Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD)
Ensuring Everyone Shares Equally in County Programs, Services and Facilities
Quick Links
Handy News & Notes (HNN)
Handy News & Notes is a source for local, state and national news, information and opportunities for persons with and without disabilities.
Subscribe to HNN through E-Notify: News Releases – Milwaukee County, Disabilities, Handy News & Notes.
HNN Issues
Employment
The Office for Persons with Disabilities believes it's important to:
"Employ Ability!"
Disabled Expanded Certification Appointment (DECA)
Applicants with disabilities may be eligible for DECA if the disability impacts their ability to work or apply for jobs.
Current Milwaukee County Openings
Check the current openings with Milwaukee County.
Department of Human Resources
Your career starts here.
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
DVR is a federal/state program designed to obtain, maintain, and advance employment for people with disabilities.
Accessible Transportation
Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS)
MCTS operates all its routes with fully accessible low floor buses.
Transit Plus
Provides transportation services to people who are unable to use county buses and are found eligible for paratransit services.
Milwaukee County Department on Aging
Transportation services to medical appointments, group shopping trips and to some meal sites for people 60 and older.
Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles
The Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles provides disabled plates and parking placards for people with disabilities.
Bublr Bikes
The City of Milwaukee bike share program, Bublr Bikes, offers adaptive bikes for use by persons with all abilities.
Aira Visual Interpreting Service
Milwaukee County offers FREE Aira service at select Milwaukee County Locations.
Aira is an assistive service made possible through mobile technology, but brought to life by human interactions between users and remotely-located Aira agents. A camera embedded in a pair of smart glasses, or camera on your smartphone streams video to an agent’s computer dashboard, which also gives the agent access to GPS, Google Maps and rideshare services. Using this technology, Aira agents immerse themselves into the user’s world and delivers objective visual information to enhance efficiency and engagement when completing tasks or navigating new environments.
More information on how the application works can be found at Aira's website.
Aira Locations
General Government
- Coggs Human Service Building
- Criminal Justice Facility
- Milwaukee County Courthouse & Grounds
- Milwaukee County Transit System
- Mitchell International Airport
- Safety Building
- Vel Phillips Youth & Family Justice Center
Parks and Recreation
- Art Museum
- Boerner Botanical Gardens
- Bradford Beach
- Cathedral Square Park
- Clinton Rose Senior Center
- Cool Waters Aquatic Park
- Cooper Park
- Doctors Park
- Estabrook Park
- Estabrook Park Beer Garden
- Froemming Park
- Grant Park
- Greenfield Park
- Hoyt Park
- Humboldt Park
- Juneau Park
- Kelly Senior Center
- Lake Park
- Lincoln Park
- McCarty Park
- McGovern Park
- McGovern Park Senior Center
- McKinley Marina Park
- Milwaukee Community Sailing Center
- Milwaukee County Historical Society
- Milwaukee County Zoo & Zoofari Conference Center
- Milwaukee Public Museum
- Mitchell Park, Grounds
- Mitchell Park Domes
- Pere Marquette Park
- Rose Park
- Schulz Aquatic Park
- Sheridan
- South Shore Park & Beer Garden
- Veterans Park
- War Memorial
- Warnimont Park
- Washington Park
- Washington Park Senior Center
- Wehr Nature Center
- West Milwaukee Park
- Whitnall Park
- Whitnall Park Beer Garden
- Wil-O-Way Grant & Grounds
- Wil-O-Way Underwood & Grounds
- Wilson Park Recreation Center
- Wilson Park Senior Center
- Wisconsin Avenue Park
Sensory Processing - KultureCity
Milwaukee County has partnered with KultureCity to improve our ability to assist and accommodate citizens / guests with sensory needs. Our objective is to provide an inclusive and seamless experience for all citizens / guests including those with sensory needs. We strive to raise awareness of the needs and challenges faced by individuals with sensory processing disorders by supplying our staff with continuous training and by offering resources and accommodations to our citizens / guests. Milwaukee County offers the following sensory processing resources and accommodations at several locations (quiet areas, headphone zones, sensory bags (for use) with noise canceling headphones, fidgets, feeling zones cards, weighted lap pad and more).
KultureCity Locations
- Boerner Botanical Gardens
- Coggs Human Services Center
- Milwaukee County Zoo
- Mitchell Park Domes
- Wehr Nature Center
Commission for Persons with Disabilities
The Commission promotes the independence of persons with disabilities, removes attitudinal and environmental barriers, promotes maximal level of independence with dignity for persons with disabilities, and has primary responsibility for assessing and finding solutions for the needs of Milwaukee County residents with disabilities.
Meetings
Find dates for upcoming meetings, agendas and past meeting minutes through the county's Legislative Information Center (CLIC). This includes access to Aging & Disabilities Services committee meetings as well as the County Board of Supervisors meetings and more. You can also get email notifications for any of these meetings by signing up for E-Notify alerts.
Members
- Felicia Clayborne
- John Haupt
- Allison Caudill
- Sherry Mickelson
- Carrie Belsky
- Eleuteria Gonzales-Dobbe
Request a Sign Language Interpreter
Members of the Community:
If you need a sign language interpreter, contact the appropriate Milwaukee County department, division, office and/or county employee and ask them to arrange for this accommodation.
To request a sign language interpreter for Milwaukee County Courts, complete a Milwaukee County Court - Interpreter Request form or email Natalie Nguyen at [email protected].
To request a sign language interpreter for the City of Milwaukee, please visit Request for Reasonable Accommodation or Modification.
Milwaukee County Employees:
To arrange for a sign language interpreter, complete and submit the form below.
Emergency phone: (414) 651-8109.
Milwaukee County employees can also arrange for the use of an assistive listening device (Pocketalker or FM Loop) by contacting the office at 414-239-5679.