Civil and Legal Resources

Civil and Legal Resources

Disability rights are human rights.

All people have the right to be included in their community and live a full life with access to public spaces, housing, education, and employment.

This section explores some of the available civil and legal services available to people with disability in Nebraska.

Disability Rights Nebraska

As the protection and advocacy system in Nebraska, Disability Rights Nebraska is part of a nationwide network of disability rights agencies. Disability Rights Nebraska investigates incidents of abuse and neglect and may provide legal representation to protect the legal and human rights of people with disabilities. For more information call 800-422-6691.

Legal Aid of Nebraska

This organization provides free legal representation to underprivileged citizens and works to cultivate self-sufficiency among their clients. They provide information, legal counsel and support. For more information, call 877-250-2016.

Nebraska Appleseed

This is a nonprofit organization that fights for justice and opportunity for all Nebraskans. They provide referrals, advocacy and advice. They typically do not take individual cases but instead work on issues that impact many people at once.

State Ombudsman’s Office

The Office of the Public Counsel (also known as the State Ombudsman's Office) is an independent complaint-handling office for citizens who have complaints about the actions of state administrative agencies. The ombudsman's office is independent of the agencies that it investigates and works to resolve problems between administrative agencies and citizens. This office works to investigate and resolve citizens' complaints relating to the actions of state agencies and promote accountability in public administration. For more information, call 800-742-7690.

Nebraska’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

This program includes regional staff who advocate for the rights and well-being of individuals who are living in long-term care facilities or nursing homes. The ombudsman will take calls from families, friends and staff regarding concerns about a resident or residents of a long-term care facility. The ombudsman works for the satisfaction of the resident. For more information, call 800-942-7830 or email.

Volunteer Lawyer Project/Nebraska Bar Association

The Nebraska Bar Association runs a pro-bono (free) legal clinic for those who have limited resources. For more information, call 800-742-3005, or in the Lincoln area, 402-475-7091.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law Civil Clinic

University of Nebraska-Lincoln law students represent low-income clients in a wide variety of civil and administrative cases selected by the faculty for potential litigation and trial experiences. For more information, call 402-472-3271.

Creighton University Civil Law Clinic 

The Milton R. Abrahams Legal Clinic, the civil practice clinic at the Creighton University School of Law, provides hands-on experience for their law students—and free legal assistance on civil matters for low-income residents of Douglas County, Neb. The clinic, staffed by Creighton law students and overseen by law faculty, operates as a small law firm. For more information, call 402-280-3068.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nebraska

The ACLU works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The ACLU protects individuals’ freedom through a nationwide network of staffed offices in every state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. To request legal assistance, call 402-476-8091.

Think College Plain Language Series

Think College is a national initiative dedicated to developing, expanding and improving research and practice in inclusive higher education for students with intellectual disability. The Plain Language Series includes four publications on WIOA, federal financial aid for college, FERPA, and the ABLE Act. Each document explains why the specific topic is important for people with disabilities and all are written in simple language using a question and answer format.