The VCSP strives for efficiency for clients and the State. People with disabilities have the right to accommodations that will provide them with an equal opportunity to participate as effectively as possible in their process. The VCSP’s work provides a system and services that always have potential to increase efficiency, and is often successful in this effort.
Some examples of this could be:
- In cases where there is potential for settlement, a client who has a better understanding of their case and options will have a better opportunity to efficiently agree to a settlement.
- A hearing during which the judge has to continually check in for comprehension and explain the process to the litigant would take longer than a circumstance that might involve the support of the CSS.
- A hearing during which a litigant experiences a panic attack, would likely need to be continued and this could potentially be avoided by use of the VCSP.
There are many examples that can be offered to support the contribution to efficiency that the VCSP provides to the State and Judiciary.
For every court hearing or meeting there is a pre-meeting and post-meeting with the communication specialist. The pre-meeting offers an opportunity for clients to practice their communication and prepare for their process. The specialist and the client will also use this time to determine the tools and strategies that will be used for support at the hearing or meeting. The implementation of remote communication has also created technological challenges in the CSS team works to support clients with being able to manage their connections.
This has been a significant contribution to efficiency, not only saving time on the day of the hearing, but likely avoiding some potential continuances. Some of the strategies for support, depending on the person’s disability, can include assisting with the comprehension of written documentation, giving people an opportunity to organize their thoughts, helping to create a list of priorities, reviewing the court or meeting process, defining terminology, providing a person with an opportunity to practice their communication, and working with someone to create a plan to assist them in avoiding the triggers associated with psychiatric disabilities.
VCSP has consistently found that time spent with a client before and after hearings and meetings results in better understanding by the client and more efficient communications by them, achieving efficiency savings for the system as a whole. At the post- meeting, there is an opportunity for review and reinforcement of next steps. Both of these meetings are very important in supporting efficiency and our client feedback notes this to be one of the most important aspects of CSS services.
Efficiency also makes a critical difference behind the scenes. One example of this is prior to a client attending a hearing or meeting at which they are assigned a CSS he/she receives a reminder call from the Program Coordinator. Comprehension and organization are challenges that exist as a result of disability for many VCSP clients, and in turn, it is not unusual for there to be some confusion and/or lack of awareness with regard to scheduling. It is likely that without this piece of basic communication support, there would be a number of times that the court process would be affected in a way that could result in additional time to the judiciary.