A new dLCV report exposes systemic failures in Virginia’s involuntary commitment system, including prolonged restraints, lack of information, and barriers to due process for people in crisis.
Category: Press Releases
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One Hundred and Thirty-One Hours
A 19-year-old autistic teen was restrained to a hospital bed for over 131 hours in a Virginia emergency room while awaiting mental health treatment.
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dLCV in Response to Use of R-Word in National Media
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia is deeply concerned to see the use of the R-word in the national media.
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Urgent Need to Prevent Deaths in Developmental Disability Services
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at serious risk due to critical gaps in oversight, emergency response, and provider accountability in licensed providers.
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Urgent Call for Action: Major Oversight Failures at Virginia’s Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
The disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) has uncovered a major concern that affects hundreds of incredibly vulnerable Virginians.
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Falling Through the Cracks: An Investigation into the Death of Irvo Otieno
disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) investigated the death of Irvo Otieno in March 2023. From his initial encounters with police and the hospital emergency room to his incarceration and transfer to Central State Hospital, dLCV discovered a complete breakdown of Virginia’s mental health crisis system, compounded by a culture of criminalizing individuals with mental illness, particularly communities of color. The system that was supposed to help Mr. Otieno utterly and completely failed him.
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2023 Survey on the Human Rights Process at DBHDS Licensed and Operated Providers
In 2023, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia (dLCV) worked together with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services’ (DBHDS) Office of Human Rights (OHR) to survey service recipients and their families about their experiences with the available complaint processes.
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Settlement reached in National Federation of the Blind of Virginia v. Virginia Department of Corrections
The ACLU of Virginia, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, the law firm of Brown, Goldstein and Levy, and the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia reached a settlement on Friday, May 17, in a lawsuit brought on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia and four blind men, Michael McCann, Kevin Muhammad Shabazz, William Hajacos, and Nacarlo Courtney, alleging that the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) denied them equal access to prison communications, services, and programs.