Imagine a world where human rights are protected, differences are celebrated, and all people have value, visibility, and voice. For over 40 years, Disability Rights Nebraska has worked to realize this goal and promote the rights of all people with disabilities. In a climate where disability issues are often deprioritized, the organization takes aim at increasingly critical issues faced by Nebraskans with disabilities.
Sharon Ohmberger, Community Engagement Director, outlines a “toolkit of approaches” that prioritize direct assistance to individuals alongside wider efforts to spur on long term change. These strategies include legal information, public policy advocacy, disability rights trainings, and a citizen advocacy program that pairs up community members and people with disabilities who are at risk. In recent years, Disability Rights Nebraska has focused their efforts on three areas: ensuring freedom from harm, creating the most inclusive settings, and engaging people with disabilities in advocacy.
Sharon explains that when it comes to abuse and neglect, individuals with disabilities in isolated settings like assisted living facilities are most at risk of falling through the cracks. Often, those lacking a support network are assigned court-appointed guardians that gain almost complete control over their lives. Disability Rights Nebraska’s advocacy around guardianship policy has resulted in meaningful change.
In 2024, the organization conducted an investigation into court-appointed guardianship that revealed a severe lack of oversight. They uncovered mishandled funds, unfulfilled duties, and impossible caseloads that left vulnerable Nebraskans without proper care.
As a result, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 985 in 2026, capping caseloads at 20 clients, granting people under guardianships the right to attend their own hearings virtually, and requiring guardians to visit people under their care at least once a quarter. This newly implemented guidance will help ensure the needs of those under guardianships are met and prioritized above all else.
Disability Rights Nebraska also works to address the isolation commonly faced by people with disabilities. Sharon cites Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) as crucial in this effort. These state-funded support services help individuals lead fully integrated lives in their communities, rather than in isolated settings away from friends and family. Services are reimbursed by Medicaid and include assistance with day to day activities and needs, access to specialized technology, and more.
Recently, lawmakers’ shifting attitudes toward disability have been cause for concern, and may put access to HCBS at risk. Introduction of a new state eligibility assessment tool, alongside efforts from Governor Jim Pillen to eliminate the waitlist for services, has caused disruptions and delays in funding. At least 17% of individuals who completed the new assessment, called interRAI, through July of 2026 had their funding reduced. Sharon says that with a sudden influx of appeals, providing one-on-one support for everyone in need of help navigating the process just isn’t possible, which is why the organization has set their sights on state-level policy change.
In September, advocates attended a hearing on Nebraska’s Olmstead Plan, a federally-required roadmap toward community-based living for Nebraskans with disabilities. Testimony from Brad Muerrens, Disability Rights Nebraska’s Policy Director, warned of weakening federal support and explained that failure to preserve these protections could lead to more instances of institutionalization. “The attitude that people with disabilities don't need to be out in the community has become more visible lately nationwide,” Sharon adds. “However, faced with the choice, the average person would not want to be forced to live in a segregated, congregate setting where their freedoms are greatly restricted. There is plenty of data out there that indicates that people with and without disabilities do better overall in the communities of their choice—and the communities benefit from their presence as well.”
Despite this challenging landscape, Disability Rights Nebraska presses on, continuing to break down barriers that impede people with disabilities from learning, living and working in the most inclusive settings. In addition to shaping change through public policy, the organization also equips the disability community with the tools and knowledge necessary to participate in the civic process.
In September, the organization partnered with Tectonic Change, a fellow disability advocacy nonprofit, to host live accessible voter education sessions in Ogalalla and Scottsbluff for people with disabilities and their families. Online sessions were also scheduled for Omaha and Lincoln in October. Attendees at live sessions were offered the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the accessible ExpressVote machine that is present in all Nebraska polling places. “But you don’t have to have a disability to use ExpressVote. Try it yourself next time you go to vote!” Sharon urges, “Just ask your pollworker to walk you through it. It’s pretty cool.”
They also facilitate ongoing, community-sourced accessibility audits of polling places. Anyone can download, complete, and submit a form based on a polling place checklist from the Americans With Disabilities Act. After elections conclude, staff review the audits collected and reach out to election officials in areas where problems have been identified. In one instance reported to the organization, a ballot drop box at an election office in southwest Nebraska was located in an inaccessible spot for wheelchair users. After a report was made, the county relocated the drop box to an accessible spot.
At the heart of this work is the idea that Nebraskans with disabilities deserve to live, work, learn, and play alongside their neighbors, free from neglect, exploitation, or undue barriers. From the classroom to the ballot box, Disability Rights Nebraska is steadfast in making this vision a reality.