NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has been awarded a
one-year, $100,000 grant to create a plan for a statewide network of assistance
centers for low-income and geographically underserved families of
individuals with developmental disabilities. The grant is a Family
Support 360 Planning Grant from the federal Administration on
Developmental Disabilities.
The grant includes funding to develop a Web-based system for family
support planning linked to the Tennessee Disability Pathfinder, which
is a database of services and support for families of individuals with
disabilities, as well as funds to develop a training program for family
support planning. Both the Web system and the training program will be
prototypes for future efforts in other states.
Both products will be piloted in urban and rural communities in
Tennessee in partnership with The Arc of Davidson County and
Pacesetters, Inc. They will also be piloted with African-American
families with disabilities receiving services from Overcomer’s Ministry
and with Latino and other immigrant families receiving services from
The Arc of Davidson County.
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s primary partners in this project are
the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, the University of
Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities in Memphis,
Tennessee Protection and Advocacy, Tennessee Statewide Family Support
Council and People First of Tennessee. The lead legislative liaison is
Tennessee state Rep. Sherry Jones.
For more information, contact project director Elise McMillan, director
of community outreach for the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, at
615-343-2540.
Media contacts: Jan Rosemergy, (615) 322-8238
jan.rosemergy@vanderbilt.edu
Melanie Catania, (615) 322-7970
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu