Who is the Partnership for People with Disabilities? The Partnership is a university-based organization that provides training, technical assistance, research, and community services to improve the lives of people with disabilities of all ages and their families.

What is a UCEDD? UCEDD (pronounced “YOU-said”) stands for University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Created by a federal act in 1963, UCEDDs are organizations meant to address the lack of research, data, training, and best practices to meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across their lifespan. The Partnership is Virginia's only UCEDD.

When was the act creating UCEDDs signed into law? President John F. Kennedy signed the act into law in 1963, just 22 days before he was assassinated.

Why was the national UCEDD network originally created in 1963? The network was created to address a critical lack of research, data, training, and best practices needed to support people with IDD.

When was the Partnership founded? The Partnership was founded in 1985.

When did the Partnership celebrate its 40th anniversary? The Partnership marked its 40th Anniversary with an Open House event on November 18, 2025.

What is the mission of the Partnership? Its mission is to build a world where all people can live, learn, work, and play together by supporting people with disabilities and their families to be fully participating members of their community.

Is the Partnership affiliated with a university? Yes, it is based at Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) School of Education.

Does the Partnership only serve the Richmond area? No, while they are based at VCU in Richmond, they employ staff and train volunteers to work on the ground across the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.

Where is the Partnership located? The physical office is located at 2235 Staples Mill Road, Suite 400, Box 843020, Richmond, Virginia 23230.

How can I contact the Partnership? You can reach them by phone at (804) 828-3876, by email at ppdsoe@vcu.edu, or via TD Relay at 800-828-1120.

What is the official email address for the webmaster or general inquiries? The official contact email is ppdsoe@vcu.edu.

Are the Partnership’s materials accessible? Yes, they are committed to ensuring website and material accessibility. If you need any content in an accessible format, you can contact them directly for accommodations.

How can I resolve an accessibility issue with the website? You can contact the webmaster directly via email at ppdsoe@vcu.edu or by calling (804) 828-3876 to get materials in an accessible format.

What should I do if I have any technical issues with one of the Partnership’s online training courses? Please contact ppdtechhelp@vcu.edu. Our IT team does not have a phone number; the best way to contact them is via email. They will follow up with your email as soon as possible.

Is there a way to download resources directly from the website? Yes, there is a "Downloads" page accessible under the "Resources" section.

Are there online-specific resources available? Yes, a dedicated "Online Resources" link is available under "Resources."

Where can I find mental health resources on the site? Mental Health Resources are specifically categorized under the "Resources" menu.

What social media platforms does the Partnership actively use? The Partnership is active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

How can someone apply for a job at the Partnership? Job seekers can look for openings by clicking the "Careers" link listed under the "About Us" menu.

How can I learn about the individual staff members who work there? The website features a "Team Member Directory," a "Team Member Spotlight of the Month," and an archive of Previous Team Member Spotlights under the "Our Team" section.

What is the difference between the Partnership for People with Disabilities (PPD), the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD), and the Disability Law Center of Virginia (dLCV)? The Partnership is Virginia’s UCEDD, focusing on research, training, and technical assistance. The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) is the state’s DD Council, focused on policy and advocacy. The disability Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) is the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system, providing legal services.

Is the Partnership part of a national network? Yes, the Partnership is a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). It is one of 67 UCEDDs nationwide at major universities and teaching hospitals, serving as a liaison between academic expertise and community service delivery systems.

Are the Partnership’s services and resources free? Most resources, training modules, and technical assistance programs are funded through state and federal grants and are provided at no cost to Virginia families and professionals. Specific specialized programs or credit-bearing courses (like Va-LEND) may have associated enrollment costs or tuition.

Does the Partnership provide direct medical or therapeutic services? Generally, no. The Partnership provides systems-level support, professional training, and family mentorship rather than direct clinical medical care or 1-on-1 therapy. However, we offer recommendations for clinical services, such as the Rapid Autism Screening Clinic for the Richmond area.

Does the Partnership engage in legislative lobbying? As a university-based center, the Partnership does not lobby. Instead, it provides evidence-based data, policy analysis, and leadership training to educate the public and policymakers. Programs like Va-LEND train individuals to become effective self-advocates and systems-level leaders.

Are Partnership resources available in languages other than English? Yes. Through the Center for Family Involvement (CFI) and our Cultural Broker Initiative, many key resources—including the Care Coordination Handbookand information on Protective Orders—are available in Spanish and other languages to support Virginia’s diverse communities.

What kind of impact does the Partnership have annually? In Fiscal Year 2024, the Partnership provided nearly 3,000 hours of technical assistance, trained over 20,000 individuals, supported 693 families, and developed 45 new products—averaging a $29 return for every $1 invested in their core funding.

How much core funding did the Partnership receive in 2024? In 2024, the Partnership received $620,675 in UCEDD core funding.

How much additional funding was the Partnership able to leverage in 2024? The team leveraged an impressive $18.25 million in additional funding and awards.

What is the Partnership's financial Return on Investment (ROI)? The Partnership generates approximately $29 in leveraged funding for every single $1 invested in their core funding, representing a 2,900% rate of return.

How many hours of technical assistance did the Partnership provide in Fiscal Year 2024? They provided 2,984 hours of technical assistance across education, health, employment, and disability services sectors.

How many new products did the Partnership develop in FY 2024? They developed 45 new products, which include training materials, toolkits, curricula, and resource guides.

How many grants and contracts were the Partnership awarded in FY 2024? They were awarded 64 grants and contracts.

How can I financially support the Partnership? Individuals can donate to directly support the general Partnership or to specific programs like the Virginia Autism Council through the "Donate" section of their website.

How frequently does the Partnership publish reports on its progress? As a UCEDD, they publish Annual Reports yearly to showcase their ongoing impact.

How early does the Partnership begin its early childhood work? Their dedication begins even before a child is born. They engage families at the prenatal stage to help ensure positive outcomes.

Why does the Partnership focus on the prenatal stage for early childhood intervention? They focus on this stage because best practices show that connecting with and engaging families prenatally helps to ensure positive outcomes for the child.

What is the Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center (VEIPD)? Housed within the Partnership, VEIPD develops, maintains, and supports Virginia's early intervention systems by providing critical professional training to those working with infants and toddlers with developmental delays.

What specific age group does the VEIPD focus on? It focuses on the early intervention system for children from birth to three years old.

Does the Partnership work with early childhood daycares or child care providers? Yes, they offer support to Developmental Screening Hubs and partner with child care providers to help spot delays and access interventions.

What is the Partnership’s role with the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign? The Partnership serves as Virginia’s designated Ambassador for this Centers for Disease Control campaign, which helps families monitor developmental milestones to catch delays early.

What support is provided for Ready Region Family Councils? The Partnership trains family members on these councils in leadership behaviors so they can ensure quality early care and education programs.

What is the Virginia Tiered Systems of Support (VTSS)? VTSS is a project led by the Virginia Department of Education that the Partnership supports. It helps schools implement a multi-tiered system of evidence-based practices and interventions to better meet the academic, behavioral, and attendance needs of students.

What is the Virginia Deafblind Project? This project provides ongoing technical assistance to interdisciplinary transition teams to support better postsecondary, employment, and transition outcomes for deafblind youth.

What assessment tool does the Virginia Deafblind Project use? They use the Discovering ME (DME) transition assessment process to support transition teams.

Are there resources specifically for deaf and hard of hearing individuals? Yes, the Virginia Deafblind Project supports postsecondary outcomes for deafblind youth, and the Ensuring Accessibility project has created specific modules for supporting d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing survivors of abuse.

Does the Partnership support teachers working with traumatic brain injuries (TBI)? Yes, they provide specialized technical assistance to teachers who work with students who have a traumatic brain injury.

Does the Partnership offer early childhood screenings for possible developmental disabilities? The Partnership does not directly offer early childhood screenings. However, if you live in the Richmond area, we recommend you register with Dr. Anjali Ferguson’s Rapid Autism Screening Clinic. You can do so at this link: https://forms.gle/FUZaYFo5ey7ex6gY9. If you do not live in the Richmond area, please call the Partnership’s main phone number, as we may have alternative options to suggest based on your location.

How does the Partnership view the employment potential of youth with IDD? They view youth with IDD as individuals who want to contribute and who, with the right preparation, can become reliable, hard-working, tax-paying community members.

What is Project PEACE? Project PEACE (Promoting Employment After high school through Community Expertise) is a collaborative initiative to help youth with IDD transition smoothly from school into competitive work in their communities.

How does Project PEACE document student experiences? Students are trained to take pictures documenting their work experiences, which are then compiled into an employment portfolio to share with parents, counselors, and support teams.

What is an example of success from the Project PEACE initiative? In Richmond, middle school students in the program built two successful in-school, student-led enterprises baking and selling cookies and other goods.

Where did students in Project PEACE access community work-based learning? Students accessed learning opportunities at farms, retail businesses, warehouses, and animal shelters.

How many students in Project PEACE accessed competitive employment or opened VR cases recently? Over the last year, six students accessed competitive employment, and twenty students opened vocational rehabilitation (VR) cases to support ongoing job training.

What is "virtual asset mapping" used for? It is a tool used to help high school transition directors connect students with disabilities and their parents with local employment and service information.

What is the Pre-Employment Transition Services Family Ambassador Project? This project offers 1:1 life course person-centered planning support to families, encouraging self-advocacy and career planning for their youth.

What is the DARS Epic project? It is a collaboration with the regional offices of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) to provide family-to-family support for individuals transitioning away from subminimum wage jobs into competitive, integrated employment.

What is WIOA 511 Career Counseling? A program ensuring that workers with disabilities who are currently paid below minimum wage receive annual career counseling, self-advocacy information, and peer mentoring to help them access competitive jobs.

How do they assist individuals making below minimum wage? Through programs like WIOA 511 Career Counseling and DARS Epic, they collaborate with state agencies to help individuals with IDD transition from sub-minimum wage activities to competitive, integrated employment.

How does the Partnership improve healthcare for people with disabilities? They address health disparities by training healthcare professionals, preparing self-advocates to communicate their healthcare needs, and promoting preventative care, early autism identification, and health care transition planning.

What is Communication and Health Advocacy Training (CHAT)? CHAT provides direct health literacy training to adults with disabilities and includes a supplementary guide for their family members and supporters.

What is the CREATE-CHA program? Combining Research, Engagement, and Art to Enhance Community and Health Advocacy (CREATE-CHA) uses theatre-based training to prepare people with IDD to be stronger communicators.

Are there programs tailored for medical students? Yes, the CREATE-CHA program implements a mentorship model where individuals with IDD train and collaborate with cohorts of medical students from the VCU School of Medicine to address healthcare professional bias and discomfort.

What is CREATE-Wellbeing? It is a project bringing together VCU and Richmond stakeholders to use research, community engagement, and art to promote holistic wellbeing for people with IDD.

What is the Healing Narratives project? Healing Narratives captures the experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals with IDD regarding patient-doctor communication, using participatory research methods to figure out how to improve interactions.

What does SALTTR stand for and what does it do? SALTTR stands for Self-Advocate Leadership for Trust and Tailored Recruitment. It focuses on improving capacity for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) by creating trust-building guides and resources.

What is the Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Program? Funded by the Virginia Department of Health, this program provides direct support to parents newly learning of their newborn's hearing loss and works with hospitals and audiologists to evaluate and improve infant screening processes.

What is Virginia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (Va-LEND)? Va-LEND is a 12-24 month interdisciplinary curriculum that prepares professionals, family members, and people with disabilities to take on leadership roles within health care and disability service systems.

What specific types of practica are included in Va-LEND? It includes clinical and community-based practica, planned grassroots and systems-level policy activities, and a family mentorship experience.

Does the Partnership assist Local Health Districts? Yes, they provide technical assistance to Local Health Districts specifically regarding community and family engagement activities.

Statistically, how much more likely are people with IDD to experience sexual assault? People with IDD are seven times more likely to experience sexual assault than their non-disabled peers.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, who most often abuses people with disabilities? Abuse most often occurs at the hands of someone the victim knows, such as a family member or a paid support provider.

What is the LEAP program? LEAP stands for Leadership for Empowerment and Abuse Prevention. It is an initiative where people with IDD teach others with disabilities how to establish healthy relationships and recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse.

Are VCU students involved in the LEAP program? Yes, VCU students are involved as trainers and assist in developing instruments to evaluate the LEAP curriculum.

What is Project LOTUS? Supported by grant funding through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Project LOTUS promotes awareness about the abuse of people with disabilities and advocates for equal access to services and legal protections for survivors. It is a direct collaboration with the VCU School of Social Work.

Does the Partnership offer training on supporting survivors of abuse? Yes, they offer a 7-module training series called "Supporting Survivors of Abuse with Disabilities," complete with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and certificates.

What are the Partnership's main program areas? Their work is divided into four main pillars: Community Living, Early Childhood, Education, and Health.

What is the Center for Family Involvement (CFI)? The CFI works directly with families to increase their skills as advocates, mentors, and leaders. It provides emotional, informational, and systems-navigational support so children and adults with disabilities can lead their desired lives.

Does the Partnership help families navigate the DD Waiver process? Yes, the CFI helps families overcome administrative barriers, such as applying for Medicaid and navigating the Developmental Disability (DD) Waiver process, to access community services.

What is the Family to Family (F2F) Network of Virginia? Operated by the CFI and funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, this network operates as Virginia's Family to Family Health Information Center.

What is the Center for Disability Leadership (CDL)? The CDL is a program that supports and encourages people with disabilities to become self-advocates and leaders in their own lives and communities.

What is Project Living Well? Project Living Well works with state disability systems to align work so that people with IDD—particularly those using or waiting for Medicaid Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS)—can live highly independent, healthy lives in an environment of their choosing.

What is the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) project? The PBS Project coordinates training, mentoring, and endorsement to increase the number of endorsed PBS Facilitators, providing resources to maintain quality services for individuals.

What is Person-Centered Practices (PCP)? It is an initiative to promote, coordinate training for, and sustain person-centered support practices across the state of Virginia.

What is the Medicaid Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS) Training? It is a competency-based, web-based modular training program for all pre-screeners assessing the level of care for individuals who may qualify for nursing facilities or HCBS in Virginia.

What is the Cost & Outcomes for People with I/DD project? This project examines the impact of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) on a person's quality of life, quality of support, service utilization, and cost.

Does the Partnership support aging adults with disabilities? Yes, their lifespan approach includes employing and training staff to support families caring for aging adults with disabilities and their aging caregivers to plan future care arrangements.

Does the Partnership produce any podcasts? Yes! They produce "Meaningful Moments," which highlights early childhood issues, and "The Odyssey," a monthly podcast from the Center for Family Involvement.

Does the Partnership still offer Consumer Directed Services Facilitator training? No, the Partnership no longer offers this training. We also no longer store past records of this training. DMAS has taken over all management of this training, including records storage. With any questions, please contact CDSF@dmas.virginia.gov.  

Who should I contact with questions about becoming PBS Facilitator-certified? Please contact vapbsproject@vcu.edu with any questions about upcoming cohorts of PBS Facilitator training, including schedules, costs, and training modalities.  

Where can I learn more information about becoming a paid in-home caregiver for my family member? In order for you to be paid to become an in-home caregiver for a family member, you can utilize the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS)’s Consumer-Directed Services program. You will need to apply for a state waiver in order to utilize this program. To learn more about these waivers, you can visit DMAS’s website (https://www.dmas.virginia.gov/for-members/benefits-and-services/waivers/) or contact your local Virginia Community Services Board (https://vacsb.org/csb-bha-directory/). 

 

 

What is the Partnership Research Center (RIC)? The Partnership holds a designation as a university-level research center, allowing it to engage researchers from across VCU on its disability-focused work.

What are the National Core Indicators (NCI) surveys? The Partnership conducts NCI-AD and NCI-IDD surveys across Virginia to gather feedback about people's satisfaction with the home, community, and long-term services they receive.

How do the NCI-AD and NCI-IDD surveys differ? NCI-AD uses phone interviews to survey older adults and people with physical disabilities about long-term services and supports. NCI-IDD uses face-to-face interviews with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities about home and community-based services.

Does the Partnership work with the DBHDS? Yes, they work with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to collect and analyze outcomes for people with IDD receiving Home and Community-Based Services.

Does the Partnership use an interdisciplinary approach? Yes, heavily. For example, the Va-LEND curriculum provides interactive seminars, clinical practica, and grassroots policy activities across multiple disciplines.

Do individuals with disabilities lead any of the trainings? Yes, self-advocates lead several trainings, including the LEAP program (abuse prevention) and the CREATE-CHA mentorship program.

Does the Partnership involve consumers in its governance? Yes, they have a Consumer Advisory Council, which is highlighted in their "About Us" section.

Do they offer training exclusively for professionals and providers? Yes, there is a dedicated section for "Opportunities for Professionals and Providers" to receive specialized training and technical assistance.

Are there specific opportunities for higher education students at the Partnership? Yes, the "Education and Training" menu includes specific training opportunities and internships tailored for students, and they facilitate programs where people with IDD work alongside college students.