Showing posts with label Independent living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Independent living. Show all posts

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Governor McDonnell Announces $859,406 in Grants to Expand Community Services for Individuals with Disabilities

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in .
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD), the Commonwealth’s Developmental Disabilities Council, has awarded six grants totaling $859,406 to improve and expand support for individuals with developmental and other disabilities. The grantees have leveraged an additional $324,992 in private, local and state funds. 

“The grants awarded by VBPD will benefit all Virginians, not just those with disabilities,” said Governor McDonnell. “As we continue the transition to a community-based system for individuals with developmental disabilities, it is important that we implement programs to help these individuals and the communities around them thrive.  The grants awarded will serve persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in integrated settings as we move towards a Commonwealth of Opportunity for all.”

            The 2014 awards are:

Grantee:  Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services (DBHDS)
Project:  “Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program”
Grant Award:  $52,066       
Project Goal:  To develop a peer mentoring program for individuals with intellectual or other developmental disabilities being or recently discharged from state training centers.  Trained mentors will share their experiences and provide information and resources that will facilitate integration into community life.  DBHDS will partner with The Arc of Virginia and Hope House Foundation to build capacity and competence for a statewide peer-to-peer network and implement the mentoring program.

Grantee:  Virginia Association of Centers for Independent Living (VACIL)
Project:  “Empowerment to Prevent Institutionalization”
Grant Award:  $ 124,688    
Project Goal:  To prevent the institutionalization of people with developmental and other disabilities who experience medical interventions, behavioral stresses or changes in family dynamics. Materials specific to each region will be developed and approximately 450 healthcare professionals will be trained on preventing institutionalization.

Grantee:  Virginia Association of Centers for Independent Living (VACIL)
Project:  “ABLE: Advocates Building Livable Environments”
Grant Award:  $ 171,409    
Project Goal:  To significantly increase the knowledge, skill and expertise of builders, building inspectors/officials, engineers, architects and design professionals in the area of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines and Fair Housing laws.  The initiative will train at least 120 building professionals in 134 jurisdictions in Virginia through multiple formats.

Grantee:  Virginia Commonwealth University—Partnership for People with Disabilities (PPD)
Project:  “Leadership for Empowerment and Abuse Prevention”
Grant Award:  $ 178,125    
Project Goal:  To teach people with developmental and other disabilities about healthy relationships and how to protect themselves from assault, abuse, neglect and violence. The curriculum will be piloted at a state training center and ultimately will train 250 persons with disabilities through 15-20 training sessions in central Virginia using a train-the-trainer model.  

Grantee:  Virginia Oral Health Coalition (VaOHC)
Project:  “Improving Oral Health for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities”
Grant Award:  $ 89,143      
Project Goal:  To build statewide capacity and commitment for the provision of dental health services to individuals with developmental disabilities. VaOHC will conduct three 2-day Regional Dental Provider Trainings, with continuing education credits, in Chesapeake, Lynchburg and Richmond. VaOHC will also work with the VCU School of Dentistry on a dental externship.

As Virginia’s Developmental Disabilities (DD) Council, VBPD works to develop and advance policies and practices that promote individual and family-directed services and supports that allow individuals with developmental and other disabilities to be fully integrated and included in all facets of community life.

VBPD has invested in more than 220 best-practice, demonstration, research, advocacy, training and outreach projects in the areas of community supports, healthcare, education, employment, housing and transportation. 

Funding for VBPD’s investment initiatives is provided by the federal Administration for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,  under the national Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-402).

To learn more about VBPD, its grants, advocacy and leadership programs and other activities, visitwww.vaboard.org, call (800) 846-4464, or e-mail Info@VBPD.virginia.gov
Enhanced by Zemanta