SD37 - Annual Report of the Disability Commission (1998)


Executive Summary:
Since 1990, the year that the Commission on the Coordination of the Delivery of Services to Facilitate the Self-Sufficiency and Support of Persons with Physical and Sensory Disabilities was established, thousands of Virginians with disabilities have benefited from the legislation and funding initiatives that have been supported and put forward by its Members. This legislative Commission, today known as the Disability Commission, was established pursuant to House Joint Resolution 45 to assess the delivery of services to Virginia’s citizens with physical and sensory disabilities. It is comprised of 16 members chaired traditionally by the Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth.

The 1992 Report of the Commission established a ten-year plan of action that formed a system of programs and services within an infrastructure designed to be consumer-focused and community-based. The General Assembly in 1994 passed House Joint Resolution 274 (HJR 274) which authorized the Commission to continue its work in developing and reviewing recommendations for service program changes and funding until the year 2000. HJR 274 also designated the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities as the agency to provide support to the Commission. Another House Joint Resolution passed in 1994 by the General Assembly was HJR 83, which requested the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to evaluate the implementation of the recommendations, made in the Commission's 1992 Report. This evaluation, completed in the summer of 1995, provided an overview of accomplishments to date, as well as identified the continuing gaps in services affecting individuals with physical and sensory disabilities.

Each year, the Commission continues to examine the progress made in regard to the legislative priorities it forwards to the General Assembly. These recommendations result in study resolutions, budget amendments, and bills patroned by members of the Commission. The report which follows presents the major outcomes that resulted from the 1997 Disability Commission proposals to the General Assembly and the Commission’s legislative agenda presented to the 1998 Session.