves as an independent advisor to the Governor and legislature on public policy issues that impact people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Find out more about the issues that matter to YOUR constituents.