Legal and Advocacy, Developmental Disabilities Program (DD)

disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV), formerly the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy (VOPA), offers a Developmental Disabilities Program (DD).

The DD program provides legal and advocacy services to assist children and adults with severe, lifelong disabilities who require special care, housing, treatment, and services, or who have been abused, neglected or discriminated against, due to their disability.  Problems related to education, residential care, training centers, community rehabilitation programs, infant programs, and activity centers are handled under this program. 

Visit the I/DD Self Advocacy and Complaint Portal for complaints about services, including the REACH program.

The most common DD issues include special education services; abuse and/or neglect of persons in special programs; the right to live, learn, and work in the most integrated setting; assistive technology and assistive technology services to support independence; freedom to make independent decisions whenever possible; and access to programs and services.