Disabilities

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, The Arc Tennessee and Able Voices are in search of volunteer interview subjects for the next issue of Kindred Stories of Disability. The topic of the 2024 issue is 'Mental Health and Youth.' Chosen stories and experiences will educate Tennessee legislators and policymakers about the barriers that children and youth with disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions face as they seek access to services. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Conversation Series on Research in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities is designed to share research in plain, accessible language with the community while fielding questions from the audience. The next Conversation will cover “Mental Health in Individuals with IDD” on Thursday, March 30, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CT. Read More

A Vanderbilt professor has devised a new phonetic system for braille readers that promotes inclusive learning for aspiring classical singers with visual impairments. Read More

Registration is open for the 2018 Tennessee Disability MegaConference, to be held May 24–25 at the Nashville Airport Marriott. This year’s theme is “Rising Strong Together.” Read More

The Alison Piepmeier Memorial Lecture is set for Sept. 25, featuring speaker George Estreich, author of a book about raising his daughter who has Down syndrome. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Disabilities and Religion program is hosting community conversations in Davidson and Williamson counties to brainstorm with key stakeholders about increasing opportunities for meaningful participation for people with disabilities and their families in communities of faith. Read More

On a Monday afternoon in early September, Blair School of Music senior Kelby Carlson was crossing Children’s Way, the street that runs in front of the Blair School, just as he had done countless times before. Carlson, who is blind, was with his service dog, a 4-year-old yellow lab named Elvis. Read More

Lu Zeph believes people with disabilities have both a civil and a human right to develop their abilities in an inclusive community. “The disability rights movement is rooted in the Civil Rights Movement,” she states. Both faced similar opposition, she says, and both have advanced society. Read More

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (Vanderbilt University) The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Disabilities, Religion, and Spirituality Program is conducting a survey focusing on the strengths, spirituality, and well-being of young people with disabilities in Tennessee. Parents or caregivers of young people with an intellectual disability or autism (ages… Read More

A grant from the U.S. Department of Education will continue to fund the development of coursework and teacher training materials for students with disabilities. Read More