Employment

WHAT IF I WANT A JOB?

Rainbow Center will assist consumers with employment. There is a waiting period for consumers after entry into Rainbow Center. This waiting period is to provide the consumer an opportunity to make a smooth transition back into the community, and for Rainbow Center staff to get to know the consumer better. During this period the consumer is encouraged to prepare for employment by attending group meetings held during the day.

VOCATIONAL SUPPORT

Rainbow Center has offered Vocational Support since 1994, and provided a great deal of feedback to the State of Nebraska to develop this service. At that time there was no service to assist consumers that were looking for a permanent employment situation. All the services were designed for temporary situations. Through voc support Rainbow Center can provide pre-employment support, job coaching on the job, and support after the consumer is no longer receiving job coaching. Consumers receiving voc support services are also kept active for other services such as day rehab, community support, and day support. This allows the consumer to utilize all the Rainbow Center services.

SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

Rainbow Center has offered Supported Employment services since 1993. This employment program is provided through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Supported employment allows consumers to participate in the Rainbow Center employment program and not be involved with the other services provided by the program. Through supported employment Rainbow Center requests each consumer be enrolled for service through Vocational Rehabilitation. Vocational Rehabilitation then refers consumers/clients to the Rainbow Center to work on job placement and other needs the client may need to maintain employment. Rainbow Center staff will assist with not only the placement, but also with job coaching. Job coaching allows the consumer to have someone familiar on the job site to help him or her learn new job duties. Job coaches are available until the consumer, their supervisor at work, and their job coach all feel job coaching is no longer needed. Consumers may request a job coach any time during their employment should they feel the need for support on the job site.