To create a Commonwealth that advances opportunities for independence, personal decision-making, and full participation in community life for individuals with developmental and other disabilities.

Virginians with developmental and other disabilities direct their own lives and choose how they live, learn, work, and play.

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The mission of the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (the Board) is to create a Commonwealth that advances opportunities for independence, personal decision-making, and full participation in community life for individuals with developmental and other disabilities. The Board envisions a Commonwealth in which Virginians with developmental and other disabilities direct their own lives and choose how they live, learn, work, and play. The Board serves as Virginia’s Developmental Disabilities Council, authorized by the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (42 U.S.C. §15021-15029) and the 1985 Virginians with Disabilities Act (Va. Code §51.5-31 through §51.5-33).

The Board conducts three primary activities to advance systemic change that meets the needs of people with disabilities. These activities include (i) serving as a policy advisor; (ii) providing competitive grants, contracts, and other investments to advance systemic change and capacity building; and (iii) preparing people with disabilities and their family members, through training, to be leaders in the advocacy community. The Board does not provide direct services to people with developmental and other disabilities.  It does provide information and referrals, and educates constituents, on issues of importance through social media and other communication venues.

The Board’s focus continues to be advancing systemic change so that people with developmental and other disabilities can be independent, make their own decisions, and fully participate in community life. The Board prioritizes work that meets the goals and objectives in its five-year State Plan mandated by the federal government. The goals and objectives in its current State Plan, which covers federal fiscal year 2022 through 2026, pertain to community living, health and safety, education, employment, and self-advocacy. To this end, the Board will continue its primary functions of serving as a policy leader and advisor; providing competitive grants, contracts, and other investments; and preparing people with disabilities and their family members to be leaders in the advocacy community. Key strategic initiatives in each of these areas are summarized below, followed by information on a few agency-wide initiatives.

The Board will continue to improve the value of its policy assessments by better leveraging its existing connections to the disability community and other key stakeholders. Each year, the Board is statutorily required to assess two areas of the disability services system and submit a related report with recommendations to the Governor. Previously, the Board’s policy assessments relied primarily on publicly available information. In recent years, the Board began incorporating more primary research by (1) surveying or interviewing people with disabilities and their family members, and (2) requesting available information and data from other state agencies. Moving forward, the Board also plans to better leverage its connections to advocate for key assessment recommendations through, for example, webinars, workgroups, and/or summits. The Board strives to balance the value of these efforts with the agency’s limited resources.

In this biennium, the Board will strive to improve the quality of grant proposals and project monitoring. Key strategies include increased outreach, increased technical assistance including more guidance on project evaluation, and the development of a more standardized process for reviewing and providing feedback on grantee quarterly reports. The Board’s grant processes will continue to evolve over time in response to evaluation results and stakeholder feedback.

The Board will also continue to refine its training programs to better prepare people with disabilities and their family members to be leaders in the advocacy community.  The COVID-19 pandemic helped the Board realize the benefits of virtual programming, which included increased accessibility and lower costs. Moving forward, the Board will evaluate how to best balance in-person and virtual formats across all three of its training programs. The Board will also re-evaluate recent changes to its Partners in Policymaking curriculum to ensure alignment with the national model.

In addition to strategic initiatives in each of the agency’s three main functional areas, the Board is embarking on an agency-wide effort to improve the quality of its work by being more culturally and linguistically competent. The Board participated in several training sessions on cultural and linguistic competency (CLC) during 2021-22 which resulted in the identification of short, intermediate, and long-term action steps. The Board will be implementing these action steps in the coming years. Early action steps include developing a language access plan, conducting outreach to multicultural organizations, spotlighting diversity in agency communications, collecting and analyzing more data on underserved subpopulations, and establishing a Diversity Committee. The Board also recently incorporated CLC requirements into its Request for Proposals process and is in the process of improving the accessibility of the Board’s website. The Board’s priorities in this area will continue to evolve over time in response to evaluation results and community input.

The Board is also embarking on an agency-wide effort to reduce operational costs. The Board can reduce its office space as a result of increased telework during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The Board is in the process of finalizing a plan which is expected to yield cost savings. The Board will also take advantage of new state statutes that will allow it to hold some quarterly meetings electronically, thus reducing the associated travel, food, and lodging costs.

The Board is a member of the Disability Services Agency (DSA) group which includes the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH), Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired (VRCBVI) and Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (WWRC). IT services are provided by VITA and oversight for these IT services and management of VITA for the agency is provided by the IT staff located at the DARS and WWRC headquarters facility. The DSA consortium shares not only common back office IT applications, staff and data, it also shares back office fiscal processes—accounts payable, grants, payroll and general services—as well as Human Resources.

The Board paid about 32% of its general fund allocation in SFY 2022 to the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA). Although the cost is similar to other state agencies, it is a larger percentage of the Board’s general fund budget given that it is a relatively small agency.  Without additional general fund allocations, it will become increasingly challenging to cover IT-related costs, particularly for new services and supports.

The Board will continue to leverage internet technology to expand its reach and effectiveness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board realized the benefits of web conferencing tools like Zoom to hold internal and external meetings, which ultimately increased accessibility and decreased total costs. The Board also recently acquired survey software, SurveyMonkey, which has been an integral tool for the Board’s research and evaluation work. Moving forward, the Board plans to fund a public awareness campaign that will include, among other things, expansion into video production and the TikTok platform. All these efforts will take advantage of the Commonwealth’s expansion of broadband access and electronic meeting authorities.

The Board is working to rebuild institutional knowledge and relationships that were lost in recent years due to staff turnover. Turnover in recent years included the Executive Director, Deputy Director of Public Policy & Legislative Affairs, and Director of Communications. While it takes time to hire and train new staff, they also bring fresh perspectives to the agency.

Staff turnover is an ongoing risk due to the agency’s size and funding levels. While the Board has a highly motivated and skilled workforce, it is still a small agency with limited growth opportunities. Salaries and benefits for positions requiring comparable educational and skill levels are significantly higher in larger agencies and in the private sector, which negatively impacts agencies with a small workforce. Several staff positions require expertise in multiple areas due to the agency’s small size. In addition, due to the Board’s limited MEL and funding, several positions which could be full-time are part-time wage positions.  It is difficult to maintain good employees in wage positions as they seek full-time employment with benefits. These factors collectively present both recruitment and retention challenges.

As a small agency with a flat organizational structure, continued funding challenges and increasing workload, few realistic opportunities exist for cross training of employees. Board staff share their knowledge with each other when relevant and feasible. The Board will also continue to use the agency’s employee recognition program and salary administration plan. The Board will also continue to review the effective use of internal and external agency resources, including staff resources, to take advantage of staff strengths and determine the most appropriate strategies for meeting agency goals with limited staff.

The Board plans to reduce its office space in the wake of rising rental costs and an increased reliance on telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board is in the process of finalizing a plan which is expected to yield cost savings. The plan will maintain dedicated office space for staff positions that will regularly maintain a presence in the office while converting the remaining office space to temporary working space for staff who primarily telework.

The Board will also continue previous efforts to limit the amount of in-house space needed. For example, Board staff will continue to hold meetings with external stakeholders at off-site locations, including other agency buildings, when available. This eases parking constraints and frees up the Board’s sole conference room for other purposes. The Board will also continue to maximize interaction with consumers via internet, video teleconferencing, social media and other technologies to reduce need for travel by both the consumer and agency staff.

Continued agency funding is contingent on Board compliance with federal requirements regarding Board composition. The Virginia General Assembly needs to amend the Code of Virginia to include a representative from the Virginia Department of Health’s Maternal and Child Health program on the Board. Additionally, the Commonwealth needs to continue to ensure that its Board appointments reflect the diversity of the Commonwealth in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, and geography.

Flat or declining federal and state funding, combined with increasing operational expenses, could limit the Board’s ability to carry out its activities as effectively as possible. Insufficient funding could reduce the resources available for staff salaries, grants and contract awards, training programs, information technology to accommodate people with disabilities, the agency’s physical plant, and other operational costs.

Staff turnover is an ongoing risk due to the agency’s size and funding levels. These factors limit salary competitiveness, promotional opportunities, staff ability to specialize, and the ability to convert part-time to full-time positions. These factors collectively present both recruitment and retention challenges. Effecting and overseeing systemic change is increasingly challenging for a small agency. Systemic change rarely happens quickly, nor easily, and often requires ongoing efforts over many years. Staff workloads have increased in order to monitor an increasing number of wide-reaching state initiatives underway, participate in numerous inter-agency workgroups guiding the initiatives, conduct primary research to inform its policy assessments, and evaluate the Board’s progress in compliance with more intensive state and federal reporting requirements. Effecting and overseeing systemic change requires substantial policy expertise, continuous involvement in state initiatives, collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders, and good data collection to track impact.

Complying with evolving state and federal requirements is increasingly challenging for a small agency. The Board has to comply with extensive state and federal requirements regarding strategic planning, budgeting, procurement, and evaluation. However, the Board has substantially fewer staff than that of other agencies, resulting in a larger portion of the Board’s workload being spent on these requirements compared to other agencies. These responsibilities have limited the amount of time the Board can spend on other operations and have resulted in an ongoing re-evaluation of resource utilization, priorities, and activities.

The Board's primary source of funding is its federal grant award from the Administration for Community Living, an agency under the Department of Health & Human Services. The grant award represents 89% or $1,900,390 of the agency’s state fiscal year 2023 annual budget. These funds are allocated annually based on the state’s population, the need for services for individuals with developmental disabilities, and the state’s financial need. The Board has a two year period of performance to obligate federal funds and perform associated activities and a third year to liquidate funds. The Commonwealth contributes the other 11% of the Board’s budget, or $234,058, from the state General Fund.

The agency was also awarded additional time-limited federal funding from the Administration for Community Living through the Board’s sub-contract with the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University for Project Living Well, a Project of National Significance. This funding amounts to $64,529 for federal FY 2022. The project may be extended beyond FY 2022, which would result in additional funding for the Board.

The agency also receives contributions from other state agencies to support participants of the Youth Leadership Academy, an in-house leadership program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The Youth Leadership Academy operates every other year, including July 2023. The Virginia Department of Education awards $500 per participant, which is used to directly support the students’ attendance at the four-day leadership training program. Starting in 2018, the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired also awards $500 per participant who is blind or vision impaired, and the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services awards $500 per participant excluding participants for whom the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired provides funding. These contributions are not guaranteed and depend on available funding.

The Board's only consistent annual revenue is its federal fund allocation under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 and the state general funds.

In addition to the performance measures presented elsewhere, the statistics in the following table illustrate the breadth and depth of the Board’s efforts to-date to advance systemic change for people with disabilities:

The number of people with developmental disabilities is expected to increase as Virginia’s overall population, and the reported prevalence of developmental disabilities within the overall population, continue to increase. Virginia’s population is expected to increase by about 484,000 people between 2020 and 2030, or six percent, according to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. The prevalence of diagnosed developmental disabilities in children ages 3 to 17 increased by 21 percent between 2014 and 2016, according to the latest data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The increased prevalence has been attributed to improvements in the identification of developmental disabilities and increased risk of developing a developmental disability.

The number of people with developmental disabilities seeking services is expected to increase as the number of people with developmental disabilities increases, Virginia continues to shift people with disabilities from institutional to community-based settings, and people become more aware of available community-based disability services. People’s ability to live independently in the community depends on access to services such as housing, transportation, and competitive employment. However, the Board expects that the number of people with disabilities it serves, and other stakeholders it serves, will remain stable due to flat or declining federal and state funding.

• The Board’s major publications are annual assessments of two key areas of the disability service system, which serve as the basis for the Board’s policy recommendations and priorities.


• The Board serves as a policy advisor on issues affecting people with developmental and other disabilities through legislative testimony, formal and informal comments on policies, regulations, and budget actions, and participation in numerous inter-agency workgroups.


• The Board provides competitive grants, contracts, and other investments for public and private projects that promote independence, self-determination, and inclusion of people with developmental and other disabilities. The Board prioritizes projects that meet the goals and objectives in its federally-mandated five-year state plan.


• The Board trains people with disabilities and their family members to be leaders in the advocacy community through the (i) Youth Leadership Academy, which currently focuses on rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with disabilities, and (ii) Partners in Policymaking program, which trains adults with developmental disabilities and parents of young children with developmental disabilities.


• The Board began implementing a Training Alumni Association (formerly Alumni Development Program) in 2016 to engage alumni of its two training programs with each other, the Board, and other disability organizations in order to advocate for systemic change on the local, state and federal levels.

The Board’s key performance metric is the number of policymakers and other stakeholders who are educated through the policy initiatives. This is a new state performance measure to better align with the Board’s federal performance measures. The Board educated over 350 policymakers during the 2021 baseline year for this biennium. This number is substantially higher than previous years, and will likely be higher than subsequent years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Moving forward, the Board aims to maintain or exceed its historical average of 300 policymakers educated. Flat funding levels do not realistically allow for increased advocacy.

Another key performance area is the Board’s training programs for people with disabilities and their family members. The Board’s two long-standing training programs, the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) and Partners in Policymaking (PIP), are highly rated. The Board also began implementing a relatively new Training Alumni Association in 2016 to enhance YLA and PIP graduates’ advocacy efforts for systemic change and capacity building. Due at least in part to the program, the Board was able to substantially increase the number of training program graduates who report being engaged in advocacy or leadership activities from 25 and 22 in FFYs 2015-2016, respectively, to 64 in FFY 2021. Moving forward, the Board aims to continue to modestly improve its performance on this measure through training additional people and continued marketing of the annual alumni survey. However, survey fatigue is an ongoing factor that can artificially limit performance on this measure.

In addition to policy and training programs, the Board’s activities include numerous grant projects. The Board’s grant performance measures has fluctuated over time due to recent changes in federal liquidation requirements, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the varied nature of grant projects funded. Nonetheless, the measures demonstrate that a substantial amount of the Board’s funded is reinvested in the community and is used to leverage other non-federal funding. Moving forward, the Board aims to maintain its commitment to community investment. Flat funding levels do not realistically allow for increased community investment and related matching funds.

Virginia has made notable progress towards improving services for people with disabilities in recent years. In 2012, Virginia committed to the U.S. Department of Justice that it would serve people in the most integrated settings. To that end, the Commonwealth has closed four of five training centers, added more Medicaid waiver slots for community-based long-term services and supports, and increased the provision of rental assistance for people to live in their own homes. Virginia will need to continue to honor this commitment moving forward.

Despite this progress, further policy changes are needed to enable people with developmental and other disabilities to be independent, self-directed, and fully included. Thousands of Virginians with developmental disabilities are still waiting for a Medicaid waiver slot. Those who have waivers often have difficulty finding service providers and are often served in segregated settings. Students with disabilities are disproportionately secluded from the regular classroom and three of every ten don’t graduate high school with a regular diploma. Fewer than four of every ten Virginians with disabilities are employed. Virginians with disabilities have worse health access and outcomes than people without disabilities due to factors that are often preventable. The Board will inform policymakers about the these and other unmet needs by regularly assessing the service system and recommending changes to key policymakers; commenting on regulations and budget actions; and participating in interagency workgroups.

The Board’s goal to strengthen its role as a policy leader and advisor is directly aligned with its mission, authority, and expertise. In order for the Board to realize its mission, policymakers in all branches of government need information and guidance to make funding and policy decisions that improve the lives of people with disabilities. State and federal statutes direct the Board to serve as a policy advisor to the Governor, General Assembly, state agencies, and other policymakers, and state statute directs the Board to submit an annual report to the Governor that assesses at least two major service areas for people with disabilities.

The Board is uniquely positioned to serve as a policy leader and advisor. VBPD can serve as an independent, objective voice on matters of state policy because it is principally federally funded. The Board’s unique composition gives it the expertise needed to be a comprehensive and educated source of information for policymakers on the needs of people with disabilities because it includes people with developmental disabilities and their families as the majority of the membership, giving the Board first-hand knowledge of the needs of people with disabilities. It also has representatives from key state agencies and other relevant organizations.

In order to strengthen its role as a policy leader, the Board will provide objective, comprehensive, and accurate information to policymakers on issues affecting people with developmental and other disabilities. The Board’s annual policy assessment of two major service areas is vital to this effort. In addition to the annual assessments, the Board will advise policymakers through legislative positions, formal and informal comments on regulations and budget actions, and participation in inter-agency workgroups.

• Produce annual assessments of at least two key service areas for people with disabilities that include recommendations for improvement

• Track legislation and regulations affecting people with disabilities for the Board, its partners, and other stakeholders

• Provide legislative testimony on issues affecting people with developmental and other disabilities

• Provide formal and informal comment on policies, regulations, and budget actions affecting people with developmental and other disabilities

• Participate in numerous inter-agency workgroups that address issues related to people with developmental and other disabilities

Improving the lives of people with developmental and other disabilities will require reform and expansion of the current public and private service system. Virginia continues its long-term policy to shift people with disabilities from institutional to community-based settings, a policy which was jumpstarted by the U.S. Department of Justice settlement agreement. As a result, more people will need access to services such as housing, competitive and integrated employment, health care, and other long-term care supports in order to live independently and productively in the community. Several barriers currently limit people’s ability to access these services including limited funding, limited service providers, inaccessible buildings, negative attitudes towards people with disabilities, and a lack of information. The Board will advance systemic change by providing competitive grants, and entering into contracts and other investments, for projects that address these barriers and explore other ways to improve the disability service system. In addition to grants, contracts, and other investment efforts, the Board will also advance systemic change through its policy work and educational efforts discussed in other goals.

The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities’ goal to promote independence, self-determination, and inclusion of people with disabilities is directly aligned with the Board’s mission, authority, and expertise. In order for the Board to achieve its mission, the public and private service system must be reformed and expanded so people with disabilities can access needed services and supports. State and federal statutes direct the Board to support a variety of projects including those that eliminate barriers to accessing community services, demonstrate new approaches to serving people with disabilities, educate communities to respond positively to people with disabilities, and educate the public about the abilities and needs of people with disabilities. The Board’s unique composition of people with disabilities and their family members, as well as key state agencies and community representatives, gives it the expertise needed to identify unmet service needs and barriers to accessing needed services.

In order to advance systemic change, the Board will support public and private projects that promote independence, self-determination, and inclusion of people with developmental and other disabilities through competitive grants, contracts, and other investments. These projects can include research, demonstration, outreach and education, and other projects. The Board will prioritize projects that meet the goals and objectives in its federally-mandated state plan for federal FY 2022-2026 which aim to promote community living, health and safety, inclusive education, competitive and integrated employment, and self-advocacy. In this biennium, the Board will try to improve the quality of grant proposals and project monitoring through increased outreach, increased requirements regarding cultural and linguistic competency, increased technical assistance including more guidance on project evaluation, and the development of a more standardized process for reviewing grantee quarterly reports. The Board’s grant processes will continue to evolve over time in response to evaluation results and stakeholder feedback.

• Conduct outreach about the Board’s funding opportunities via the Board’s social media, the Commonwealth’s grant website, targeted distribution to other key stakeholders including multicultural organizations, and other avenues to increase the number of quality proposals

• Provide technical assistance to aspiring grantees to increase the number of quality proposals through technical assistance calls, a grant writing manual, guidance on project evaluation, and assistance in development of federal performance measure targets

• Solicit, review, and fund grants, contracts, and other investments to public and private entities to implement initiatives that promote independence, self-determination, and inclusion of people with developmental and other disabilities in a culturally and linguistically competent way

• Encourage recipients of Board funding to look at collaborative funding with other partners and maximizing matching funds

• Administer Board’s sub-contract funding for Project Living Well, a Project of National Significance for which the Board is a sub-contractor in conjunction with several other organizations including the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Disability Law Center of Virginia

• Closely monitor grants, contracts, and other investments to ensure adequate funding, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability, and provide technical assistance to grantees as needed

• Disseminate the results of grant projects, contracts, and other investments to other disability organizations, policymakers, and the general public statewide

Improving the lives of people with developmental and other disabilities will continue to require increased awareness, among policymakers and the general public, of the right and ability of people with disabilities to be fully included in all facets of life. People with disabilities have historically been excluded from the rest of society in many facets of life including housing, education, and employment. This exclusion harms their quality of life by limiting their ability to be independent, be productive, make their own choices, and meaningfully connect to their communities. It also harms the greater community which is unable to benefit from the diversity of abilities of and contributions made by people with disabilities every day. Research indicates that exclusion can limit the social development of people without disabilities.

There is a lot of work yet to be accomplished to achieve full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities. Great progress has been made in reducing the state training center census since the implementation of the DOJ Settlement agreement; the census has decreased from over 1,100 at the start of the Agreement to under 75 as of May 2021. However, it is important to note that many of those who have been discharged have been transitioned to congregate, albeit smaller settings in the community such as group homes, intermediate care facilities for persons with I/DD, and in some cases nursing facilities. Nearly one-third of students with an Individualized Education Program spent less than 80 percent of their school day in a general education classroom, and nearly four percent of students were served in a separate facility, according to the 2021 Special Education Performance Report. Only 22 percent of people receiving day or employment services in Virginia had, or were on the pathway towards, a paid employment in an integrated setting in 2020, according to the latest report from the Institute on Community Inclusion. In addition to its policy work, the Board will increase awareness of the right and ability of people with disabilities to be fully included by increasing the availability of timely and accurate information, and by preparing future leaders in the advocacy community.

This goal directly aligns with the Board’s mission and authority. In order for the Board to realize its mission, policymakers and the general public need to respect the right and ability of people with disabilities to be fully included in all facets of life. The Board recently established a statement of Policy Values to guide the Board’s policy work in alignment with the Board’s mission and authority. Public attitudes influence both policy decisions and the extent to which the intent behind those policies is carried out on a daily basis. State and federal statutes direct the Board to support and educate communities to respond positively to people with disabilities, educate the public about the abilities and needs of people with disabilities, train people with disabilities and their families to advocate for their own needs, and strengthen self-advocacy organizations led by people with disabilities.

In order to increase awareness of the rights and abilities of people with disabilities, the Board will continue to provide timely, accurate, and accessible information to policymakers and the general public. The Board provides ongoing information to support policies that promote full inclusion of people with developmental and other disabilities, including regular assessments of the disability services system and the results of Board programs and activities including grant projects. This information is communicated through a variety of avenues including the Board’s website, social media, e-news, and other publications that are disseminated to select individuals and groups.

In this biennium, the Board will broaden its reach to new audiences by improving its cultural and linguistic competency and conducting a public awareness campaign. Specific strategies to improve the cultural and linguistic competency of agency communications will include developing a language access plan, conducting outreach to multicultural organizations, spotlighting diversity in agency communications, and streamlining its reports and websites to improve their visibility, accessibility, and relevance for diverse audiences. The Board also plans to fund a public awareness campaign that will include, among other things, expansion into video production and the TikTok platform.

• Widely disseminate annual assessments of at least two key service areas for people with disabilities

• Disseminate the results of Board programs and activities, including grant projects and training programs

• Streamline the Board’s reports and website to improve their visibility, accessibility, and relevance for diverse audiences

• Assess the effectiveness of the Board’s outreach and communication using tools such as Constant Contact, Google Analytics, and Survey Monkey

• Improve cultural and linguistic competency of agency communications by developing a language access plan, conducting outreach to multicultural organizations, spotlighting diversity in agency communications, and streamlining reports and websites to improve their visibility, accessibility, and relevance for diverse audiences

• Conduct public awareness campaign that will include, among other things, expansion into video production and the TikTok platform

In order to increase awareness of the rights and abilities of people with disabilities, the Board will prepare people with disabilities and their family members to be leaders and advocate for their needs. People with disabilities and their families are often unaware that they can effect change through their own advocacy efforts, or they may lack the skills to effectively advocate. The Board’s training programs are therefore critical to providing them with the necessary knowledge and skill sets to lead and advocate for systemic change.

The Board operates two long-standing training programs, the Youth Leadership Academy (formerly the Youth Leadership Forum) and Partners in Policymaking. The Board also engages alumni of these two training programs through its Training Alumni Association (formerly the Alumni Development Program). The Association was created in 2016 to connect training program graduates with each other, the Board, and other disability organizations to advocate for systemic change. The Association has evolved substantially over time in response to evaluation results and stakeholder feedback.

The Board is continually refining these programs to improve outreach and effectiveness. The COVID-19 pandemic helped the Board realize the benefits of virtual programming, which included increased accessibility and lower costs. Moving forward, the Board will evaluate how to best balance in-person and virtual formats across all three of its training programs. The Board will also re-evaluate recent changes to its Partners in Policymaking curriculum to ensure alignment with the national model

• Implement and refine the Partners in Policymaking program, which trains self-advocates and parents of children with developmental disabilities on how to engage and advocate for themselves to effect systemic change

• Implement the Youth Leadership Academy (formerly the Youth Leadership Forum) to help high school students with developmental and other disabilities develop personal leadership and career development skills to enhance their ability to advocate for themselves and others

• Implement and refine the Training Alumni Association (formerly the Alumni Development Program), which engages alumni of the Partners in Policymaking program and Youth Leadership Academy with each other, the Board, and other disability organizations to advocate for systemic change to policies and programs

• Improve the cultural and linguistic competency of the Board’s (i) outreach and recruitment efforts for the Board’s training programs for youth and adults in order to increase the number and diversity of participants; and (ii) training curriculum.

• Strengthen a self-advocacy organization or program led by people with disabilities by helping build the organization or program’s infrastructure, skills, and ability to advocate for policy change

This service area consists of the Board’s activities to advocate for systemic change in the provision of disability services and supports (Goal 1) and to educate policymakers and the general public about the needs and abilities of people with disabilities (Goal 3). Activities include researching the effectiveness of the service system for people with disabilities, planning and evaluating Board efforts to address the unmet needs of people with disabilities, providing input on legislation and policies related to people with disabilities, preparing people with disabilities and their families to advocate for their own needs, and conducting outreach to policymakers and the general public.

This service area directly aligns with the Board’s mission to maximize the ability of people with developmental and other disabilities to be independent, self-directed, and fully included by educating policymakers and the public about the needs and abilities of people with disabilities and informing policymakers about how they can meet those needs through changes to the disability service system.

This service area implements several of the Board’s responsibilities enumerated in the federal Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. §15021-15029) and the Virginians with Disabilities Act (Va. Code §51.5-31 through §51.5-33), which establishes the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities as the Commonwealth’s Developmental Disabilities Council.

• Five-year state plan and annual updates for the federal Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) to guide the Board’s efforts to address the unmet needs of people with disabilities


• Program Performance Report for AIDD to annually evaluate the Board’s progress towards meeting its five-year state plan


• Agency strategic plan for the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget to provide background information on the Board as well as specific goals, objectives, strategies, and performance measures


• Annual assessments of at least two key service areas for people with disabilities that include recommendations for improvement


• Board input on legislation, regulations, and budget actions affecting people with disabilities, including legislative advocacy, formal and informal comment, and participation in numerous inter-agency workgroups


• Two training programs, Partners in Policymaking and Youth Leadership Academy (formerly the Youth Leadership Forum) operated by the Board to train people with disabilities and their family members on leadership and self-advocacy


• Training Alumni Association to engage alumni of the Board’s two training programs with each other, the Board, and other disability organizations to advocate for systemic change


• Print and electronic dissemination to stakeholders and the general public of timely, accurate, and accessible information on issues affecting people with disabilities

The Board's primary source of funding for this service area is its federal grant award from the Administration for Community Living, an agency under the Department of Health & Human Services. About $1,049,528 of the Board’s federal funding will be used for this service area annually. The Board’s federal funds are allocated annually and must be obligated within two years, which means that the Board has two grant awards available for obligation during any given year.

The agency was also awarded additional time-limited federal funding from the Administration for Community Living through the Board’s sub-contract with the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University for Project Living Well, a Project of National Significance. This funding amounts to $64,529 for federal FY 2022. The project may be extended beyond FY 2022, which would result in additional funding for the Board.

The agency also receives contributions from other state agencies to support participants of the Youth Leadership Academy, an in-house leadership program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The Youth Leadership Academy operates every other year, including July 2023. The Virginia Department of Education awards $500 per participant, which is used to directly support the students’ attendance at the four-day leadership training program. Starting in 2018, the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired also awards $500 per participant who is blind or vision impaired, and the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services awards $500 per participant excluding participants for whom the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired provides funding. These contributions are not guaranteed and depend on available funding.

This service area provides ongoing financial oversight and administrative support for the Board’s activities in the “Research, Planning, Outreach, Advocacy, and Systems Improvement” service area and “Financial Assistance to Localities for Individual and Family Services” service area. In the Administrative Service area, activities include the management of agency state and federal funds, human resources, information technology, organization and logistics for the 39-member Board, and general services including procurement of goods and services, contracts, RFPs requiring eVA procedures, and mandates for small purchases. In carrying out these activities, the Board ensures that the agency is efficiently and effectively using its financial resources within the agency’s budgetary constraints. The Board has a Memorandum of Understanding with Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services to provide additional administrative “back-office” support in the areas of human resource management, fiscal and audit services, and information technology and web support.

This service area directly aligns with the Board’s mission to maximize the ability of people with developmental and other disabilities to be independent, self-directed, and fully included. Without administrative services and supports, programmatic staff would be unable to support other service areas’ efforts to improve the disability service system, educate stakeholders about people with disabilities, and advance systemic change through grants and other investments.

This service area provides administrative services that are needed to implement several of the Board’s responsibilities enumerated in the federal Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. §15021-15029) and the Virginians with Disabilities Act (Va. Code §51.5-31 through §51.5-33), which establishes the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities as the Commonwealth’s Developmental Disabilities Council.

• Budget development


• Monitoring and disbursing of agency funds


• Staff recruitment, management, and professional development


• Procurement of goods and services in eVA


• Oversight of information technology services


• Organization of Board functions including quarterly Board meetings


• Contingency plans including Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP), Business Impact Analysis (BIA), and Agency Risk Management and Internal Controls (ARMICS)


• Contract development


• Administrative support for Board staff and members including interpreting administrative policies, procedures, and regulations

The Board's primary source of funding for this service area is its federal grant award from the Administration for Community Living, an agency under the Department of Health & Human Services. About $449,000 from the Board’s federal funding will be used for this service area annually. The Board’s federal funds are allocated annually and must be obligated within two years, which means that the Board has two grant awards available for obligation during any given year.  The Board can only utilize 30 percent or less of its federal funds on administrative functions.

The Board’s state general fund appropriation of $234,058 in SFY 2023 will also be used for this service area.

This service area supports projects that promote the independence, self-determination, and inclusion of people with developmental and other disabilities through competitive grants, contracts, and other investments. These projects can include public or private research, demonstration, outreach and education, and other projects. The Board prioritizes projects that meet the goals and objectives in its federal five-year state plan. The Board monitors its investments to ensure adequate funding, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability, and disseminates project results to stakeholders statewide.

This service area directly aligns with the Board’s mission to maximize the ability of people with developmental and other disabilities to be independent, self-directed, and fully included by investing in public and private projects that advance these principles.

This service area implements several of the Board’s responsibilities enumerated in the federal Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. §15021-15029) and the Virginians with Disabilities Act (Va. Code §51.5-31 through §51.5-33), which establishes the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities as the Commonwealth’s Developmental Disabilities Council.

• Solicit, review, and fund competitive grants, contracts, and other investments to projects that promote the independence, self-determination, and inclusion of people with disabilities and support the Board’s goals and objectives in its federal five-year state plan.


• Provide technical assistance to grantees including technical assistance calls, a grant writing manual, and assistance in development of federal performance measure targets, expected outputs, and expected outcomes.


• Close monitoring of its grants, contracts, and other investments to ensure adequate funding, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability.


• Dissemination of project results to other disability organizations, policymakers, and the general public statewide.


• Administer Board’s sub-contract funding for Project Living Well, a Project of National Significance for which the Board is a sub-contractor in conjunction with several other organizations including the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Disability Law Center of Virginia.

The Board's sole source of funding for this service area is its federal grant award from the Administration for Community Living, an agency under the Department of Health & Human Services. About $401,000 of the Board’s federal funding will be used for this service area annually. The Board’s federal funds are allocated annually and must be obligated within two years, which means that the Board has two grant awards available for obligation during any given year.