The mission of Family Voices of Wisconsin is to advance comprehensive healthcare and community support based on family-professional partnerships and family-centered principles that assure the health and well-being of children and youth with special healthcare needs or disabilities and their families. The role of Family Voices of Wisconsin is to educate and promote the inclusion of these principles in the design, implementation, and delivery of support and services throughout Wisconsin.
Children are children first, regardless of their diagnosis. Support and services should be delivered with this in mind.
Families have great capacity to care for their children and youth with special health care needs and/or disabilities when they have informed real choices, strong supports and appropriate resources.
Health and community supports and services will respect and honor the unique culture and beliefs of families.
Children and youth are best served when their families work as partners with providers to make decisions about their health care and family supports, and children are supported within their community.
Family Voices of Wisconsin is a not-for-profit corporation organized exclusively for charitable purposes.
Family Voices of Wisconsin is classified as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and is not classified as a private foundation. As a 501(c)3 organization, Family Voices of Wisconsin is exempt from the payment of federal income on its exempt activities.
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National Family Voices (FV) began in 1992 with a small group of families around the kitchen table. Our roots are with those families who challenged the medical provider who recommended an institution for their son; who insisted on staying with their hospitalized daughter overnight; or who convinced their local school to enroll their child with special health care needs.
In 1995, Family Voices of Wisconsin (FVW) Co-Director, Liz Hecht partnered with other parents including Linda Rowley a former FVW Board Member, to be Wisconsin’s representatives to National Family Voices. Organizing with other families, that national group helped shape the current programs for children with disabilities.
In 2005, Liz brought Barbara Katz onboard. Together they published newsletters, wrote grants, developed learning sessions and our first fact sheets. With the passage of the Family Opportunities Act, FVW was authorized as Wisconsin’s Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F) and in 2010, became an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
Family stories are the basis of our work. Experiences with Medicaid, waitlists, lack of childcare and insurance denials drive our policy and systems improvement efforts. Since our beginning, we’ve learned that systems change takes time. We continue to champion these and other important issues, and through our partnerships with state agencies and organizations, we bring to light new matters that concern Wisconsin families.
