Developmental Disabilities

Nebraska Contacts

State Agency Responsible for Providing Services to the Developmentally Disabled

The Nebraska Health and Human Services System, Developmental Disabilities System, is charged by State Statute with the responsibility for carrying out the Developmental Disabilities Services Act. An integrated system approach for the provision of developmental disabilities services is used by contracting with and providing general oversight of community-based developmental disabilities service providers.

State Agency Responsible for Overseeing Employment Opportunities for the Developmentally Disabled

The Nebraska Department of Education, Vocational Rehabilitation is an employment program for people with disabilities. This program helps people with disabilities make career plans, learn job skills, and get and keep a job. The goal is to prepare people for jobs where they can make a living wage and have access to medical insurance. Since 1921 the Vocational Rehabilitation program has helped people with disabilities join the workforce. Direct services are provided for employers and people with disabilities that lead to employment. To learn more about the Vocational Rehabilitation program, write or call:

Sheltered Employment

The goal of sheltered workshops is to support and assist consumers with disabilities to live and work in their communities. Students who will need supervised housing and those whose vocational objectives will likely be met in sheltered workshops should be involved with Health and Human Services, Developmental Disabilities Services. This agency provides service coordination and can authorize funding for a wide range of services through both public and private providers. Programs like Labor Solutions provide services from learning simple tasks and appropriate social skills to gaining instruction in packaging, assembly and production work in a workshop setting, to being assisted and supported in finding not just jobs, but careers in the community.

Competitive Employment

The Nebraska Department of Education Vocational Rehabilitation staff talk with clients about their skills, abilities, and goals. Some may work at a temporary job arrangement with an employer to see what the person's skills and interests are; sometimes the person's skills, abilities and interests are matched to the needs of local employers, and sometimes skills are learned on the job. With some employers, Vocational Rehabilitation and the employer have designed a training program specifically for people who are working with Vocational Rehabilitation. With other employers, skills may be learned from a co-worker or supervisor, or from a job coach arranged by Vocational Rehabilitation to provide training to learn specific skills a future job requires.

Health and Safety

The Nebraska Workforce Development, Department of Labor-OSHA Consultation, provides employers who are concerned about providing their employees with a safe and healthful workplace an avenue to request an on-site visit by one of the OSHA Consultation Program's consultants to determine if safety and health hazards exist. The goal of this program is to help Nebraska employers identify and correct potential safety and health hazards before they become dangerous and expensive problems. This Department of Labor program provides a no-cost service to Nebraska employers with one or more employees. The service is not available to municipal, county, state or federal agencies or organizations.

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) Nebraska Area Office provides safety and health protections to most private sector workers and state and local government employees within the state. OSHA investigates complaints about workplace safety and health hazards.

Reporting Abuse and Neglect

Adult Protective Services are services provided by the Nebraska Health and Human Services System for the prevention, correction, or discontinuance of abuse. The services are those necessary and appropriate under the circumstances to protect an abused vulnerable adult, insure that the least restrictive alternative is provided, prevent further abuse, and promote self-care and independent living. To make a report or for more information, write or call:

Protection and Advocacy

The Nebraska Advocacy Services, Inc. (NAS), The Center for Disability Rights, Law and Advocacy, is a private, non-profit organization designated by the Governor to protect and advocate for the rights of Nebraskans with significant physical or mental disabilities. Established in 1977, NAS is the protection and advocacy system in the State of Nebraska. NAS works along with people who have disabilities to secure their rights and to achieve a vision which is supportive of the ideals of interdependence, productivity, human dignity, personal integrity and full participation for individuals with disabilities in their community. NAS investigates incidents of abuse and neglect and may provide legal representation to protect the legal and human rights of people with disabilities. Through a variety of other activities including public education, information and referral, and public policy analysis, NAS works to change public attitudes and to increase public awareness of the legal and human rights of people with disabilities.