HearthStone of WI

HearthStone of WI HearthStone is a self-help and advocacy organization for people with disabilities and their families.

More information on becoming a member can be found here: https://hearthstonewi.org/free-hearthstone-membership-request/ In October of 1995, a small group of family members and friends in the Sheboygan area were drawn together for a common concern they shared about how we as a society were caring for disabled individuals in our community. The initial focus of this group was directed mostly to the

residential care facilities we had in the county. The concern and grassroots efforts by this group lead to the creation of “HearthStone of Wisconsin”, which filed Articles of Incorporation with the State of Wisconsin as a non-stock, non-profit organization in December of 1996. Our mission is to make our communities a welcoming place for people with disabilities and to support and encourage positive life experiences. Our members are people with developmental and/or physical disabilities, their families, friends and people within our communities who care about them. We offer assistance, guidance, advocacy and support in transition to and in perpetuation of community-based living. We believe in working together to help dreams come true; Dreams of Independence, Dreams of Respect, Dreams of Achievement, and Dreams of Laughter. In the past, HearthStone has helped provide and obtain funding which enabled individuals and families with a disabled member to have their own home. We have helped families obtain funding for specialized equipment and or respite care. We continue to hold quarterly community educational meetings and seminars for the disabled and their family members. In addition we regularly provide social opportunities for our young people including an annual summer outing, bowling party, Christmas party, and spring dance. We continue to be a strong advocacy voice for the disabled in our community and throughout the state attempting to influence legislative policies that improve services and promote greater independence for individuals with disabilities.

05/03/2026
You cannot judge a disability by its visibility. This is very often true for people with Intellectual/Developmental Dis...
05/03/2026

You cannot judge a disability by its visibility. This is very often true for people with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities.

Thank you Carrie Buck.
05/02/2026

Thank you Carrie Buck.

On May 2, 1927, the Supreme Court ruled in Buck v. Bell that forced sterilization did not violate an individual's Constitutional rights.

The plaintiff, Carrie Buck, had been labeled "feeble-minded" and institutionalized by her foster parents after becoming pregnant. Committed to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded, Buck soon learned of authorities' plans to ensure she could no longer reproduce.

Buck fought her sterilization order in court—eventually making its way up to the highest court—but was doomed from the beginning. Even her lawyer was a founding member of the Virginia Colony’s board of directors, and a firm believer in eugenic sterilization.

The decision in Buck v. Bell ultimately paved the way for 8,000 state-mandated sterilizations in Virginia and more than 60,000 across the United States. Decades later, the ruling and its aftermath would become a source of national shame.

📸: Carrie Buck and her mother, Emma, outside the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded (Arthur Estabrook/M.E. Grenander Special Collection & Archives, University at Albany, SUNY)

05/02/2026
05/01/2026
Paragon Community Services in Plymouth is a pre-vocational service for individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disab...
04/27/2026

Paragon Community Services in Plymouth is a pre-vocational service for individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities.

To celebrate the Earth this week, PCS Plymouth, made Bee Hotels out of recycled mugs, paper straws, and rolled up paper! They also went to Parks, and made Earth window clings to decorate the windows.
💚🌎💙

04/27/2026

Individuals with Down syndrome who have Alzheimer's disease may have changes in behavior as the disease progresses. Sometimes, this is a natural part of the progression of Alzheimer's disease; however, that is not always the case. The change may have other reversible causes. An evaluation for medical problems (including pain), environmental factors, mental health changes, and other issues may find a cause that is not directly related to Alzheimer's disease. Careful assessment is important when a person with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease has a change in behavior.

Brian Chicoine, MD, provides additional information in the article linked below.
🔗 https://adultdownsyndrome.org/resources/behavior-change-alzheimers-disease/

Disabled people deserve access to all the same places the resto of the public already has.
04/25/2026

Disabled people deserve access to all the same places the resto of the public already has.

In Wisconsin the Medicaid Waiver programs of Family Care and IRIS can fund payments to family and other caregivers for p...
04/23/2026

In Wisconsin the Medicaid Waiver programs of Family Care and IRIS can fund payments to family and other caregivers for people with disabilities who don’t live in institutions. This includes paying parents or other family members to provide care for their loved one in their home. The cuts to the community based waivers (Family Care and IRIS) that are being planned by the current Federal Government would affect who, where, and how a disabled person receives the help they need. If the parent who is getting paid to provide care in their family home, who will provide the necessary caregiver tasks? Can the family survive without the income from caregiver? If not and the prior family caregivers get jobs outside of the home, who will provide the care the family member needs? Will there be increased incidents of neglect or abuse because there is no caregiver? Will the caregiver continue to provide support to their loved one without payment, how will bills be paid? Is there enough monthly income to pay rent, mortgage, insurance, food and other financial commitments or will the family be evicted, or have sufficient food to feed the family or will they go hungry? When family caregivers have to quit the jobs in order to provide caregiving, will those former employers be able to carry on with a reduced workforce? And for the person with disabilities who cannot stay at home safely without the necessary caregivers, where will they live?

Disability advocates are calling out top federal health officials for suggesting that Medicaid's home and community-based services program pays for assistance that should be provided by families for free.

Address

P. O. Box 1444
Sheboygan, WI
53082

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