Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

State Department of Education: Special Education 
Gary M. Sherman, Administrator
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education 
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987 
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 
(402) 471-2471 (V/TTY); 
E-mail: gsherman@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us/SPED/sped.html

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Andrew Rikli, Program Specialist
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education
6949 S. 110th Street
Omaha, NE 68128
(402) 595-1952
E-mail: arikli@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2 
Joan Luebbers, Part C Co-Coordinator
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2463
E-mail: luebbers@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us

Charlotte Lewis, Part C Co-Coordinator
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 95044
Lincoln, NE 68509-5044
(402) 471-9329
E-mail: charlie.lewis@hhss.state.ne.us
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5 
Jan Thelen, Coordinator
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education 
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987 
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 
(402) 471-4319
E-mail: jthelen@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us

Nebraska ChildFind, Rights, Resources, & Referrals for Children with Disabilities: Birth through 21
Steve Miller, Statewide Coordinator
Nebraska ChildFind
5143 S. 48th Street, Suite C
Lincoln, NE 68516-2204
(402) 471-0734; (888) 806-6287 (in NE)
E-mail: smiller@atp.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us/ATP/childfind.asp

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Frank Lloyd, Director 
Vocational Rehabilitation 
Nebraska Department of Education 
301 Centennial Mall South, 6th Floor
P. O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 
(402) 471-3649
Web: www.vocrehab.state.ne.us

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities 
Donna Vrbka, Director
Career Guidance and Counseling
Nebraska Department of Education
301 Centennial Mall South 
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987
(402) 471-4811
E-mail: dvrbka@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us/CARED/career.html

Coordinator for Transition Services 
Jack Shepard, State Transition Coordinator
Educational Service Unit #9
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education
P.O. Box 2047
Hastings, NE 68902
(402) 463-5611
E-mail: jack_s@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us/SPED/sped.html

State Mental Health Agency 
George Hanigan, Deputy Director 
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 98925
Lincoln, NE 68509-8925 
(402) 479-5117
E-mail: george.hanigan@hhss.state.ne.us
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth 
Susan Adams, Program Specialist
Child and Adolescent Project Coordination
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 98925
Lincoln, NE 68509-8925 
(402) 479-5128
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us

State Developmental Disabilities Programs 
Carla Sorensen, Administrator
Developmental Disabilities System 
Office of Aging and Disability Services
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 98925 
Lincoln, NE 68509-8925
(402) 479-5110
E-mail: carla.sorensen@hhss.state.ne.us
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us/

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council 
Mary Gordon, Program Administrator
Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 95044
Lincoln, NE 68509-5044
(402) 471-2330 
E-mail: mary.gordon@hhss.state.ne.us
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us/dip/gpcdd.htm

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Timothy Shaw, Executive Director
Nebraska Advocacy Services, Inc. 
522 Lincoln Center Building
134 South 13th Street, Suite 600
Lincoln, NE 68508 
(402) 474-3183; (800) 422-6691
E-mail: nas@nas-pa.org

Client Assistance Program 
Victoria Rasmussen, CAP Director 
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services 
Nebraska Department of Education 
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987 
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987
(402) 471-3656; (800) 742-7594 (In NE)
E-mail: victoria@cap.state.ne.us
Web: www.cap.state.ne.us

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Mary Jo Iwan, Deputy Administrator
Aging and Disability Services
Special Services for Children and Adults
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 95044
Lincoln, NE 68509-5044
(402) 471-9345
E-mail: maryjo.iwan@hhss.state.ne.us
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Finance and Support 
(Kids Connection)
P.O. Box 95026
Lincoln, NE 68509-5026
Phone: (402) 471-8845
E-mail: deb.scherer@hhss.state.ne.us
Web: www.hhs.state.ne.us/med/kidsconx.htm

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired 
Pearl Van Zandt, Director 
Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
4600 Valley Road, Suite 100 
Lincoln, NE 68510 
(402) 471-2891
E-mail: pvanz@ncbvi.state.ne.us
Web: www.ncbvi.state.ne.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing 
Robert Hill, Director
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987
(402) 471-2471
E-mail: roberthill@nde.state.ne.us

Tanya Wendel, Executive Director
Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
4600 Valley Road, Suite 420
Lincoln, NE 68510-4844
(402) 471-3593 (V/TTY); (800) 545-6244 (in NE)
E-mail: twendel@ncdhh.state.ne.us
Web: www.nol.org/home/NCDHH

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 833-0920 (V)
(800) 833-7352 (TTY/ASCII); 711 (TTY)
(888) 696-0629 (Fast ASCII)
(888) 272-5527 (Speech to Speech)
(888) 272-5528 (Spanish)

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind 
Pearl Van Zandt, Director 
Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
4600 Valley Road, Suite 100 
Lincoln, NE 68510 
(402) 471-2891 
E-mail: pvanz@ncbvi.state.ne.us
Web: www.ncbvi.state.ne.us

State Education Agency Rural Representative 
Dr. Douglas D. Christensen, Commissioner
Nebraska Department of Education 
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987 
(402) 471-5025
E-mail: doug_ch@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center 
Jim de Jong, Director
ADA and I.T. Center
Great Plains Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center
University of Missouri/Columbia
100 Corporate Lake Drive
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 882-3600 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: ada@missouri.edu
Web: www.adaproject.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
J. Michael Leibowitz, Ph.D., Director
Munroe-Meyer Institute 
UCEDD
985450 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5450
(402) 559-5702
Web: www.unmc.edu/mmi

Technology-Related Assistance 
Mark Schultz, Director
Nebraska Assistive Technology Partnership
5143 S. 48th Street, Suite C
Lincoln, NE 68516-2204
(402) 471-0734 (V/TTY); (888) 806-6287 (V/TTY)
Email: atp@atp.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us/ATP/

Pam Brown, Coordinator
Nebraska Educational Assistive Technology (NEAT)
1910 Meridian Avenue
Cozad, NE 69130-1159
(308) 784-4525
E-mail: neatcenter@esu10.org
Web: www.neatinfo.net

Patti Neill, Program Manager
TechConnectors
1910 Meridian Avenue
Cozad, NE 69130
(308) 784-4525; (800) 652-0033 (Cozad)
(402) 595-1920; (877) 201-4141 (Omaha)
E-mail: techconnectors@esu10.org
Web: http://www.techconnectors.net

State Mediation System 
Rose Dymacek, Consultant 
Special Populations Office
Nebraska Department of Education
301 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987
(402) 471-2471
E-mail: rdymacek@nde.state.ne.us
Web: www.nde.state.ne.us/SPED/mediation/index.html

Special Format Library
Nebraska Library Commission 
Talking Book and Braille Service
The Atrium 
1200 N Street, Suite 120 
Lincoln, NE 68508-2023 
(402) 471-4038; (800) 742-7691 
Web: www.nlc.state.ne.us/tbbs/tbbs1.html

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 201
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Cynthia Archwamety, President
Autism Society of Nebraska
1407 E. 33rd Drive
Kearny, NE 68847
(402) 484-8003
E-mail: arcofbuffalocounty@frontiernet.net

Dr. Andrew Lepinski, President
Families for Effective Autism Treatment of Nebraska, Inc.
7545 Stevens Ridge Road
Lincoln, NE 68516
(402) 486-1198
E-mail: featofne@neb.rr.com
Web: www.featofnebraska.com

Blind/Visual Impairments
Mary Ann Siller, Director
American Foundation for the Blind - Southwest
260 Treadway Plaza, Exchange Park
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 352-7222
E-mail: dallas@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Cerebral Palsy
Paul Miller, Executive Director
United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska
7101 Newport Avenue, Suite 309
Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 572-3686; (800) 729-2556
E-mail: UCPofNE@aol.com
Web: www.ucp.org

Epilepsy
Lynne Holmquist, Executive Director
Epilepsy Association of Nebraska, Inc.
510 S. 51st Avenue
Omaha, NE 68106
(402) 558-7383
E-mail: lynne_holmquist@yahoo.com

Learning Disabilities 
Vicki Olson, President
Learning Disabilities Association of Nebraska
P.O. Box 6464
Omaha, NE 68106-6464
(402) 348-1567
E-mail: ldaofneb@yahoo.com

Mental Health 
Linda Liebendorfer, Executive Director
Nebraska Family Support Network
3801 Harney Street, 2nd Floor
Omaha, NE 68131
(402) 505-4608; (800) 245-6081
E-mail: nfsn_advocate@yahoo.com

Colleen Wuebben, Executive Director
NAMI-Nebraska
1941 S. 42nd Street, Suite 517
Omaha, NE 68105
(402) 345-8101; (877) 463-6264
E-mail: cwuebben@nami.org
Web: www.nami.org/
Web: http://ne.nami.org/

Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities
Lois R. Rood, Executive Director
The Arc of Nebraska
1672 Van Dorn Street
Lincoln, NE 68502
(402) 475-4407
E-mail: arcneb@lnetnebr.com
Web: www.arc-nebraska.org

Speech and Hearing 
Angie Carman, Executive Assistant
Nebraska Speech-Language-Hearing Association 
455 S. 11th Street, Suite A 
Lincoln, NE 68508-2105
(402) 476-9573
E-mail: angie@ncsa.org
Web: www.nslha.org

Spina Bifida 
Spina Bifida Association of Nebraska 
7101 Newport Avenue, Suite 206
Omaha, NE 68152-2153 
(402) 572-3570

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Glenda Davis, Executive Director 
PTI Nebraska 
3135 N. 93rd Street 
Omaha, NE 68134 
(402) 346-0525 (V/TTY); (800) 284-8520 (V/TTY in NE only)
E-mail: info@pti-nebraska.org
Web: www.pti-nebraska.org

Parent-To-Parent 
Parent to Parent Network
P.O. Box 1402
504 Prospect Avenue
Norfolk, NE 68702
(402) 379-2268; (877) 379-9926
Web: www.parent-parent.org

Sheila Waldron, Coordinator 
Pilot Parents 
1941 S. 42nd Street, Suite 122
Omaha, NE 68105 
(402) 346-5220 
E-mail: sheila6793@hotmail.com
Web: www.olliewebb.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) 
Mark Ankersen, President
Nebraska Congress of Parents and Teachers
3534 S. 108th Street
Omaha, NE 68144
(402) 390-3339; (800) 714-3374 (in NE)
E-mail: ne_office@pta.org
Web: www.nebraskapta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Karen C. Ginder, President/CEO
Easter Seals Nebraska
638 N. 109th Plaza
Omaha, NE 68154
(402) 345-2200; (800) 650-9880
E-mail: kginder@ne.easterseals.org
Web: http://ne.easterseals.com

Connie K. Hayek, Director
Answers 4 Families
121 S. 13th Street, Suite 302
Lincoln, NE 68588-0227
(402) 472-9827; (800) 746-8420
E-mail: librarian@answers4families.org
Web: www.answers4families.org

Joe Govier
People First of Nebraska
345 S. G Street
Broken Bow, NE 68822
(308) 872-6490
E-mail: peoplefirstofnebr@lycos.com
Web: www.peoplefirstofnebraska.org

Independent Living 

To find out the contact information for the Statewide 
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for 
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406; (703) 525-4153 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org