Developmental Disabilities

Indiana Contacts

State Agency Responsible for Providing Services to the Developmentally Disabled

The Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) is a section of the Division of Disability, Aging and Rehabilitative Services within, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. As a state agency, BDDS coordinates services for individuals with developmental disabilities in order for them to become as capable and self-sufficient as possible. The Bureau offers services for sheltered and supported employment.

State Agency Responsible for Overseeing Employment Opportunities for the Developmentally Disabled

The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, also located in the Division of Disability, Aging and Rehabilitative Services, provides individualized services to enhance and support people with disabilities to prepare for, obtain or retain employment. Through active participation in their rehabilitation, people with disabilities achieve a greater level of independence in their work place and living environments.

Sheltered Employment

To access sheltered employment services contact the nearest Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services Office.

Sheltered employment services are coordinated and funded through the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS). Participants have opportunities for paid work training/experience when sub-contract work is obtained from local businesses. Workers are typically paid sub-minimum wages based on their productivity, through a special certificate from the Department of Labor. Sheltered workshop facilities are run by private not-for-profit agencies. Workers in enclaves, mobile crews, and community-based sheltered employment are usually paid through the rehabilitation agency rather than being hired as employees of the company where the work is performed.

BDDS policy requires vocational rehabilitation providers to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). CARF requires providers to conduct an annual comprehensive safety inspection, emergency procedures, personnel training on safety issues, and critical incident reporting, among other things.

Competitive Employment

Supported Employment services combine real employment in a community job with individually designed, on-going supports needed to learn and maintain the job, which continues for the duration of the person's employment. Arranged and initially funded through Vocational Rehabilitation, these services are for individuals who traditionally would have been denied the opportunity for community employment, because of the severity of their disability, or who would otherwise be unable to maintain employment. The opportunity for competitive wages, benefits, and increased social integration in the work setting, with continuing personalized supports, are key features of supported employment. In supported employment, the individual is hired as an employee and paid by the local employer, like other employees of that company.

Health and Safety

The INSafe (INSafe), a division of the Indiana Department of Labor, is Indiana's consultation program, and provides free consultation services to assist employers in achieving voluntary safety and health compliance. INSafe does not impose fines; instead, it offers programs and services that educate and assist employers in safety compliance. INSafe works with Indiana's employers, employees, labor unions, professional groups, trade organizations, and others to ensure workplace health and safety. Free INSafe services include group training and seminars, on-site consultations, educational publications and training materials, along with pro-active voluntary health and safety programs designed to bring employers and employees together to create and maintain healthy working environments.

Workers employed in the public sector are covered by the same health and safety rules as private employees under the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1974. See above for more information.

The safety and health of workers in Indiana is covered by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1974, Indiana Code 22-8-1.1. The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Division (IOSHA) of the Indiana Department of Labor conducts investigations of health and safety incidents involving all workers, including workers with developmental disabilities.

Employees have the right to file a complaint with IOSHA. There will be an inspection where reasonable grounds exist for IOSHA to believer there may be a hazard.

Reporting Abuse and Neglect

In 1985 the Indiana legislature enacted legislation to specifically address the protection of endangered adults from abuse, neglect, and exploitation by creating the Adult Protective Services program. This program investigates reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation to endangered adults.

Protection and Advocacy

The Indiana Governor's Planning Council for People with Disabilities promotes public policy and assists in bring change for adults with disabilities. The council is consumer-driven and is charged with determining how the public and private service delivery systems can be most responsive to people with disabilities.

The Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services (IPAS) was created in 1977 by state law to protect and advocate the rights of people with disabilities and is Indiana's federally designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system and client assistance program. It is an independent state agency, which receives no state funding and is independent from all service providers, as required by federal and state law.