Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

10/10/2025

NEXT MONDAY!
WEBINAR: "Preparing for Adulthood: Understanding Conservatorship and Other Decision-Making Options, Support Services, and More!"
📅 Date: October 13
🕒 Time: 5:30-7:00 p.m. CST

Are you supporting a high school student with a disability as they prepare for life after graduation? Join us for a free, informative webinar hosted by the TN Center for Decision-Making Support.

What You’ll Learn:
In this session, we’ll cover essential elements of transition planning, including:
- Understanding decision-making supports and other legal options
- Accessing transition services and building effective transition plans
- Resources and strategies to support student success

Whether you're just beginning the transition process or want to deepen your knowledge, this webinar will provide the tools and insights you need.

This webinar will be focused on helping families, educators, and professionals navigate the transition planning process with confidence for high school students with disabilities.

REGISTER HERE:

Hello! We'd like to thank you for registering for our free webinar on Decision-Making Supports & Transition Services in Tennessee for Your Child. During each of these webinars, we will discuss the same material on the various decision-making options available, including: Conservatorship Powers of At...

10/09/2025

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and, just in time to celebrate, the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging announced that the Employment First Task Force has released the 2025 Expect Employment report.

The 12th annual report highlights the positive impact of technology and innovative programming on the shrinking disability employment gap.

The disability employment gap has shrunk by another 8 percent, and there is now a 32-percent gap in employment between individuals with disabilities and individuals without. Advocates and agencies continue to work to close the employment gap by an additional 5 percent in the next fiscal year.

The report was presented to Gov. Bill Lee and other state leaders on Oct. 2 at Muse Knoxville, a children’s science museum.

The Employment First Task Force includes staff from the VKC, Tennessee Disability Pathfinder, and Transition Tennessee Vanderbilt University as well as representatives from the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, State of Tennessee Departments of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Labor and Workforce Development, Education, Economic and Community Development, and Health as well as the Division of TennCare, and several disability advocacy groups.

VIEW THE REPORT HERE: http://bit.ly/4o9F5ZI

10/08/2025

SCIENCE DAY COMMITTEE APPRECIATION POST!

Look at these rock stars! We had an INCREDIBLE VKC Science Day this past Monday, thanks in part to these VKC researchers who volunteered their time to review a record number of submitted poster abstracts, recruit fellow faculty members to serve as judges for all those posters, and offer support where support was needed.

Many, many thanks to Drs. Heather Ward, Andrew Molnar, Bill Nobis, and Committee Chair Amy Needham for being so great to work with. 🏆🏆🏆🏆

10/06/2025

SAVE THE DATE: Community Conversation on Housing for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Monday, Oct. 27, 6-8 p.m.

Join the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Our Place Nashville, and the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities on Monday, Oct. 27, from 6-8 p.m. at Belmont United Methodist Church for an evening of conversation about how our community can increase affordable housing options for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Tennessee.

What is a Community Conversation?
A Community Conversation is a two-hour event that brings a diverse set of community members together to listen, learn, and collectively brainstorm strategies and resources that can be used to address a challenge facing their community. This event is open to anyone in the community -- those with or without a personal connection to the disability community are invited to attend and participate in the dialogue. Coffee and desserts will be provided.

RSVP to attend by Oct. 13: https://redcap.vumc.org/surveys/?s=PX7R4TLWD3JDRDC3

Contact ucedd@vumc.org or (615) 936-8852 with questions.

10/02/2025

STORYTELLERS NEEDED!

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, The Arc Tennessee, and AbleVoices are in search of volunteer interview subjects for the next issue of Kindred Stories of Disability. The topic of the 2026 issue is "Housing Opportunities and Barriers in Tennessee Communities."

Adults with disabilities continue to face barriers when seeking a place to live in the community. We want to interview adults with disabilities and/or their families to learn more about their housing goals and their experiences seeking and securing (or not securing) community-based housing.

We are seeking interviews with adults with disabilities, parents, and caregivers who will share their stories with legislators and policymakers in Tennessee for educational purposes.

Participation commitment includes:
-- A one-hour conversation with a Vanderbilt student over Zoom, with questions shared in advance -- Interviewees may choose to remain anonymous
-- Optional photo session to give young photographers with disabilities experience using photography for advocacy -- may be anonymous
-- Final review of your story, written by the student
-- Having your story and photos printed and shared with legislators and policymakers during Tennessee Disability Day on the Hill.

Check out the Kindred Stories flyer for full details. Interested in participating? Click here: https://bit.ly/46lYtN8

Check out past issues of Kindred Stories here: https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/resources/kindred/

09/30/2025

Amid a backdrop of increasing su***de-related emergency department visits among youth across the state, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt experts are informing parents and caregivers about signs of distress to look for in children and adolescents.

LINK:

There has been a growing mental health crisis among children and adolescents in Tennessee, where the su***de death rate among youth (ages 5-17) is 13.6% higher than the national average.

09/29/2025

A little good news to start your week...

"Huntington’s disease, a devastating degenerative illness that runs in families, has been treated successfully for the first time in a breakthrough gene therapy trial.

"The gene therapy slowed the progress of the disease by 75% in patients after three years."

Surgical procedure to treat devastating illness slowed progress of disease by 75% in patients after three years

09/26/2025

HAVE YOU REGISTERED TO ATTEND SCIENCE DAY YET? The deadline to RSVP is Monday, Sept. 29!
CLICK HERE: https://vkc.vumc.org/events/70802025

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Science Day will take place Monday, October 6, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Vanderbilt University Student Life Center. Posters will be hung in the Commodore Ballroom from 10:00-11:30 a.m. with the program beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Commodore Ballroom. Science Day festivities will include lunch, two poster sessions, a keynote, and a Data Blitz, closing with a wine/cheese reception. Find updates for Science Day at the VKC Science Day webpage here: https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/scienceday/.

09/24/2025

https://www.facebook.com/FristCenterforAutismandInnovation/posts/pfbid0RkytazmgpJpD9bwkibjxK8yDhfqCgeGwcqJXAAmDpkLrDQyxzVJXvpYFhiXcJ6tRl