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Inside Hands of Heartland, budding artists work on all sorts of creative projects, from door hangers to pottery. Hands of Heartland offers a wide variety of programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including day services at a Makerspace in the organization's Bellevue location. While the facility is bustling on the Monday afternoon when we visit, it faced major pandemic challenges over the past year, from limited in-person access to closing down altogether. President of Operations Brett Samson said that had a big impact. "The art skills are great, but really it's about being around people, being out into the community," Samson said.
Tony Green, Division of Developmental Disabilities Director for Nebraska's Health Department, said programs for the 5,000 people they serve had to go virtual or were significantly limited in capacity. "I mean, this last year has been tough on folks, the isolation," Green said, "We're just glad that this day is finally here that we can start welcoming our folks back into their communities and with their friends."
Both Green and Samson said a big factor in this shift back to pre-pandemic operations, is vaccines. "Vaccinations are really what allowed us to feel comfortable starting to open back up and getting more close to normal" Samson said.
Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services held special clinics for this population. "The vaccination rates for folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities that we're aware of, that participate in our programming, is actually higher than the general population numbers that we're seeing today, which is really good," Green said.
Nicole Bell attends day services at Hands of Heartland, and she's gotten her vaccine.
"It was kind of hard some days, being stuck at home, trying to find different things to do," Nicole said. Not only has she been able to participate in in-person activities at Hands of Heartland, they've also begun to venture out, to places like the Lied Center and local parks. "She has blossomed here, her self-confidence," said Pat Bell, Nicole's mom, "So, we were glad when it opened up, so that some of them could come back." After a long year, service providers and families alike said this moment is one to celebrate. "This has been really, really, really good," Pat said.
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