Countywide

Fairfax County is considering tweaking its zoning ordinance to ensure that last year’s parking requirements overhaul doesn’t lead to a decrease in accessible spaces.

Because developers build accessible parking in proportion to total parking, the number of accessible spots could go down if overall parking is reduced.


Around Town

A Maryland-based nonprofit that supports athletes with limited mobility will stride across state lines this fall with a new 5K event in Reston.

Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA) opened registration last week for its first Virginia RunFest, which will be held at Reston Town Center on Saturday, Sept. 22. It will be the organization’s first-ever event in Virginia, supplementing the race that it has hosted in Hunt Valley, Maryland, where it’s headquartered, for the past 16 years.


News

Jefferson Manor Park will soon undergo construction to enhance access for people with disabilities.

The park, located off of Farmington Road in Groveton near the Huntington Metro station, will soon see the addition of new trails that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fairfax County Park Authority recently announced.


News

The historic Ellmore Farmhouse at Frying Pan Farm Park has finished renovations and is now ready to offer programming for adults with disabilities.

The two-story farmhouse, which dates back to 1891, was restored and repurposed by ServiceSource, a national nonprofit that provides employment training and support resources to adults with disabilities.


News

After updating its parking standards last fall, Fairfax County is conducting an online survey seeking feedback from the community on its current supply of accessible/ADA parking spaces.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted new parking standards last September for the first time in 35 years through its Parking Reimagined initiative. Among other changes, the amendment created a tiered system for parking requirements based on a development’s density and proximity to transit.


News

A local nonprofit organization is hoping to expand its therapeutic riding services for people with disabilities in Great Falls.

Based at 9700 Georgetown Pike, Lift Me Up hopes to extend its services to a new horse barn with eight stables across six acres at 1051 Kelso Road near Difficult Run Stream Valley Park.


News

An app created by a trio of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology students to help kids with autism may someday be deployed in Fairfax County’s special education classrooms.

Sophomores Soham Jain, Rohan Kotla and Samvrit Rao have already earned recognition from Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10) for RoutineRemind, an app designed to help parents and kids keep track of their schedules.


Around Town

Special Olympics Virginia is ready to make another splash at the Mosaic District.

The nonprofit’s annual Polar Plunge fundraiser will return to the Merrifield community for a fourth year on Saturday, Jan. 14. As in previous years, participants will jump into a pool of icy water to raise money for the organization’s more than 18,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities.


Countywide

(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) A transgender woman’s lawsuit alleging discrimination at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center will be allowed to move forward in a potentially landmark decision in the fight for trans rights.

Former inmate Kesha Williams can pursue her complaint arguing that the harassment she experienced at the county jail violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, a U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled in an opinion released today (Tuesday).


View More Stories