Our Story

In 2018, the ALLY Alliance started with a big idea: people with developmental disabilities should have a way to come together and lead change in Virginia.

At the first meeting, self-advocates came together to dream, plan, and talk about what they wanted to build. During that session, they wrote a group poem that showed their shared goals and brought their voices together as one.

In 2019, funding from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities helped the group grow. With that support, they created a mission, set goals, and started reaching out to others.

From the beginning, the Alliance has been led by people with all types of developmental disabilities. That means the work is shaped by people with lived experience—and members get the support they need to take part, speak up, and lead.

Since then, the ALLY Alliance has grown across Virginia. Self-advocates have started local groups, shared their stories, and taken action to make systems better for people with disabilities.