A local parent-teacher association is continuing to push back against school leaders’ plans to end the Integration Station program for preschool-age youth with disabilities.
The result has been “a growing gap in the trust between Arlington Public Schools, the School Board and the families they serve,” said Alaina Clark, president of the Arlington Special Education Parent-Teacher Association (SEPTA).
Supporters of the Integration Station are again mobilizing against a plan to shut down the specialized program for young students with intellectual disabilities.
About 20 proponents of the program used the School Board’s Sept. 24 public-comment period to ask Board members to rescue the program from planned elimination. The mood among many speakers, most with direct connections to the program, was testy.
A familiar face in the local inclusive-theater world is being remembered as a force for good across Northern Virginia.
Merry Jayne Casillas of Arlington died Sept. 21 after a brief illness. She was 43 years old and, for the past two decades, was a part of the ArtStream inclusive-theater troupe.
A new philanthropic effort will support affordable housing for lower-income seniors and those with disabilities in Arlington.
County Board members on Sept. 19 authorized the creation of the new housing fund, spearheaded by the husband-and-wife duo of Ken Aughenbaugh and Melodee Melin.
Arlington Public Schools has once again announced plans to end its partnership on the Integration Station early-childhood initiative.
Supporters of The Children’s School plan to rally before the School Board next week to oppose the planned phaseout. It follows a previous plan to shutter the program in 2025, which school leaders ultimately abandoned.
Members of Arlington’s Disability Advisory Commission argue that they could do more good by being an integral part of creating properties, not just reviewing them.
“We feel a frustration dealing with the county’s current planning process,” said Commissioner Bryant Atkins.
Members of the county’s Disability Advisory Commission are deeply unhappy with recent local efforts to remove snow and ice from pedestrian pathways.
A recent meeting zeroed in on a lack of attention given to a key entrance to the Bozman Government Center, as well as lingering snow on many curb cuts and sidewalks.
Members of the county’s Disability Advisory Commission are hoping to become better known in the broader community during 2026, while also having more impact on public policy.
Outreach efforts will aim to increase public visibility and collaborate with other arms of the county government. Concrete goals include a 25% increase in the number of public speakers at commission meetings, plus the recruitment of two additional commission members.
The construction phase of a project bringing a new group home for adults with intellectual disabilities to the Reeves Farmhouse is expected to begin soon.
A year after the local Habitat for Humanity chapter and HomeAid National Capital Region broke ground on the historic structure at 400 N. Manchester Street in October last year, HomeAid and the construction company Toll Brothers announced that they’re ready to start work on the next stage.
Plans for parking at Arlington County’s future boathouse in Rosslyn have drawn concern from the county’s Disability Advisory Commission.
Commissioners have raised fears that the location of parking spaces on the National Park Service land would be an impediment for those who participate in adaptive-rowing activities.
Members of an advisory panel are suggesting that the County Board might need to intervene in issues with a transportation program for residents with disabilities.
Karen Audant, interim chair of the Disability Advisory Commission, said she is “deeply concerned” about the operations of the Specialized Transit for Arlington Residents (STAR) program following a scathing report on the initiative from the county’s internal auditor, Wayne Scott.
The Falls Church City Council is considering future changes to the city’s tax relief policies for seniors and people with permanent disabilities.
Council members considered a relatively straightforward staff request on Monday night: updating the city code to include changes that leaders made about two years ago with regards to real estate tax relief.
