As little as 50 years ago, physically and mentally disabled people were rarely seen outside the home. Often, they were relegated to group homes or institutions. Medical doctors had determined that they were not only a detriment to society, but also a possible danger to themselves and others. Today, forced sterilization and lobotomies have become a thing of the past.
Hoping to disprove this antiquated and insulting notion that physical and mental disabilities equaled low I.Q.s and violent natures, a group of parents came together in 1953 to found VersAbility Resources. One parent, determined to provide a caring teaching venue for her child, stood on a corner along Jefferson Avenue collecting pennies, dimes and dollars for funding.
Carrying on the legacy of those determined parents, VersAbility’s Kasia Grzelkowski is celebrating more than 20 years as president and CEO, placing VersAbility’s clients in businesses throughout the community with tailored on-site job training. As recipient of the 2025 First Citizen award presented each year by the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Grzelkowski has exemplified personal service and commitment to the disabled community.
Born in Indiana, Grzelkowski first moved to the Peninsula as a city planner in Hampton. After moving to Washington, D.C., in a similar capacity — city planner, she returned to Hampton Roads to join the United Way and was then selected as CEO of VersAbility. Her passion for civic duty and focus on raising awareness in the disabled community has grown VersAbility into a nationwide and international program with programs as far away as Guam.
After reassessing following COVID, VersAbility developed three models of support to include housing, day support and employment programs. Day support in Newport News and Gloucester offers training and in-house jobs. VersAbility currently provides eight group homes with four- to six-bed houses in Hampton, Newport News and York County. Children from birth to three years of age have participated in early intervention programs. And many of the current employees are military veterans.
Grzelkowski stresses the importance of complete inclusion in the community, noting this is not simply a race to ensure disabled adults and children are treated with respect. VersAbility stresses physical and mental well-being and a sense of belonging along with providing jobs to benefit both the disabled and employers. As Grzelkowski points out, “the disabled are doers and thinkers, capable of joining the working community.”
At VersAbility, the cycle of “graduation to couch” is repaired. After program completion, clients no longer return home to sit and hope for a chance to give back to the community. VersAbility’s training program places graduates with appropriate employers overseen by VersAbility trainers until employee and employer are reassured the job is a good fit. In addition, disabled workers have a strong work ethic, valuing their jobs by arriving every day. Work retention percentages are higher, and, in many cases, they show enhanced problem-solving skills through a unique focus on the job at hand.
As part of the employment arm of VersAbility, Grzelkowski has overseen the development of programs that benefit the local community and the military. VersAbility delivers mail to the Air Force at 34 bases. Disabled adults load food on ships for the Navy. Vital mission-essential military services are completed with excellence, passion and care. VersAbility’s Tech Center — TECH being an acronym for Train, Educate, Certify and Hire — provides on-site technical training reaching, as Grzelkowski points out, “untapped talent.”
Grzelkowski says, “VersAbility is not a charity. VersAbility simulates an actual working environment.” Innovations include a solution for digitizing X-rays of parts for aerospace programs. And proven performance by VersAbility’s disabled community proves to its customers the disabled can not only work, they can also perform with excellence, passion and care by the magic of matching the disabled to jobs that uniquely suit their capabilities, providing employers with excellent employees.
Although no words that can truly describe the impact Grzelkowski and VersAbility has had on this community, one parent’s grateful critique of her son, who felt isolated with no outlet and had become violent, speaks to the impact in a simple statement expressed by her son. After attending a VersAbility program, he finally said for the first time in his life, “I have friends!” As she further stated, “I finally have hope for my son and his future.”
As Grzelkowski points out, “The disabled now live longer because they want to. They finally feel a part of a community. Drop a stone in the water and there is a ripple effect. It is the same for a community with an availability of workers, even though they may be disabled.” Grzelkowski has provided this ripple effect within the community with great success.
TO THE POINT:
VersAbility Resources
Address: 2520 58th St., Hampton, VA 23661
Contact: Kasia Grzelkowski, president and CEO
Phone: 757-896-6461
Website: VersAbility.org
