Tennessee Disability Coalition News Blog

Opportunity to Network with Future Employers!

Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities is proud to produce “The COSD-AT&T Summit for Career Exploration.” This event is designed to bring together up to 60 invited college students with disabilities attending higher education institutions and 10 invited Tennessee-based and national employers.

FULL ACCESS is unique in that it brings together employers to meet with students, not in a career fair, but in a relaxed informal environment that allows both students and employers to be comfortable with each other.  For the students, it allows them the closest contact they will have with employers specifically seeking them.

In our unusual format, students get to choose their top three employers and we, at COSD, match them up to their choices as much as possible.  With those assignments, up to six students, at a time, go to a meeting room that is hosted by that preferred employer for a one hour informal discussion.  Questions and discussion are encouraged from both sides and the feedback we have received from students and employers has been extremely positive.

The COSD-AT&T FULL ACCESS: Student Summit for Career Exploration is composed of two half-day sessions, starting at 12 noon on Sunday, September 21st and ending at 2 pm Monday, September 22nd.  Interested students and employers should contact Alan Muir at 865-974-7148 or via e-mail at amuir@tennessee.edu to receive further information about the event and how to register.

Registration Deadline Extended to Sept. 15th

When: Sunday, September 21st and Monday, September 22nd

Where: Nashville, TN at the Holiday Inn - Opryland/Airport

Agenda: To review the 2-day agenda

Event Website: http://fullaccess.wordpress.com/

Clinic Will Now See Children as Young as Three Years Old

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Behavior Analysis Clinic, which serves families who have a child with an intellectual or other developmental disability and who also engage in challenging behaviors, now is beginning to work with children as young as 3 years. The upper age limit continues to be 18 years.

“Many children and adolescents with disabilities have behavior problems that interfere with typical development and learning,” said Nea Houchins-Juarez, clinic coordinator.  “We moved our minimum age from 5 to 3 years to help support families and children when intense challenging behaviors are initially observed after diagnosis of a developmental disability - rather than having a family wait until age 5, which can lead to even more intense challenging behaviors.”

Parents, or other care providers, and their child visit the clinic for an initial functional behavior assessment.  During a second visit, families work with clinic staff to develop and refine a behavior intervention plan that is individually tailored to the needs of the child.  Clinicians then work with the family in their home for the next month, teaching the skills needed to minimize the child’s behavior problems. Typically, the majority of behavior problems are reduced by 90% or greater after taking part in the program.

Services are provided by Board Certified Behavior Analysts.  The Clinic also is a training site for graduate students in the Department of Special Education Department at Peabody College.

The clinic is a joint venture among the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Peabody College, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

For information on fees and services, call (615) 322-9007, e-mail n.houchins-juarez@vanderbilt.edu, or visit: http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/community/bdclinic.html

TennCare Oversight Committee

When: Tuesday, September 30

Where: Inside Legislative Plaza, Nashville

Schedule of Events

10:30 AM Appeal Training - Come to cafeteria

11:30 AM Lunch

12:30 PM Press Conference

1:30 to 4:00 PM TennCare Legislative Oversight Committee Meeting

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What you need to do:

1. Plan on attending this training and Legislative Oversight Committee Meeting
2. Call your state legislators today and tell them your story. Everyone has one state senator and one state representative. Invite them to come to your home and understand the importance of home health care. http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
3. Ask your legislator to attend the TennCare Oversight Committee meeting even if he/she is not on the committee. http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/
4. Call the members of the Oversight Committee and ask them to attend and learn more about this important issue.If you live in one of the counties they represent, be sure to call them ASAP.

What’s wrong with the reduction in home health and nursing services at this time?

1. The time given families to plan for other alternatives is not sufficient;
2. More flexibility is needed in the home health benefit in order to provide families with the care they need to keep their loved one at home. This flexibility needs to reflect the medical needs of the families.
3. Some people may be better off in a nursing home, yet they need more time to make this transition. Nevertheless, families need more options that are currently not available. Why now? Why not wait until July 1, 2009, when more options will become available under the Long Term Care Community Choices Act?
4. Care needs to be individualized. There are many different patients with serious medical needs. Putting everyone with very different and very serious medical needs into just two categories with very limited hours will not meet the needs of many patients. Click here for questions and answers about appealing.

Now take action and call your legislators and members of the TennCare Oversight Committee listed below:

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Senator Diane Black, Robertson and part of Sumner counties

819 Plantation Boulevard, Gallatin, TN 37066

Phone:(615) 230-8586, sen.diane.black@legislature.state.tn.us

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Senator Charlotte Burks, Cumberland, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, ?Putnam, and White Counties

18131 Crossville Highway, Monterey, TN 38574

Phone (931) 839-3392, sen.charlotte.burks@legislature.state.tn.us

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Senator Rusty Crowe, Washington and Carter counties

808 East 8th Avenue, Johnson City, TN 37601

Phone (423) 926-8288, sen.rusty.crowe@legislature.state.tn.us

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Senator Raymond Finney, Blount and Sevier counties

2119 Middlewood Drive, Maryville, TN 37803

Phone: 865-984-1424, sen.raymond.finney@legislature.state.tn.us

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Senator Roy Herron, Benton, Decatur, Henry, Henderson, ?Lake, Obion, Perry, Stewart and Weakley counties

Court Square, P.O. Box 5, Dresden, TN 38225

Phone (731) 364-5415, sen.roy.herron@legislature.state.tn.us

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Senator Doug Jackson, Dickson, Giles, Hickman, ?Humphreys, Lawrence, and Lewis counties

119 Tanglewood Drive, Dickson, TN 37055

Phone (615) 446-5631, sen.doug.jackson@legislature.state.tn.us

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Senator Steve Southerland, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, and Unicoi counties

322 West Hillcrest Drive, Morristown, TN 37813

Phone (615) 741-3851, sen.steve.southerland@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Joe Armstrong, Part of Knox County

4708 Hilldale Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914

Phone (865) 532-6374, rep.joe.armstrong@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Dennis Ferguson, Roane and part of Loudon Counties

2851 Roane State Highway, Harriman, TN 37748

Phone (865) 882-5930, rep.dennis.ferguson@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Bill Harmon, Sequatchie, Van Buren, ?Grundy, and Marion counties

107 Harmon Road North, Dunlap, TN 37327

Phone (423) 949-5100, rep.bill.harmon@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Mike Harrison, Hancock and part of Hawkins counties

115 Green Acres Drive, Rogersville, TN 37857

Phone (615) 741-7480, rep.mike.harrison@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Joey Hensley, Lawrence, Lewis and ?part of Wayne counties

855 Summertown Highway, Hohenwald, TN 38462

Phone (615) 741-7476, rep.joey.hensley@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Steve McDaniel, Henderson, Chester and parts of Decatur and Wayne counties

97 Battleground Drive, Parkers Crossroads, TN 38388

Phone (731) 968-7883, rep.steve.mcdaniel@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative Gary Odom, Part of Davidson county

119 Dunham Springs Lane, Nashville, TN 37205

Phone (615) 356-5096, rep.gary.odom@legislature.state.tn.us

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Representative David Shepard, Dickson and part of Hickman Counties

204 McCreary Heights, Dickson, TN 37055

Phone (615) 446-9782, rep.david.shepard@legislature.state.tn.us

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For more information contact Tony Garr at the Tennessee Health Care Campaign.

His email is: tgarr@thcc2.org

The election is just over two months away and the public is beginning to tune in with back-to-back national conventions dominating the news.

For your convenience we are providing information about key election dates as well as information to contact campaigns for additional information or to volunteer.

Key Dates in Tennessee

October 6th - Registration Deadline. Forms should be postmarked or hand-delivered to your local election commission.  Coalition Quarterly readers can find a registration form in the Summer 2008 edition or visit the State Division of Elections website for information on how to register.

Oct. 15th to Oct. 30th - Early Voting

November 4th - Election Day

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Major Party Candidates

Tennessee for McCain

Phone: (850) 391-4219

On the web: http://tennessee.johnmccain.com

Disabilities site: http://americanswithdisabilities.johnmccain.com

Email: tennessee@johnmccain.com for more information

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Obama for America

Phone: (866) 675-2008

On the web: http://action.barackobama.com/page/s/volunteer

Disabilities site: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/

Email: dsjernigan@comcast.net for Obama disability email distribution list

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3rd Party Candidates

The TN Division of Elections does not yet have a published list of candidates who have qualified to be on the presidential ballot.  Below is a sampling of 3rd party candidates found on www.votesmart.org that may be on the ballot if qualified by TN.

Charles Baldwin - US Taxpayer’s Party at http://www.baldwin2008.com/

Bob Barr - Libertarian Party at http://www.bobbarr2008.com/

Cynthia McKinney - Green Party/Peace & Freedom Party at http://votetruth08.com/

Ralph Nader - Independent/Natural Law Party at http://www.votenader.org/