{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/51.5-1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/51.5-1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/51.5-1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/51.5-1.html"}],"law_id":82514,"edition_id":1,"section_id":82514,"structure_id":16847,"section_number":"51.5-1","catch_line":"Declaration of policy","history":"1985, c. 421, \u00a7 51.01-1; 1990, c. 458; 1991, c. 563; 2002, c. 572; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2012, cc. 803, 835; 2013, c. 571.","full_text":"It is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage and enable persons with disabilities to participate fully and equally in the social and economic life of the Commonwealth and to engage in remunerative employment. To these ends, the General Assembly directs the Governor; the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities; the Departments of Education, Health, Housing and Community Development, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and Social Services; the Departments for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Blind and Vision Impaired, and the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing; and such other agencies as the Governor deems appropriate to provide, in a comprehensive and coordinated manner that makes the best use of available resources, those services necessary to assure equal opportunity to persons with disabilities in the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe provisions of this title shall be known and may be cited as “The Virginians with Disabilities Act.”","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":295614,"text":"It is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage and enable persons with disabilities to participate fully and equally in the social and economic life of the Commonwealth and to engage in remunerative employment. To these ends, the General Assembly directs the Governor; the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities; the Departments of Education, Health, Housing and Community Development, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and Social Services; the Departments for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Blind and Vision Impaired, and the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing; and such other agencies as the Governor deems appropriate to provide, in a comprehensive and coordinated manner that makes the best use of available resources, those services necessary to assure equal opportunity to persons with disabilities in the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe provisions of this title shall be known and may be cited as “The Virginians with Disabilities Act.”","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16847,"edition_id":1,"name":"Declaration of Policy; Plan of Cooperation","identifier":"1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12761,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:50:42","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:50:42","permalink":{"id":236395,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16847,"identifier":"1","token":"51.5\/1","url":"\/51.5\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12761,"edition_id":1,"name":"Persons With Disabilities","identifier":"51.5","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":236393,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12761,"identifier":"51.5","token":"51.5","url":"\/51.5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":82514,"structure_id":16847,"section_number":"51.5-1","catch_line":"Declaration of policy","url":"\/51.5-1\/","token":"51.5\/1\/51.5-1","metadata":false},{"id":82453,"structure_id":16847,"section_number":"51.5-2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/51.5-2\/","token":"51.5\/1\/51.5-2","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":82453,"structure_id":16847,"section_number":"51.5-2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/51.5-2\/","token":"51.5\/1\/51.5-2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/51.5-1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1985. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 421 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1985 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 6 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1990, chapter 458; in 1991, chapter 563; in 2002, chapter 572<\/a>; in 2009, chapters 813<\/a> and 840<\/a>; in 2012, chapters 803<\/a> and 835<\/a>; in 2013, chapter 571<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":65957,"section_number":"2.2-3505","catch_line":"Designation of covered entity digital accessibility coordinator","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-3505\/"},{"id":66699,"section_number":"24.2-310","catch_line":"Requirements for polling places","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-310\/"},{"id":66692,"section_number":"24.2-413","catch_line":"Accessible registration locations","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-413\/"},{"id":84700,"section_number":"24.2-701.2","catch_line":"Absentee voting in person; voter satellite offices","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-701.2\/"},{"id":54936,"section_number":"46.2-2011.24","catch_line":"Grounds for denying, suspending, or revoking licenses, permits, or certificates","order_by":null,"url":"\/46.2-2011.24\/"},{"id":64169,"section_number":"51.5-39.13","catch_line":"Conversion of the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy to a nonprofit entity","order_by":null,"url":"\/51.5-39.13\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":236397,"object_type":"law","relational_id":82514,"identifier":"51.5-1","token":"51.5\/1\/51.5-1","url":"\/51.5-1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/51.5-1\/","token":"51.5\/1\/51.5-1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Declaration of policy","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 51.5-1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

It is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage and enable persons with disabilities to participate fully and equally in the social and economic life of the Commonwealth and to engage in remunerative employment. To these ends, the General Assembly directs the Governor; the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities; the Departments of Education, Health, Housing and Community Development, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and Social Services; the Departments for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Blind and Vision Impaired, and the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing<\/span>; and such other agencies as the Governor deems appropriate to provide, in a comprehensive and coordinated manner that makes the best use of available resources, those services necessary to assure equal opportunity to persons with disabilities in the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe provisions of this title shall be known and may be cited as “The Virginians with Disabilities Act.”<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDECLARATION OF POLICY (\u00a7 51.5-1)\n\nIt is the policy of the Commonwealth to encourage and enable persons with\ndisabilities to participate fully and equally in the social and economic life of\nthe Commonwealth and to engage in remunerative employment. To these ends, the\nGeneral Assembly directs the Governor; the Virginia Board for People with\nDisabilities; the Departments of Education, Health, Housing and Community\nDevelopment, Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and Social Services;\nthe Departments for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Blind and Vision\nImpaired, and the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing; and such other agencies as the\nGovernor deems appropriate to provide, in a comprehensive and coordinated manner\nthat makes the best use of available resources, those services necessary to\nassure equal opportunity to persons with disabilities in the Commonwealth.\n\t\tThe provisions of this title shall be known and may be cited as “The\nVirginians with Disabilities Act.”\n\nHISTORY: 1985, c. 421, \u00a7 51.01-1; 1990, c. 458; 1991, c. 563; 2002, c. 572;\n2009, cc. 813, 840; 2012, cc. 803, 835; 2013, c. 571.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}