Blue Ridge Health District prioritizes accessibility and inclusion

The Blue Ridge Health District partnered with a Charlottesville-based disability inclusion startup to boost training, awareness, and transparency.

Earlier this month, a number of Blue Ridge Health District facilities completed VisitAble’s training certification. The agencies included the Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department, Fluvanna County Health Department, Greene County Health Department, and Yancey Community Health Center.

VisitAble is a disruptive startup based in Charlottesville that is helping make disability inclusion champions out of both public and private organizations.

In order for these facilities to earn their training certifications, BRHD employees received VisitAble’s disability etiquette and inclusion training, the facilities were assessed by VisitAble employees to provide accessibility feedback and advice, and a mystery guest with a disability visited the facilities to give their own feedback. The facilities are listed on VisitAble’s website with accessibility information to help current and prospective visitors navigate the facilities.

“The staff members were very easy to work with and made sure to train as many staff as possible, including contractors,” said Joe Jamison, founder of VisitAble. “We were impressed with the adjustable-height examination tables and the fact that there was an interpreter system in place for the four locations we worked with.”

This collaboration was important for both organizations. For VisitAble, these four facilities were the first health-related facilities, as well as the first Virginia state government-run facilities, that completed the entire training certification process.

For the Blue Ridge Health District, this was an excellent step towards making disability inclusion a priority. It is likely that this partnership will grow to create real impact towards greater physical accessibility and inclusion for clients and visitors of the Virginia Department of Health, according to a news release.

“Continued professional development is an important part of our work here at BRHD. This training, however, went beyond that need for professional growth and encouraged us to be better, more knowledgeable human beings on the clock and off. Our staff are eager to implement the tools they learned in this training and remain committed to continuing to improve accessibility within BRHD.” said Rebecca Schmidt, BRHD Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives.

For more information on VisitAble, visit their website.