South Hampton Roads Disability Services Board

The HRPDC provides staff support to the South Hampton Roads Disability Services which represents the Cities of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk. The South Hampton Roads Disability Services Board (DSB) is one of the 40 regional DSBs created by the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS). For a list of members, click here.

In 1992, the General Assembly legislated the development of the Disability Services Boards (DSBs) to assist localities in identifying and addressing the needs of persons with physical and sensory disabilities in their communities. (For more information on SHRDSB, click here.)

The Disability Services Boards and their grant program, the Rehabilitative Services Incentive Fund, originated in a 1992 report of the Disability Commission. Community involvement was a major theme of the report. In studying services for people with physical and sensory disabilities, the Commission found that planning for programs and services had traditionally been developed at the state level and implemented locally. In response to this finding the Commission created local Disability Services Boards as the infrastructure for locally based assessment and planning.

Although DSBs cannot provide direct services, they play a vital role in the development and expansion of services to improve access for Virginians with disabilities. Local governments appoint board members to fulfill this charge. Membership is comprised of local government representatives, business representatives, and individuals with physical or sensory disabilities or family members of people with physical or sensory disabilities. The Boards advise state and local government and agencies and, through incentive grants, leverage private and public dollars to improve service delivery and public awareness. Over 500 individuals serve on Virginia's 41 Disability Services Boards, which represent every political jurisdiction in the Commonwealth.

Disability Services Board meetings are open to the public. For a list of meeting times, click here.

For a list of disability organizations and other resources, click here.

For more information, please contact the SHRDSB staff support