VA HELP Mission Statement

The Virginia Higher Education Leadership Partners (VA-HELP) is a consortium of diverse stake-holders that collaborate on issues of mutual concern pertinent to the enhancement and accessibility of post secondary education for students with disabilities. The documentation guidelines were developed by VA-HELP, and reviewed by representatives from the U.S. Office for Civil Rights, to promote consistent documentation requirements across Virginia institutions of higher education. The group collectively reviewed available documentation guidelines from various two and four year institutions and also best practices nationally, including the Association of Higher Education and Disability and the Educational Testing Service.

This group is facilitated by the VA Department of Rehabilitative Services and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports. Current membership consists of faculty and disability services/ADA coordinators from two and four year public and private universities and colleges, including leaders from the Association on Higher Education and Disabilities in VA (AHEAD in VA); transition personnel from secondary schools; and representatives from state agencies such as the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), the VA. Department of Education (DOE), VA Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH), VA Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS).