Our Purpose: We provide opportunities for people with disabilities to succeed.

Our Mission: We help people with disabilities prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment while helping businesses recruit, train, and retain employees with disabilities.

Our Values and Guiding Principles:

Respect - We treat others with respect and importance regardless of position or role.

• Honor strengths, skills, choices, abilities, and cultural identity
• Address needs and requests in a timely manner
• Value customer, partner, and employee input

Integrity - We will be honest and just.

• Act in the best interest of others
• Demonstrate fairness, respect, and responsiveness in our actions and communications
• Respect individual autonomy and confidentiality
• Use public resources responsibly
• Take ownership and responsibility for actions and their results
• Work with partners who demonstrate fairness, respect, and responsiveness in the delivery of services

Leadership - We inspire hope in those we serve.

• Foster an environment that encourages creative problem solving, collaboration, and teamwork
• Recognize and reward excellence and innovation
• Evaluate processes, services, and results for continuous improvement
• Provide the highest quality services while maintaining fiscal responsibility
• Provide opportunities for continuous development of all staff
• Sustain our role as a respected leader and partner in the community

The 4 most important qualities of great customer service.

• People-First attitude
• Problem Solving
• Personal and Professional Skills
• Being Responsive - Nebraska VR Staff Members respond within 2 business days.

1. People-First Attitude: These qualities empower staff members to address VR Participants as individuals, therefore the services provided are individualized according to the participant's needs - A participant's needs are learned by:

• Active Listening: Active listening is understanding and acknowledging the information that a participant is providing and responding to them.
   
• Empathy: Understanding the participant's feelings and situation and having the ability to put yourself in their shoes to assist them better.
   

2. Problem Solving: These qualities of customer service can be utilized to identify potential solutions.

• Knowledge and Expertise: Provide knowledge and inform participants of the WHY behind the information. If information is not known, make sure to follow up with the participant once you receive it. 
   
• Critical Thinking: With the right knowledge, one must find its practical application to fix an issue.  Otherwise, apply out-of-box thinking skills to approach an issue, if it requires going beyond the realm of conventional service understanding.
   
• Clear Communication: Communicate clearly and check for understanding.

3. Personal and Professional Skills: These qualities ensure VR Staff Members present themselves in a manner to deliver the best customer service possible.

• Professionalism:  Every person must be served with dignity and respect. Always assume the customer is acting with positive, well-intentioned intent. Staff members are expected to be personally and mentally present for the participant, stay objective and neutral, and provide timely responses.
   
• Adaptability: Customer service is a dynamic function. Situations change quickly, so being flexible is necessary. Adjust strategies and approaches to best match the individual. Be accommodating to reasonable preferences like switching to methods participants feel most comfortable communicating in.
   
• Trustworthiness: Uphold your word. VR Participants believe they are talking to someone reliable, so let actions speak for themselves. Deliver on commitments to participants to assist them in the best possible way(s).  Give real-time updates, answer questions quickly, or route to someone who can.  

WIOA is designed with the dual purpose to help adult and youth training and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy. Nebraska VR is a state agency responsible for providing these services and supports specifically to individuals with disabilities who experience barriers to employment, education, or training.  

A large focus of the Workforce Act is placed on the recipients of VR programs and youth with disabilities to empower these individuals to maximize their employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and integration into society.  Youth will be able to explore career interests, training options, workplace readiness, and build self-advocacy skills. With the training services available, youth will be able to practice workplace skills in their career of choice.  

WIOA emphasizes competitive integrated employment. Program services must be designed to maximize the ability of individuals with disabilities. For more information about competitive integrated employment, please visit the Program Manual Chapter: Assessment for Determining Competitive Integrated Employment. 

The Workforce Act also emphasizes creating employer engagement within the community in all programs. By creating worksite experiences for the individuals in the programs it will allow employers to be matched with skilled workers and can contribute to economic growth.  

The Act also works to ensure quality and accountability of agencies. WIOA increases accountability and places a stronger emphasis on results across all core WIOA programs. WIOA includes core programs such as: Adult, Dislocated and Youth formula programs administered by the US Department of Labor (USDOL); the Adult Education and Literacy program administered by the Department of Education (ED); Wagner Peyser Employment Service administered by USDOL; and programs under the Rehabilitation Act that provide services to individuals with disabilities administered by the ED (our agency falls under this last category).  

All programs, projects, and activities receiving assistance under the WIOA shall be carried out in a manner consistent with the principles of:  

• Respect for personal dignity, personal responsibility, self-determination, and pursuit of meaningful careers, based on informed choice of persons with disabilities 
• Respect for privacy, rights, and equal access (including the use of accessible formats), of the individual 
• Inclusion, integration, and full participation of the individual 
• Support for the involvement of a parent, family member, guardian, an advocate, and/or an authorized representative if an individual with a disability requests, desires, or needs such support; and 
• Support for individual and systemic advocacy and community involvement 

Informed choice is a decision-making process that is interwoven throughout the VR process, in which the individual, including students and youth with disabilities, analyzes relevant information and selects, with the assistance of the VR Staff, vocational goals, intermediate objectives, services, service providers, settings for employment, service provision, and methods for procuring service to best meet their needs.  

Basic Guidelines for implementing Informed Choice:​

Step 1:  Determine the best method of communication.​

Step 2:  Gather relevant information for the decision.

Step 3:  Analyze and discuss the implications of the information collected​.

Step 4:  Develop mutually agreed upon goals and monitor progress. 

Informed choice is not unlimited choice. It is a person-centered approach where the VR Staff partners with the participant to provide counseling and guidance to navigate the VR system and facilitate the participant’s self-knowledge, understanding of the world of work, and develop skills to make meaningful choices that will result in successful employment. The VR Staff must apply their professional judgment and consider applicable laws, regulations, and policies based on the participant’s individual circumstances.  It is important that participants are aware of possible options throughout the entire process, including the option of contacting the Client Assistance Program (CAP) or requesting a fair hearing if they disagree with a counselor’s decision. They also have the right to refuse services at any point in the process.  

Implementing informed choice in the VR process can be instrumental for empowering people with disabilities toward inclusion and independence. By understanding ways to implement informed choice, the VR Staff can guide participants in making thoughtful decisions that allow them to take responsibility for VR services and their own employment process. In turn, taking responsibility for life choices leads to empowerment, inclusion, and independence, enabling participants to achieve high quality and fulfilling employment. 

All Nebraska VR Staff Members have the responsibility to adhere to the Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics to respect VR Participants and maintain professional boundaries throughout the counseling/helping relationship. VR Staff Members should understand the inherent power imbalance that can exist in a counseling/helping relationship and the potential harm that can affect the relationship by crossing boundaries with clients.

All Nebraska VR Staff Members similarly have the responsibility to respect and maintain professional boundaries with VR business partners and other team members alike.

For more information regarding the Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics, please visit the Code of Conduct Program Manual Chapter.

Multicultural Considerations

VR Staff Members are expected to be aware that professional relationships may be impacted by cultural differences that exist between VR Staff Members and the VR Participant, business partner, and/or other staff, including but not limited to intersectionality and protected identities. It is important to recognize the dimensions of diversity and how each may intersect to produce unique experiences of inequity and privilege.

As VR Staff Members aim to strengthen multicultural professional relationships, it is important to consider the uniquely intersected factors.

Practicing cultural humility is one strategy to further strengthen multicultural professional relationships. Cultural humility requires one to remain open to learning about other cultures while acknowledging one’s limited awareness and recognizing power imbalances that may impact the relationship.

The Progressive Employment (PE) model is a dual-customer, team approach that uses worksite experiences to meet the needs of businesses and jobseekers with barriers to employment.  PE places emphasis on how VR business relations and job placement personnel interact with employers. PE is predicated on a dual-customer philosophy, making information about  business engagement  key to better serving VR Clients in finding work experiences while ensuring employer needs are optimally met by the VR program. The PE model is fundamentally based on the premise that businesses should be partners and clients of VR for the process to work most effectively.

Progressive Employment: 

• Believes that everyone is ready for something
• Embraces that small success leads to further success
• Provides flexibility and creativity based on each person or employer’s situation
• Ensures low risk for both the employer and the participant
• Eliminates the need for participants to be “job ready”

Progressive Employment is an important aspect of engagement with businesses in Nebraska communities.  These experiences not only give VR Clients opportunities, but also provide businesses exposure to working with and employing persons with disabilities.  

All Nebraska VR Clients are potentially eligible for Progressive Employment, and this could occur anytime after eligibility.  There are two parts to Progressive Employment (in order for a client to be considered an active participant):  Worksite Experiences and WIN (Work In Nebraska) meetings.  

 This is the list of Progressive Employment Worksite Experiences:

• Informational Interview- an opportunity for a client to interview a business representative to ask questions and learn more about their business and hiring practices. Can be completed on site or virtually.  Specialist is encouraged to observe these experiences in order to provide additional feedback to the client. 
• Mock Interview with Employer- an opportunity for a VR Client to engage in a practice interview for a job, receiving feedback and tips for improvement afterwards.  Mock interviews can also be completed with VR staff.  Although those are not considered Progressive Employment due to not having involvement with the business, they are often an important first step prior to a mock interview with an employer.  VR Staff Members are encouraged to observe these mock interviews in order to provide additional feedback to the client.
• Job Shadow- an opportunity for a VR Client to observe a worksite and what types of responsibilities are required for a specific job.  Can be completed on site or virtually.  Job shadows are brief, usually only lasting 2-4 hours.  Clients frequently engage in multiple job shadows while exploring career options.
• Employer Tour- a tour of a business in order to see the worksite and learn more about the different positions in the company.  Can be completed virtually or on site.  It is expected, when VR Clients attend tours, for their VR Specialist to join them, as they can support the client during the experience as well as make their own observations on the worksite.  If the Specialist is unable to attend, there should be task note documentation justifying why this is not occurring.  
• On-The-Job-Evaluation (OJE)- a job experience where the VR Client works in a specific position to learn about that role and be assessed on their work abilities.  This is a longer term experience, lasting up to 90 hours.  Please see the OJE Chapter for more information.

The second part of Progressive Employment is the WIN meeting.  WIN meetings are regularly scheduled meetings (twice a month, at a minimum), and it is expected everyone on the team attends in order to have the input and perspectives of all VR staff.  The meetings are structured so that they are efficient, relatively quick, and address information vital to the success of the VR Clients.  As a reminder, a client also needs to be staffed in a WIN meeting in order to be actively engaged in Progressive Employment.  

The agenda for a WIN meeting is as follows:

• Successes​-Sharing out about success stories.  This could be employment or even a successful worksite experience or milestone in the client’s case.
• New Cases​-Staffing any new cases, referrals for worksite experiences, etc.
• Update on Existing Cases​- Sharing out about any PE activities that were completed, or new worksite experiences being tried, etc. 
• Labor Market Information​-Sharing out about the current labor market trends, businesses that are hiring, etc.
• Challenging Cases​-Any difficult cases or cases that feel “stuck”- staffing these in order to gain different perspectives and suggestions for how to move things forward.

In addition to the Progressive Employment training, we also have a Community of Practice (CoP) to discuss PE hot topics and best practices.  These recordings are available on VRIS here. 

Nebraska VR Staff Members use the Bridges Out of Poverty framework to attempt to understand the perspectives and worldviews of those experiencing poverty as they are presented with societal barriers which limit access to or availability of resources. This framework recognizes that an individual’s financial resources make up one of eleven types of resources impacted by marginalizing systems and the intersectionality of one’s identity.

As Nebraska VR Staff Members work with and extend services to diverse communities, it will be essential to take into consideration what we may be asking, how we approach topics, and who should be involved in the conversation. Flexibility and patience are oftentimes necessary, as common requests to complete internal processes may not always align with the individuals, communities, partners, and staff we collaborate with and serve. This deeper understanding will help meet our served, unserved, and underserved communities where they are as we continue to provide quality services.

The Bridges Out of Poverty framework categorizes resources into the following eleven types. Use them to support understanding of some of the barriers presented by limited resources to consider what is lacking for diverse populations. 

Source: Adapted from work by Ruby K. Payne et al., Bridges Out of Poverty (2022)

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a structured, client-centered communicative technique in empowering VR Participants to reduce ambivalence as they cycle through the stages of change. This evidenced-based practice improves the VR Participant’s self-responsibility, enhances a collaborative partnership with their VR Staff Member, and evokes positive change talk by following the five basic principles of MI:

1. Understanding Perspective: Attempting to understand the lived experiences and worldview of the VR Participant, without judgement, through reflective listening and empathy.
    
2. Exploring Ambivalence: Focusing on the VR Participant’s arguments for change, as opposed to not changing, to reflect discrepancies between behaviors and values.
    
3. Rolling with Resistance: Accepting and exploring reluctance to change without disagreeing, arguing, or persuading the VR Participant.
    
4. Supporting Self-Efficacy: Encouraging VR Participants to make their own decisions, form their own goals, and identify the resources they have available to achieve success.
    
5. Strengthening Commitment to Change: Collaborating with the VR Participant to help construct and implement a change plan.

The above five basic principles are essential to Motivational Interviewing and are interwoven throughout VR services when VR Staff Members embrace the MI philosophy, also known as the MI Spirit:

• Partnership: The VR Staff Member and Participant are allies who share mutual respect and play a major role in the participant's present and future employment success.
   
• Compassion: The VR Staff Member recognizes and prioritizes the participant’s welfare, actively listens, and takes genuine interest in their wellbeing
   
• Evocation: The VR Staff Member draws out the participant's priorities, values, abilities, and capabilities to explore reasons for change for employment success.
   
• Acceptance: The VR Staff Member expresses empathy, is nonjudgmental, and attempts to understand the participant’s world view, lived experiences, and perspectives with respect to autonomy.

CliftonStrengths is a web-based assessment which measures the presence of talents in 34 general areas across 4 domains. Upon completing the CliftonStrengths assessment, respondents receive a report displaying their top five (most dominant) themes.

Nebraska VR has adopted the CliftonStrengths assessment to recognize the unique talents of each VR Staff Member to inspire and enhance team collaboration. This collaboration strengthens staff engagement, project and service delivery, and overall team productivity by promoting active collaboration utilizing everyone’s unique strengths.

Source: Adapted from work by Gallup, CliftonStrengths (2024)