- Press Release (8-31-2018)
Southwestern Virginia Training Center (SWVTC), a state-operated institution for people with intellectual disabilities, is officially closed. The last resident left the institution in Hillsville on August 21st; the facility officially closed today, August 31st.
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia congratulates the staff and leadership of Southwestern Virginia Training Center for their careful planning and support for this transition. Staff showed exceptional compassion and care for the residents with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, dLCV recognizes the public and private providers who have stepped forward to develop a network of group homes and services in an area where resources were few.
In 2011, the United States Department of Justice found that the Commonwealth of Virginia was in violation of federal law by its failure to provide adequate services in the community and alternatives to institutional care. At the time, SWVTC had a population of 184.
As part of a settlement agreement with the United States, in 2012, the Commonwealth announced the closure of four of its five institutions for people with intellectual disabilities and pledged substantial improvements in community services along with those closures. Since 2012, most residents of SWVTC safely transitioned to small, integrated homes in the community, with individualized service plans. A few individuals relocated to other institutions.
SWVTC was the last of Virginia’s five training centers to open and is the third to close. The institution began accepting residents in 1976. As part of the 2012 settlement agreement, Virginia closed Southside Virginia Training Center in Petersburg in 2014 and closed Northern Virginia Training Center in Fairfax in 2016. Central Virginia Training Center, in Madison Heights, with a current population of fewer than 100, is scheduled to close in 2020.
“We appreciate the hard work of SWVTC staff and community-based providers to create the strongest and most inclusive community possible in the southwestern part of the state,” said Colleen Miller, Executive Director of the dLCV. “We look forward to supporting efforts to improve community-based services for all.”
Colleen Miller
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia is the state’s designated protection and advocacy system. dLCV is a private non-profit organization, representing and promoting the rights of people with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth. dLCV’s mission is to fight abuse and neglect and to encourage people with disabilities to have choice, independence, and inclusion in all aspect of life.
For more information about the disAbility Law Center, visit www.dLCV.org
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