Disability Rights South Dakota is a private non-profit with the mission to protect and advocate for the rights of South Dakotans with disabilities through legal, administrative and other appropriate remedies. Disability Rights South Dakota assists persons of all ages with issues relating to disabilities: Information and referral Abuse, neglect and rights violations based on disability Discrimination based on disability Employment Social Security/SSI/SSDI and how to incorporate benefits into your ability to work Voting Persons with disabilities, parents, guardians, attorneys, professionals and others concerned about the rights of persons with disabilities are encouraged to contact Disability Rights South Dakota. Corporate office is in Pierre and field offices are in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Call ahead for Sioux Falls and Rapid City as there may or may not be staff in-office.

Advocating for individuals attempting to obtain disability benefits through Social Security Administration programs.

Provides the following services - Advocacy: Teaches people with disabilities the skills needed to advocate for themselves. Independent Living Skills: Provides hands-on training in daily-living skills including cooking, budgeting, organizing, and more. Information and referral: Connects people with resources which can provide needed information to assist individuals to live independently. Peer counseling: Provides opportunities for people with disabilities to engage with others in small or large groups or on an individual basis. Transition: Facilitates the transition of individuals with disabilities from a nursing home to independent living; providing prevention services to individuals who choose to live independently and not in a nursing home or assisted-living setting; and assisting youth to gain skills as they transition into adulthood. Community Living Services: Assists individuals in obtaining accessible, affordable housing, transportation, and other community living services. Home Modifications Adaptive Devices: Provides home modifications and adaptive devices, which could include ramps, lift chairs, bathroom modifications, reachers, canes, walkers and more. Telecommunication Adaptive Devices: Provides adapted telecommunication services, which includes an emergency phone dialer. American's with Disabilities Act: Serves as educators and consultants for contractors, businesses, organizations, and individuals regarding the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its guidelines and requirements. Assistive Daily Living Services: Provides services for people ages 18 and older, with physical disabilities affecting all four limbs, who need assistance with daily living activities. Services include program education and support and personal attendant services. ​Money Follows the Person: Provides options for older adults and/or people with disabilities living in nursing homes, hospitals, or long-term care facilities to enable them to successfully return to their homes and communities. Helps individuals identify barriers to living on their own, helps them find a place to live that meets their needs, and helps them find the services and supports they need to continue living independently.

Provides education and tools to empower & encourage people in the state of South Dakota receiving Supplemental Security Income(SSI) & Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits to re-establish their self-sufficiency. Works with people who receiving SSI and SSDI benefits who are working or considering returning to work. Information is provided on available work incentives so beneficiaries can make informed choices about work and receive the support they need for a successful transition to self-sufficiency. Individuals must be between 14 years of age and full retirement age.

LSS Independent Living Services offers a strong and consistent support system to young adults ages 16 to 21 while they learn skills to be self-sufficient adults. Programs include a Community Resource Program and Young Voices Program. The Community Resource Program provides independent living skills through one-to-one education, workshops and conferences. It helps youth access funding for post-secondary education, housing assistance, and start-up support for graduating high school seniors. The Young Voices Program is a youth-led statewide group that seeks motivated individuals to provide VOICES - Vision, Opportunities, Ideas, Creativity, Enthusiasm, and Support - to those in foster homes, agencies or independent living arrangements.

A state agency that helps individuals with disabilities to gain and maintain compatible employment in an area of their choice. Some of the available services include vocational counseling and guidance, vocational assessments, training opportunities, on-the-job training, work site accommodations, and job placement services. Services and programs include Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Independent Living services, Telecommunications Adaptive Devices (TAD), Deaf Services, and Assistive Daily Living Services (ADLS). The Mitchell office only provides Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Voc. Rehab Counselors can make referrals to the above services and programs if clients reside in the Mitchell area.

Provides housing and community-based support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These include: Host Homes are available for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities where they get matched with a shared living provider and move into the provider home. The shared living provider is responsible to provide supports and services that foster independence. ​Transitions Home is a home that is staffed 24/7 and operated like a group home. It is used as a transition home while individuals are matching with their potential shared living and host home providers.

Provides a variety of home health service including nursing services (nail care, diabetic testing and monitoring, injections, catheter and ostomy care, etc.), personal care (bathing, dressing, feeding, ambulation & mobility, incontinence care etc.), homemaking/companion care (laundry, housekeeping, meal preparation, etc.), and structured family caregiving (a program which provides a financial stipend to family members who provide personal care and support services to an individual in their private home or the private home of the principal caregiver).

Provides a variety of home health service including nursing services (nail care, diabetic testing and monitoring, injections, catheter and ostomy care, etc.), personal care (bathing, dressing, feeding, ambulation & mobility, incontinence care etc.), homemaking/companion care (laundry, housekeeping, meal preparation, etc.), and structured family caregiving (a program which provides a financial stipend to family members who provide personal care and support services to an individual in their private home or the private home of the principal caregiver).

A state agency that works with individuals who are blind and or visually impaired in the area of employment and independent living. Services that are available if eligibility is met and or economic need include Diabetic education, Vocational counseling, Job placement, Training in specialized skills of blindness (cane, travel, braille, daily living), Job development, On-the-job training, Guidance and counseling, Job follow-up, Restoration, Assistive technology services, Job retention, Funding for training, Funding for eye surgery (If economic need is met), and Low Vision services (includes a visual examination conducted by a trained specialist in the field of low vision, assessment of visual functioning of individual needs and goals, prescriptions for specialized low vision devices, and individualized training).

A state agency that helps individuals with disabilities to gain and maintain compatible employment in an area of their choice. Some of the available services include vocational counseling and guidance, vocational assessments, training opportunities, on-the-job training, work site accommodations, and job placement services. Services and programs include Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Independent Living services, Telecommunications Adaptive Devices (TAD), Deaf Services, and Assistive Daily Living Services (ADLS). The Mitchell office only provides Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Voc. Rehab Counselors can make referrals to the above services and programs if clients reside in the Mitchell area.

Provides support services to people with disabilities and elderly individuals to assist with living independently. Services provided include: individual and systems advocacy, information and referral, peer support, independent living skills, transitions in living arrangements, home modifications, housing, employment services, recreational services, technology adaptive services, and transportation services.

Emphasis is placed on high quality services that are flexible, creative, innovative and orientated toward practical and useful life skills. Services include semi-independent supervised apartments, group residence, independent home-based services-monitoring/support, educational services, service coordination, nursing services, alternative services, prevocational services, and integrated vocational services-job development.

Providing health care and supportive services in a patient's home. Home Health may be considered for people who are recovering from an illness, injury, or surgery, undergoing treatment, people with disabilities, and those who are chronically ill or terminally ill. Services offered are skilled nursing care, home health aides for personal care, rehabilitation therapy (physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy), social services, patient/family education, medication monitoring, and nutrition consultation.

Early Head Start prenatal and children age birth to five, promotes healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant women; helps enhance the development of very young children and promotes healthy family functioning; and provides early childhood education, health, nutrition, and mental health services. All services are provided in the home. Head Start Centers offer a comprehensive, no cost early learning and support program for children 3 - 5. Residents of Corson County are served through the Lemmon Head Start Center.

A state agency that helps individuals with disabilities to gain and maintain compatible employment in an area of their choice. Some of the available services include vocational counseling and guidance, vocational assessments, training opportunities, on-the-job training, work site accommodations, and job placement services. Services and programs include Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Independent Living services, Telecommunications Adaptive Devices (TAD), Deaf Services, and Assistive Daily Living Services (ADLS). The Mitchell office only provides Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Voc. Rehab Counselors can make referrals to the above services and programs if clients reside in the Mitchell area.

Provides a variety of home health service including nursing services (nail care, diabetic testing and monitoring, injections, catheter and ostomy care, etc.), personal care (bathing, dressing, feeding, ambulation & mobility, incontinence care etc.), homemaking/companion care (laundry, housekeeping, meal preparation, etc.), and structured family caregiving (a program which provides a financial stipend to family members who provide personal care and support services to an individual in their private home or the private home of the principal caregiver).

Vocational training is a unique program for any Vocational Rehabilitation client that helps individuals with disabilities to prepare for employment through assessment, training, and transitioning to employment. The program is designed to individualize training for each person to find their strengths, identify difficulties, develop confidence, and prepare them for employment while in a small group setting. Individuals eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation services are eligible to receive services through South Dakota Vocational Resources. The Certified Brain Injury Specialist is a contact for support and resources for those with a brain injury and for their caregivers throughout the state. Individuals do not need to be a vocational rehabilitation client to access brain injury supports.

Provides the following services on the road to a life of purpose and possibilities: residential services, employment discovery, supported employment, community life engagement, client benefits management, nursing/coordination of medial services, special education/transition services, and behavior support services.

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) helps people with disabilities get connected to information about local community resources that support independent living. DIAL is a public service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL).

​Provides accessible, income based housing. Income limits apply, but no minimum income is required to qualify. There is no obligation upon applying and no application fee.

 LifeScape has licensed residential programs for children and adults in Sioux Falls. Children/Young Adult - LifeScape offers a structured residential program for children and young adults through age 21. The goal is to return individuals to their own families and schools as quickly as possible. Most attend the specialty school, but some may attend a public school. ​Adults - Some live in apartments or homes that they rent or own. Others live in groups of four to 12 in properties owned by LifeScape. Some adults need support 24 hours a day, and others need help only one or two hours a month.

Provides the following services - Advocacy: Teaches people with disabilities the skills needed to advocate for themselves. Independent Living Skills: Provides hands-on training in daily-living skills including cooking, budgeting, organizing, and more. Information and referral: Connects people with resources which can provide needed information to assist individuals to live independently. Peer counseling: Provides opportunities for people with disabilities to engage with others in small or large groups or on an individual basis. Transition: Facilitates the transition of individuals with disabilities from a nursing home to independent living; providing prevention services to individuals who choose to live independently and not in a nursing home or assisted-living setting; and assisting youth to gain skills as they transition into adulthood. Community Living Services: Assists individuals in obtaining accessible, affordable housing, transportation, and other community living services. Home Modifications Adaptive Devices: Provides home modifications and adaptive devices, which could include ramps, lift chairs, bathroom modifications, reachers, canes, walkers and more. Telecommunication Adaptive Devices: Provides adapted telecommunication services, which includes an emergency phone dialer. American's with Disabilities Act: Serves as educators and consultants for contractors, businesses, organizations, and individuals regarding the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its guidelines and requirements. Assistive Daily Living Services: Provides services for people ages 18 and older, with physical disabilities affecting all four limbs, who need assistance with daily living activities. Services include program education and support and personal attendant services. ​Money Follows the Person: Provides options for older adults and/or people with disabilities living in nursing homes, hospitals, or long-term care facilities to enable them to successfully return to their homes and communities. Helps individuals identify barriers to living on their own, helps them find a place to live that meets their needs, and helps them find the services and supports they need to continue living independently.

Provides support and technical assistance to high school students with disabilities and their families, local education agencies, and agencies seeking information on transition planning. Activities provided include: training to students, families, schools, and adult service agencies on transition and development of transition plans; identifying and obtaining instructional materials and assistance with implementation of self determination curriculum; Student leadership activities; Youth Leadership Forum; one-day events such as 'Catch the College Wave', and 'Let's Talk Work'; Individual support and/or assistance; and Post-secondary education linkages.

Home Health can help patients make a good transition from hospital to home, or receive the help and care they need at home. Services include physical and occupational therapy, medication management, wound care, IVs and central lines, personal care, light housekeeping and meal preparation.