Wisconsin is one of 11 Special Olympics chapters worldwide \u2014 and one of just three in the United States \u2014 that are \u201chealth system assessment sites,\u201d researching and leading efforts to improve health care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD.<\/p>\n
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Wisconsin\u2019s team will focus on three long-term objectives: strengthening medical education to ensure health professionals can effectively care for patients with disabilities, improving Medicaid reimbursement rates and partnering with the state and advocates to improve health care and social services.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpecial Olympics Wisconsin\u2019s mission has traditionally led us to focus on the work of our athletes and programs that support them,\u201d said Chad Hershner, president of Special Olympics Wisconsin. \u201cBy participating in the collaboratory, it enables us to expand our scope to all individuals with IDD in Wisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Badger State, there are around 42,000 adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receive long-term services, according to Special Olympics Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
Hershner said the organization been gathering information on the current state of care in the state using interviews and surveys of people with IDD and health care providers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a 2024 survey of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Wisconsin, only 54 percent of those people with IDD reported that their health care providers gave them enough attention to meet their needs,\u201d he said. \u201cClearly, there\u2019s opportunity to move forward together.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the people who struggled to feel they were really heard by their medical provider is Drew, a Special Olympics athlete who lives in De Pere. On Tuesday\u2019s call, Drew said he was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2005. He said he works with a neurologist who \u201cdoesn\u2019t believe\u201d him when he tells him about his seizures.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants to make sure that other people witness me having them, and I know my body,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m the best resource when it comes to my seizures. \u2026 I would never lie about my seizures because I\u2019m aware when I\u2019m having them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752664689_625_image001.jpg\")
This graphic shows where the different Special Olympics chapters participating in the Rosemary Collaboratory are located. Wisconsin is one of just three chapters in the United States that serves as a \u201chealth system assessment site.\u201d Graphic courtesy of Special Olympics Wisconsin<\/p>\n
The organization identified Special Olympics athletes only by their first names in the call Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Hershner said Special Olympics Wisconsin plans to start addressing the education piece of its goals through conversations with physicians, nurses and physical therapy professionals. He said a 2023 state grant already allowed Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes to train more than 1,300 medical students and providers on how to work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n
On the Medicaid side, Hershner said providers often face reimbursement rates that don\u2019t keep up with the cost of care, while those with disabilities are more likely to struggle with accessing care.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersons with intellectual and developmental disabilities were 33 percent and 49 percent more likely to lack annual clinic evaluations and management visits for primary and specialty care, respectively, than those without disabilities,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know there\u2019s great work to be done here on both sides to improve access to quality care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Travis, a Special Olympics athlete from Manitowoc, said on Tuesday\u2019s call that he was on Medicaid in the 1990s and early- to mid-2000s. During that time, he said the only dental care that was properly reimbursed was tooth extractions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, he said he\u2019s on his wife\u2019s private insurance through her employer, but he\u2019s hesitant to seek dental care.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still fearful of going to the dentist at this day because they don\u2019t know how to deal with people with intellectual disabilities,\u201d Travis said. \u201cI think that cost is not affordable for private health care, and being on Medicaid did not help in the long run for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to facing challenges with Medicaid, Hershner said people with IDD often have to interact with \u201cdozens of systems and programs throughout their lives\u201d to receive necessary care, ranging from health care to social services.<\/p>\n
He said navigating the full range of services needed to stay healthy and employed is often \u201cpainfully overwhelming\u201d and \u201cvery confusing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a great deal of experience trying to navigate systems to support you and your care, but these systems may not have been necessarily designed to work well for you,\u201d Hershner said.<\/p>\n