VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities

What VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities does

VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities is a university-affiliated non-profit center founded in 1985 and housed within Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education. It serves as Virginia's only University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), a federally recognized designation that places it in a category of structurally protected institutions. The organization operates over 25 programs organized across four domains: community living, early childhood, education, and health. Its core function is to provide training, technical assistance, and direct support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), their families, educators, and state agencies across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Partnership's product portfolio is built around evidence-based curricula and training programs rather than technology products. Key offerings include ECSE BEST (early childhood special education workforce development), LEAP (abuse prevention training now expanding into Southwest and Tidewater regions), Project PEACE (self-advocacy and career readiness), VTSS (statewide multi-tiered systems of support coaching), Creating Collaborative IEPs (online training curriculum), Project CONNECTS (federal grant-funded family engagement initiative), EPIC (employment transition program), and the Center for Family Involvement (family peer-to-peer support). The organization also convenes the annual Opening Doors: Unlocking Potential virtual professional development event for educators and families of children who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind. Notable output metrics for FY2024 include 2,984 hours of technical assistance, 20,000+ individuals trained, 64 grants/contracts awarded, 45 new products developed, and 693 families supported.

The revenue model is grant-and-contract funded rather than commercial. The organization reported $18.25M in funding and awards for FY2024, drawn from federal sources (U.S. Department of Education), Virginia state agencies (DARS, VDOE), and likely private foundation sources. The only disclosed direct fee is a $50 per-attendee registration for the Opening Doors virtual event—an immaterial revenue stream relative to total funding. The Partnership is governed as a unit within VCU's School of Education, with no independent ownership, no external equity, and no for-profit revenue line. Geographic scope is exclusively domestic Virginia, with no international footprint.

Name

VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities

Legal name

Partnership for People with Disabilities

Website

https://partnership.vcu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities is Virginia's only University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, providing training, technical assistance, and direct support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, educators, and state agencies across Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Services and Special Education Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH), Disability Employment & Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Programs (EDAAAOAI), District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

Keywords

• Developmental disability services
• Special education training
• Technical assistance
• Family support services
• University center excellence

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond, Virginia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities is Virginia's only University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), providing training, technical assistance, direct services, and resources to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, educators, and state agencies across Virginia. It operates over 25 programs including early childhood special education training (ECSE BEST), abuse prevention training (LEAP), career readiness programs (Project PEACE), state-level coaching (VTSS, T/TAC), family support (Center for Family Involvement), employment initiatives (EPIC), and family engagement (Project CONNECTS). Funding comes primarily from federal, state, and private grants, with supplementary revenue from professional development event registrations and donations.

Product overview

The VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities operates as Virginia's only University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), offering a portfolio of educational programs, training initiatives, and support services. The organization provides direct services through programs including Project PEACE (self-advocacy and career readiness), the Center for Family Involvement (family support and navigation), Project CONNECTS (family-school partnership initiative), and VTSS/T/TAC (state-level technical assistance). Training programs include ECSE BEST (early childhood special education workforce development), LEAP (abuse prevention), and Creating Collaborative IEPs (online IEP training). Professional development events such as Opening Doors: Unlocking Potential deliver virtual summits for educators and families of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The EPIC program addresses employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Together, these offerings form a comprehensive ecosystem of disability services, training, and family support rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UCEDD: University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities - Virginia's only such center designated at VCU Partnership
• Project CONNECTS
• VTSS
• Center for Family Involvement
• T/TAC
• ECSE BEST
• EPIC (Real Pay for Real Jobs)
• Opening Doors: Unlocking Potential

Products and services

• Opening Doors: Unlocking Potential A two-day virtual professional development summit dedicated to strengthening academic outcomes for children who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind across Virginia. The event brings together parents and education professionals for collaborative learning and skill-building, with registration at $50 per attendee.
• ECSE BEST (Early Childhood Special Education BEST) A pilot training initiative designed for early-career and provisionally licensed teachers working in early childhood special education. The program uses evidence-based practices and structured peer collaboration to build teacher confidence and core competencies. Pilot results showed teachers reporting 'completely confident' in supporting young children with disabilities increased from 20% to 60.9%.
• LEAP (Learning to Engage, Assess, and Prevent) Train-the-trainer sessions focused on abuse prevention and safety, being expanded into Southwest and Tidewater regions of Virginia in partnership with The Arc of Virginia and Mt. Rogers Community Services.
• Project PEACE A program focused on self-advocacy and career readiness for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, utilizing Photovoice methodology and virtual career portfolio development.
• VTSS (Virginia Tiered System of Support) A state-level coaching and implementation support system helping school divisions design and enhance multi-tiered systems of support for student wellness and academic success.
• Creating Collaborative IEPs An online training curriculum for IEP team members based on a handbook developed by parents and professionals in Virginia. The training consists of five sessions covering collaborative IEP development, Present Level of Performance (PLOP) development, and standards-based IEP goal writing.
• Center for Family Involvement (CFI) A center providing family support, peer-to-peer mentorship, and navigation assistance for families of individuals with disabilities, operating in partnership with Virginia's Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS).
• Project CONNECTS A family engagement initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education, focused on defining inclusive family engagement practices and supporting middle and high school students with disabilities as they prepare for life after graduation.
• EPIC (Real Pay for Real Jobs) A program helping individuals with significant disabilities transition from subminimum wage settings to competitive integrated employment, using Family Navigators and peer-to-peer mentorship in partnership with Virginia DARS and SOAR 365.
• T/TAC (Training and Technical Assistance Center) A center providing technical assistance and professional development resources for educators and service providers serving children with disabilities, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education.

Quantifiable outcome

• The ECSE BEST pilot training program increased teachers who felt 'completely confident' supporting young children with disabilities from 20% to 60.9%
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with DARS through the Center for Family Involvement and EPIC (Real Pay for Real Jobs) initiative, helping individuals with significant disabilities transition from subminimum wage settings to competitive integrated employment. Family Navigators program supports peer-to-peer mentorship for families navigating vocational rehabilitation.
• Virginia Department of Education (VDOE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on statewide training and technical assistance through T/TAC, VTSS implementation, and professional development for educators serving students with disabilities across Virginia schools.
• SOAR 365coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity provider partner in the EPIC initiative, working together with DARS and the Partnership's Center for Family Involvement to create unified support systems for families pursuing competitive employment outcomes.
• The Arc of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership announced to expand LEAP (Law Enforcement Educating about Abuse Prevention) into Southwest and Tidewater regions of Virginia, collaborating on abuse prevention and safety training.
• Mt. Rogers Community ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBecame an official LEAP Certified Center for Abuse Prevention and Safety (C-CAPS), expanding abuse prevention training capacity in Southwest Virginia through the LEAP program.
• Amherst County Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject CONNECTS collaboration bringing families and educators together through community listening sessions, co-designing family engagement initiatives with federal grant support from U.S. Department of Education.
• Virginia Commonwealth University School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution and organizational parent. The Partnership is based at VCU's School of Education and leverages university resources, research capacity, and academic expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Wisconsin's UCEDD located within a major public research university. Peer in disability services research, training programs for educators and families, and federally funded program portfolios serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Institute on Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois Chicago: Illinois's UCEDD at UIC. Operates comparable UCEDD-funded disability training, research, and technical assistance programs with similar state-level scope, university affiliation, and reliance on federal disability grants.
• Center for Leadership in Disability, Georgia State University: Georgia's UCEDD operating from Georgia State University. Matches as a state-only, university-based center providing professional development for educators serving students with disabilities, transition services, and family support under federal UCEDD designation.
• University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School - Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center: Another federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). Directly comparable as a university-based disability research, training, and service organization operating under the same federal UCEDD framework with similar program portfolios spanning early intervention, transition, and family support.
• Vanderbilt Kennedy Center: Tennessee's UCEDD based at Vanderbilt University. Comparable as a research-intensive disability center providing professional development, training, and family support services across a single state under federal UCEDD designation, with similar academic-medical anchoring and evidence-based program development.
• University of Kentucky Human Development Institute: Kentucky's designated UCEDD, housed within the University of Kentucky. Operates an analogous portfolio of disability training, technical assistance, and family engagement programs funded through federal and state grants, with comparable state-only geographic scope and university-affiliated structure.

Emerging players

• Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) network / Center for Parent Information and Resources: Federally funded network providing parent training and information for families of children with disabilities. Directly comparable in training and technical assistance delivery, and in the IEP/parent-engagement space (overlapping with Creating Collaborative IEPs and Project CONNECTS).

Others

• National Center on Disability and Journalism: Specialized national center focused on disability journalism and media representation. Included as an adjacent federally affiliated disability center illustrating the broader federally funded UCEDD/AUCD-network ecosystem within which the Partnership operates.

Broad incumbents

• The Arc of the United States: National disability advocacy and service organization with state chapters (including The Arc of Virginia, a Partnership partner). Comparable as a broader disability-services and advocacy incumbent operating across family support, employment, and community living - areas that overlap with several Partnership programs.
• Easterseals: National nonprofit providing disability services, education, and employment programs across multiple states. Comparable as a larger incumbent operating in overlapping service categories (early intervention, employment, community living) with broader geographic reach but less state-embedded, university research-driven structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PPDVCU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partnershipforpeoplewithdisabilities
• Instagraminstagram.com/ppdvcu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about VCU Partnership for People with Disabilities