Hands of Heartland has been providing care and support to people with developmental disabilities and their families in the Omaha metropolitan area since 1998. Ensuring we maintain our unique approach of empowering and enriching the lives of people with developmental disabilities with a sense of empowerment and independence has been our driving focus and one of the primary reasons we’ve been seeking to expand our reach into new communities across Nebraska.
So, it is with great pride and excitement that in July of 2020, we officially opened our doors at 7501 O Street in Lincoln, where we support the local community as well as the surrounding areas of Beatrice and Crete. We are thrilled to become a contributing member of such a vibrant community, and we offer the full range of services focused on the needs of people with developmental disabilities throughout the area.
Our services are built around the binding principle that people with developmental disabilities are people first and have the right to live, be employed, learn, grow, and interact with others throughout the community. In support of this philosophy, we’ve made it our mission to create experiences that empower, enable, and support individuals with developmental disabilities across every aspect of their lives while opening the way to experiences they might not otherwise be able to access.
We ensure our community integration programs are designed to provide opportunities for individuals with IDD to work side-by-side with the community and learn activities they might be interested in such as gardening, pottery, board-games, and other exciting activities. These activities don’t happen behind closed doors or sheltered workshops, but rather out in the community in shared spaces where they can contribute and benefit from the experience.
In gearing up to work with our supported employment program, we help adults with IDD learn new skills, how to navigate interpersonal relationships in work settings, and generally be able to successfully work side-by-side with coworkers, employers, and other individuals in our program.
We offer an array of residential habilitation services. With varying combinations and household sizes, we pair the people we serve based upon their needs and provide continuous residential services, independent living, supported family, in-home supports, and even respite relief for family members.
The Aged and Disabled Waiver (A&D Waiver) program provides an array of services designed to help support individuals who would otherwise live in a nursing home or facility. Hands of Heartland is excited to be one of the first providers in the Lincoln/Omaha/Bellevue areas to provide these services!
Hands of Heartland is recognized as a Vocational Rehabilitation Provider in Nebraska. Our supported employment program is well-known for effectively connecting adults with IDD with employers willing to provide them opportunities in a competitive working environment. The program benefits not only the individual by providing them with confidence and marketable skills but helps to improve workplace morale and productivity. It also helps provide the individual with a degree of fiscal and social independence.
In addition to our standard supported employment program, our Lincoln office will be supporting a community employment program designed to provide individuals who have been unemployed for a long time with opportunities to work with local employers in part-time roles until full-time employment can be gained.
The well-trained team members here at Hands of Heartland have always been known for our compassion and our ability to bring our vision to life. With the support and involvement of the Lincoln, NE community, we are continuing our mission here as well. Want to learn more about activities being hosted by the Lincoln center? Reach out to our team today to schedule a tour. We can’t wait to meet you all and welcome you into our family.