Partnership for People with Disabilities announces another $2 million in federal grants

By Malorie Burkett and Bill Tinsley

Richmond, Va. – The Partnership for People with Disabilities recently announced the receipt of four new grants totaling over $2 million to support individuals with developmental disabilities.

“We are fortunate to have dedicated staff and committed partners in Virginia to achieve this level of success,” said Fred Orelove, executive director of the Partnership.

The four awards bring total grant funding received during the past four months to more than $4 million, making it the most successful period in the organization’s 18-year history.

The four new grants include:

• Together We Can: Virginia’s Deaf-Blind Project

  The Partnership was awarded a five-year $1.2 million grant to support “Together We Can: Virginia’s Deaf-Blind Project” from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. The funding supports technical assistance to address the needs of children and young adults who are deaf and blind, their families and the professionals who support them. The project’s activities are aligned with state and federal initiatives, including the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 and No Child Left Behind. 

• Community Integrated Personal Assistance Services and Supports (C-PASS)

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded the Partnership a grant of more than $500,000 to be used over three years. The grant will allow the Partnership to raise awareness of and assist individuals with disabilities in the use of consumer-directed personal assistance services and in obtaining eligibility waivers for specific services provided by their communities. The PASS grant also will allow the Partnership to seek active involvement from recipients of personal assistance services, family members, case managers and service facilitators in determining ways to improve personal assistance options.

• Women, Disability, and the Justice System: Training for Law Enforcement and the Courts

            The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women, awarded the Partnership nearly                         $300,000 over two years to support training for law enforcement officials and the courts on the critical issue             of access to the justice system for women with disabilities who also are victims of violence and sexual                     assault. According to the Partnership, women with disabilities, especially those who are victims of domestic             violence and sexual assault, often encounter a justice system whose personnel lack the knowledge and                     understanding of the person’s disability and the actions needed to provide acceptable accommodations. The             Partnership will train members of law enforcement, prosecutors, magistrates, judges and court service                     personnel. Two advocacy organizations including Virginians Against Domestic Violence and Virginians                     Aligned Against Sexual Assault are supporting the Partnership’s efforts.

• One Stop on Virginia’s Eastern Shore: Designing a Family-Centered Approach

            The Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded             a $100,000 grant to the Partnership to assist communities on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with the                             establishment of a “One-Stop” approach for individuals and families seeking disability services. The                             Partnership will bring together key stakeholders to conduct an assessment of available services, such as                 support to families with disabled children and establish a simplified and coordinated plan for service delivery.             The One-Stop approach will strengthen the leadership role of families and individuals in the community and                 reinforce the beneficial effects of joint problem solving.

The Partnership, affiliated with the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, is Virginia’s only federally designated university center for excellence in developmental disabilities education, research and service. The Partnership maintains an interdisciplinary approach to all of its activities, allowing the organization to explore a wide range of professional services and community interests and opportunities for assisting people with disabilities and their families.