A nonprofit that provides day programs for adults with disabilities has expanded its services to Hybla Valley.
Joined by local and state-level elected officials as well as program participants and their families, Specially Adapted Resource Centers (SPARC) celebrated the opening of its newest site at the Hybla Valley Community Center (7950 Audubon Avenue) with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday (April 17).
Open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the resource center provides social and recreational activities, life skills training, education, excursions and other programs for young adults who have aged out of public schools but aren’t able to access traditional Medicaid programs due to the severity of their disabilities.
The Hybla Valley location is one of five centers that SPARC is now operating across Northern Virginia, joining sites at the Old Firehouse Center in McLean, Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate in Reston, Arlington Mill Community Center in Arlington, and Congregation Sha’are Shalom in Leesburg.
All five locations will now be supported by a multisensory Mobile Exploration Lab that SPARC debuted as part of last week’s ribbon-cutting.
“The van is engineered to meet a wide range of sensory needs, providing calming regulation for participants who become overstimulated, and active engagement opportunities for those who seek stimulation,” the nonprofit said in a press release.
Started in 2006, SPARC says it’s the only nonprofit in Virginia focused specifically on providing “community-integrated” day programs for adults with multiple, severe disabilities and complex medical needs — a population overlooked by the state’s Medicaid-funded providers.
SPARC argues that Virginia’s reliance on Medicaid providers to serve most people with disabilities has kept it out of compliance with a 2012 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which found that the Commonwealth was discriminating against people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by “unnecessarily” segregating them in state-run institutions instead of providing services in the community.
While the state’s approach to disability services has evolved since then to promote community integration instead of institutionalization, gaps in services remain, according to SPARC.
“The population SPARC serves cannot be adequately served by a Medicaid provider and that is why we were created,” SPARC CEO Debi Alexander told FFXnow by email. “By funding SPARC’s existing centers and funding additional centers across the state, Virginia can better meet compliance and more importantly close a gap in services that exists for the population of adults with severe and multiple disabilities who require 1:1 assistance for all daily living activities and cannot work.”
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Alexander called the new SPARC in Hybla Valley a representation of “what is possible when public leaders, private partners, and families come together with a shared vision.”
SPARC Board of Directors Chair Ellen Dyke singled out Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk for recognition.
“[His] steadfast support made it possible to open this new center on the Route 1 corridor — now giving adults with complex needs a rightful place in our community,” she said.
More from the press release on other notable attendees of the grand opening:
The event brought together elected officials, community leaders, families, and program participants to mark a significant milestone in expanding inclusive opportunities for adults with severe and multiple disabilities. The program included remarks from Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk, former Virginia Secretary of Education Jim Dyke, Congressman Don Beyer, and Virginia’s First Gentleman Adam Spanberger, all of whom recognized the importance of creating spaces where individuals with complex needs can fully participate in community life.
Additional distinguished guests in attendance included Congressman Eugene Vindman and Dr. Cindy Vindman, Virginia State Senator Kannan Srinivasan, Delegates Karen Keys-Gamarra and Paul Krizek, former Congressman Bill Alexander and SPARC board directors Gaston Araoz, Hannah Irsfeld, Will Schermerhorn, Dave and JoAnne Adams, and other regional leaders and community partners who have championed SPARC’s mission.
