Read the recent article Americans with Disabilities Act born of Virginia’s struggle for equality from Virginia Ability’s Community Advisory Council partner, Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), by Commissioner Kathryn Hayfield. This month celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Virginians with Disabilities Act and the 30th anniversary of the ADA.
Virginia Ability has championed this cause since its inception. The story of Virginia Ability begins with the Business Leadership Network (BLN) that was originally established in 1994 through the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (PCEPD). The BLN was created through various Governor’s and Mayor’s committees on disability and based on the premise that business responds to their peers, and underscoring that employers should be recognized as valued customers of the vocational rehabilitation system.
The PCEPD established a support system for BLNs in 1997 and began reaching out directly to businesses asking them to start up BLNs and serve as Lead Employers. In Virginia in 1998, Crestar Bank became the BLN founder and Lead Employer as a natural progression of its disability friendly business approach. For four years, the Virginia Business Leadership Network (VABLN) operated within the bank, which had been acquired by SunTrust Bank. The President and CEO of SunTrust Bank Mid-Atlantic established a stand-alone department, Accessing Community Talent (ACT), which was responsible for the growth of the VABLN as well as the expansion of the bank’s focus on serving clients with disabilities and including individuals with disabilities in its workforce. The VABLN became a 501(c) 3 incorporated in Virginia in 2003 with SunTrust’s ACT Manager serving as the VABLN Board Chair, a position held by SunTrust until 2010.
VABLN was renamed Virginia Ability in 2019 to recognize all abilities. Our mission continues to focus on helping businesses build inclusive communities and cultures through disAbility diversity in the workplace and throughout Virginia’s workforce.
