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From Lynette Porter, Council Deputy Director:
TN Disability MegaConference is one of my favorite events of the year. As I was walking into this year’s conference a few weeks ago, I met a long-time friend, Carolyn Meyer. I’ve had the joy of watching Carolyn’s growth as a person and an advocate for many years now. Carolyn is a beautiful example of how our work at the Council can support a person through all of life’s stages.
I first met Carolyn the summer of 2008, when she was a high school student attending a Youth Leadership Forum the Council hosted at Vanderbilt University. My favorite memory of that week is listening to the Wicked musical soundtrack with Carolyn as she practiced for the Forum’s end-of-week talent show.
A few years later, Carolyn attended a Youth Leadership Academy the Council co-hosted with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN). Then in 2015, she graduated from our Partners in Policymaking™ leadership training.
Carolyn completed two Project SEARCH internships (a national program the Council helped bring to TN). Then, just this month, she was hired as a Scheduling Specialist at Inovalon, a health care technology company!
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Watching Carolyn’s growth over the years illustrates for me the impact the Council can have in the life of one person determined to live to the fullest. I have high hopes for Carolyn’s future and can’t wait to see her again at next year’s MegaConference!
-Lynette
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AbleVoices: Photography for Self-Expression, Empowerment, & Advocacy - by Partners graduate Jen Vogus
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"I am an educator, a photographer, and a parent of a 17-year-old son with physical and intellectual disabilities. When Aidan began Kindergarten, he was (and is) nonverbal and had limited ways to communicate with his teachers and peers. So I began taking pictures of Aidan’s interests and all that he was capable of doing and sent the photos with captions to school with him. This opened up Aidan’s world and his teachers and peers truly got to know him as an individual, creating lasting, meaningful relationships. It was these initial experiences that planted the seed of AbleVoices. The broad power of photography became clear to me and I wanted to use this accessible medium to help others whose voices may not be heard."
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Read more of Jen's story in last year's Breaking Ground arts issue and keep an eye out for more info in an upcoming issue!
AbleVoices provides tools and training for participants to create images that communicate their preferences, interests, strengths, and goals for the future, as well as to foster community inclusion.
You can see these artists' work at:
- The Williamson County Community Services building, 129 W. Fowlkes St., Franklin: ongoing exhibits
- Parthenon Museum: September - December 2019
- Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Polk Theater Gallery: May - July 2020
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center: September - December 2020
Keep up-to-date on the project on Facebook (@ablevoices), Instagram (@ablevoices), YouTube (AbleVoices), or website (www.ablevoices.org). You can contact Jen at jen@ablevoices.org.
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Save the Date: TN Siblings Conference ("TABS"), Nov. 9, Nashville
The TN Adults Brothers and Sisters (TABS) sibling support network is hosting a conference for siblings of individuals with disabilities on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC). TABS is coordinated by sibling volunteers, the Council, and VKC. TABS strives to empower and educate siblings who have a brother or a sister with a disability with information and resources, and to develop local and statewide support networks of siblings. The conference will feature sessions on future planning, self-care, healthcare, and supported decision making.
Download the save the date flier and help us spread the word!
Registration will open on August 1 and close in October.
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Rural Family Forums Across TN
The Arc Tennessee and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities are hosting events across the state to talk with families who have members with disabilities about special education rights, adult disability services, and what families need.
The Council will be participating in many of these forums, and we are excited to meet families in rural TN that are impacted by disability! Please help us spread the word and RSVP today for the event closest to you.
- July 1; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Sneedville (Hancock County); Hancock County Health Dept., 178 Willow St. Sneedville, TN 37869
- July 1; 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.; Newport (Cocke County); Memorial Baptist Church, 221 W. Broadway, Newport, TN 37821
- July 8; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Linden (Perry County); Perry County Community Center, 113 Factory Street Linden TN 37096
- July 9; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.; Bolivar (Hardeman County); Bolivar City Hall Conference Room, 211 N Washington St, Bolivar, TN 38008
- July 9; 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.; Selmer (McNairy County); McNairy Ag Center by McNairy High School, 845 High School Road Selmer, TN 38375
For more information, click here. To register: http://bit.ly/TNFamForums.
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Transition Tennessee Webcast: Increasing Family Engagement
Hosted by Transition TN, this webinar will feature two parents of young people with disabilities sharing their students' transition experiences, and they will offer advice on how school staff can increase family engagement in schools.
Click here to register for this webinar on June 25 at 3-3:45 p.m. Central. For any questions, email info@transitiontn.org.
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Transition Tennessee New Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Web Portal
Transition TN also just launched their new Pre-Employment Transition Services portal, a hub for resources and professional development on Pre-ETS. (Read a fact sheet about Pre-ETS from Disability Rights TN.)
This new Transition TN “blueprint” offers guidance on delivering high quality services to students with disabilities transitioning to higher education and employment. They also offer an Educator Transition Blueprint for educators helping students with disabilities prepare for life after high school.
Sign up for a free account and you can check out the new Pre-ETS courses on the "Power of Early Work Experiences" and an "Overview of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Pre-ETS", as well as many other courses and webinars from Transition TN.
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Tennessee Talks
The TN Department of Education has funded a grant, Tennessee Talks, designed to support school districts in meeting the needs of students with complex communication. This flier explains the intent and focus of the grant and the contact information for each regional contact who is available to support your school district. If you are a parent of a child who might benefit, you can contact your school to ask about this free program.
For additional information about the grant, contact Susan.Usery@tn.gov.
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7/27 - Southeast Adult Autism Symposium, Chattanooga
The Council is excited to once again be a founding sponsor of the Southeast Adult Autism Symposium, hosted by the GCA Centre for Adult Autism!
Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual Symposium, which will take place in Chattanooga and feature speakers and exhibitors from across the state. Register before June 30 for an Early Bird discount. For more information and to register, click here.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Chattanoogan Hotel
1201 Broad Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402
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Katie Beckett Program Needs Family Input
Thanks to the law passed this year, Tennessee is designing a new "Katie Beckett" program for children with complex medical conditions and disabilities whose parents make too much money to qualify for Medicaid.
The law gives the state, led by TennCare and the Dept. of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 180 days to design the program and submit it as a proposal to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for approval.
Share your input in-person:
- East Tennessee: July 1, 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET at Graystone Presbyterian Church (139 S. Woodlawn Pike, Knoxville, TN 37920)
- West Tennessee: July 2, 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CT at the STAR Center (1119 Old Humboldt Rd, Jackson, TN 38305)
- These in-person meetings include an overview of the program (see the PowerPoint here) and a facilitated conversation to answer key questions, which are also posted online - see below.
Share your input online: Until July 5! Click on this link to fill out a brief survey that asks specific questions like:
- What kind of services should be included?
- Who should be enrolled first?
- What questions do you still have about the program?
You can find more information about the Katie Beckett program on TennCare's website and DIDD's website.
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Vocational Rehabilitation Customer & Caregiver Survey - Closes 7/1
The TN Dept. of Human Services/Vocational Rehabilitation would like to hear from you if you or your family members have ever received Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services in TN.
DHS/VR is looking for your feedback on how they are doing at delivering VR services. The answers that you provide will help them improve their services and make sure they are meeting the needs of VR customers. The survey is anonymous and will remain open until July 1, 2019.
Take the Vocational Rehabilitation survey here.
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Two Surveys for TN Families with Young Children with Disabilities
STEP-TN (Support and Training for Exceptional Parents) wants to hear from two groups of families with kids with disabilities:
- Those with a child ages 3-5 who moved from TN Early Intervention Services to preschool or an early education program in the past 3 years; and
- Those with a child ages 5-7 who transitioned from preschool to kindergarten in the past 3 years.
What helped you and your child feel prepared during this transition? What were some challenges?
The information will help the TN Department of Education and STEP improve early education services for children with disabilities and families.
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Need information about
disability resources in your community?
Helpline: 1-800-640-4636;
Multilingual Services: 615-875-5083
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The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities is a state agency established to improve disability policies and practices, educate policymakers and the public, and facilitate community collaboration to create lasting, positive change.
The Council provides equal opportunity and access to its programs and activities by the public, and in its hiring and employment practices. The Council prohibits discrimination in all activities on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age or disability. For more information, visit https://www.tn.gov/cdd/about-the-council/title-vi.html.
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Council Meeting Dates
- September 13, 2019 – Council Meeting
- November 14 & 15, 2019 – Annual Planning Retreat
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