State Disability Agency Partners

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Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD)

The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities serves as the Commonwealth’s Disabilities Planning Council to address the needs of people with developmental disabilities (DD). The Board advocates for services that are consumer and family centered, and works to ensure that individuals with DD can exercise self-determination to achieve independence, productivity, and full inclusion in community life.

Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI)

The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired is committed to providing quality services to assist Virginia’s citizens who are blind, deaf-blind or vision impaired in achieving their maximum level of employment, education, and personal independence. The Department provides an array of specialized services, but the primary focus is on helping consumers achieve quality employment outcomes. DBVI operates the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision Impaired (VRCBVI) which teaches Virginians with severe visual impairments strategies and skills to adapt to living without sight, or teaches those with partial vision how to use remaining sight more effectively.

Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH)

The Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, “Offering Keys to Communication,” works to reduce the communication barriers between persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and those who are hearing, including family members, service providers, and the general public. The foundation of all programs at VDDHH is communication—both as a service (through interpreters, technology, and other modes) and as a means of sharing information for public awareness (through training and education).

Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)

The Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services collaborates with the public and private sectors to provide and advocate for the highest quality services that empower individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, independence, and full inclusion into society. DARS is the state vocational rehabilitation agency which assists people who have disabilities that are a barrier to employment and independent living. DARS also has the Community Based Services Division which offers non-vocational assistance to individuals with the most severe disabilities, particularly those with physical and sensory disabilities.

Think Beyond the Label

Think Beyond the Label is a public-private partnership that delivers information, outreach and resources to businesses, job seekers and the public workforce system to ensure greater recruiting and hiring opportunities for job candidates with disabilities. Their purpose is to better inform, connect and communicate with all stakeholders in the disability and employment system so that we can be a catalyst for a more inclusive workforce.