VHDA's Focus on Accessibility

VHDA is committed to serving the citizens of Virginia by making loans for and providing information about affordable housing.

Granting Freedom is a grant program that pays for modifications to make living spaces more accessible for servicemen or women who sustained injury during service in a combat theatre of operations. These funds can be used to widen doorways and add ramps to make a home wheelchair accessible, to install grab bars in a bathroom or to make other modifications that help eligible recipients feel more at home.

VHDA partners with the Department of Housing and Community Development, Community Housing Partners and other community groups in order to make the Granting Freedom program available to Virginia servicemen and women injured while serving our country.

Currently, over $1 million of funding is available to pay for modifications to houses and apartments. Read more about how to apply for Granting Freedom funds.

AccessVA.org: Virginia's Accessible Housing Resource

Access Virginia is an online housing registry designed to help Virginians with disabilities find accessible, affordable apartments and learn more about accessibility requirements and Universal Design. The Access Virginia website was created by VHDA with a grant from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities in 2004.

VHDA worked with the National Accessible Apartment Clearing House to build a collection of apartments that offer accessibility features, housing assistance of various types or other offer special features designed for people with disabilities.

AccessVA.org will also help you locate specific information about other sites that offer assistive technology or building products that are designed using techniques that make them useful to people with disabilities. These resources can help people who are renting apartments as well as people who are planning to build a new home or renovate their existing home.

Universal Design CD

The Access Virginia website now features an interactive CD-ROM demonstrating the principles of Universal Design: an exciting, inclusive design approach resulting in usable living spaces that benefit people of all ages and abilities. Entitled Universal Design Done Affordably, the CD explains the basic principles of Universal Design and offers a wide range of information for builders and designers interested in these building techniques. It also provides information on appliances that meet Universal Design specifications as well as companies that supply these products.

Universal Design Done Affordably was produced through a partnership between VHDA, Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services and the Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority.

Universal Design Done Affordably can be downloaded in several formats on AccessVA.org. Additionally, copies of the CD can be obtained free of charge by contacting Gail Braham at udcd@vhda.com or (804) 343-5512.

Universal Design Toolbox

In November 2006, VHDA introduced the Universal Design Toolbox at the Governor’s Housing Conference in Norfolk, VA. The Toolbox was designed to provide architects, designers, developers, contractors and homeowners with a series of tools to apply Universal Design techniques.

To request a Universal Design Toolbox or to find out more about "Creative Housing for the 21st Century" seminars, contact us at udcd@vhda.com or gail.braham@vhda.com.

Notice of Funds for Accessibility Rental Modification

Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA)  has grant funds available to pay for modification work needed on rental units to make them accessible. These funds are available to persons earning 80% or less of the area median income. The grant funds will be available on a first come/first served basis, up to $1,800 per dwelling unit. Funds can be used for any work needed to make the unit accessible for disabled individual.

• Grant Application (.pdf)

VHDA.com Accessibility

We want to ensure that our visitors can readily access the information contained on this website. Towards this goal, we now offer visitors a dynamically generated, text-based view of the site to better support assistive and low-bandwidth devices. Often visitors use special software or hardware such as screen readers, magnification software or PDAs to access websites. The text-only version gives you the option to view the website as plain text with graphical elements removed.

To access the text-only version of this website, select the 'Text Only' link from our homepage (found in the upper left-hand corner under 'Getting Around') or go directly to:
http://transcoder.usablenet.com/tt/

Americans with Disabilities Act

Barbara Blankenship
Human Resource Director and ADA Coordinator
601 South Belvidere Street
Richmond, VA 23220
Phone: (804) 343-5586
Email: Barbara.blankenship@vhda.com

VHDA in Richmond

• VHDA is located at 601 South Belvidere Street, near the Lee Bridge and in between the Virginia War Memorial and Afton Chemical Corporation (formerly known as the Ethyl Corporation Research Center).
• Both the building and parking are accessible, and ramps in the front of the building allow for easy entrance. Restroom facilities meet accessibility standards that were set prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act Guidelines. Plans are currently underway to bring restrooms up to full ADA compliance.
• Public meetings are routinely held in our conference rooms, and when needed, special accommodations are available through prearrangement. Please contact: JC Corbett at (804) 343-5776.

TDD/TTY

You can also contact VHDA via TDD 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Associates will return your call during business hours. TDD for Deaf and hard of hearing: (804) 783-6705.

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