2012 TN Disability MegaConference: The 2012 TN Disability MegaConference will be held May 31 – June 1, 2012. This is following Memorial Day Monday. This event will be at the Nashville Airport Marriott again this year.
For more information, visit
www.tndisabilitymegaconference.org. The presenters, which include John McKnight, who came to speak to the DD Network in February, and Erik Carter, who spoke at our March Council meeting, are listed here.
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Submit a Video for "Employment Idol": A Fan–voted Employment Success Story Video Contest!
Submit a 1 to 5 minute video of an Employment Success Story featuring a Tennessean with a disability at
www.youtube.com/user/TNEmploymentIdol by midnight, May 29, 2012. With the employee’s permission, videos can be created and uploaded by anyone who knows the employee. Visit
www.tndisabilitymegaconference.org for instructions.
Anyone can vote at YouTube
www.youtube.com/user/TNEmploymentIdol. Contest screening on Thursday, May 31st at 10:30 am at the TN Disability MegaConference. Online and 'studio' audience votes will be tallied and the top 3 videos will receive prizes.
For questions and details, contact Lynnette.Henderson@vanderbilt.edu, 615-936-0448.
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Sports 4 All Training during MegaConference: One of the Council’s recent demonstration projects, Project HEALTH through Sports 4 All, is offering a two-day Project HEALTH Instructor Certification workshop in conjunction with the MegaConference on Friday and Saturday, June 1-2. It will prepare attendees to pass exams to receive certification to lead Project HEALTH classes. Participants must have First Aid/CPR Certification. The cost is $350.
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Breaking Ground Arts Issue: Do you write short stories or poetry? Do you paint, draw or take pictures? Then we’d like to see your work for possible publication! The Council invites you to contribute to our Special annual issue of Breaking Ground devoted to the arts.
THE EDITOR WILL CONSIDER:
• fiction, up to 1,000 words, and poems, whether traditional or modern.
• photos and all other forms of artwork.
Content is devoted to materials by or about persons with disabilities. We’ll give contributors a prominent by-line, a biographical note and copies of the issue. Please include your name, complete contact information and a two- or three-sentence biography with your submission.
Send your submissions to:
Ned Andrew Solomon
Managing Editor, Breaking Ground
Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities,
Parkway Towers, Suite 130
404 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0228
ned.solomon@tn.gov
Questions? Call 615-532-6556. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY JUNE 15, 2012.
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Employment First State Leadership grant: The Office of Disability Employment Policy recently awarded Tennessee a grant through the Employment First State Leadership Mentor Program, which allows states with comprehensive Employment First policies to mentor other states as they begin to implement policies and programs towards making employment the first and preferred option for people with disabilities receiving state services. Tennessee, along with 3 other states, received a grant to be “protégé states” and learn more about how to begin to implement Employment First policies. Julie Huber of DIDD will be speaking at next week’s Council meeting about this new and exciting opportunity for Tennessee to increase the employment of individuals with disabilities.
Congratulations to DIDD for receiving this grant and thanks to Julie Huber for all of her hard work on applying for this opportunity!
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Disability Law & Advocacy Center Annual Report: The Council’s DD Network partners, the Disability Law & Advocacy Center of TN, have published their 2011 annual report. It can be viewed at
dlactn.org/. Please read and learn about the great work that DLAC has done in the past year to protect and promote the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities.
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TN Autism Plan: The TN Disability Coalition is leading efforts to develop “The Tennessee Autism Plan,” which is “working towards a comprehensive, coordinated system of health care and related services for TN children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders and related Developmental Disabilities.” This summer, the partners developing the plan will be hosting seven different “Community Conversations” across the state.
A meeting in Memphis is already scheduled for May 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Baptist Hospital Corporate Office at 350 N. Humphreys Blvd 38120.
For more information about the Community Conversation planned for your area, contact autism@tndisability.org. We will keep you notified of dates and locations of upcoming Community Conversations.
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Public Hearings: Reminder: there are several upcoming opportunities for you to share your feedback with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and TennCare on several proposed policy changes, plans and proposals.
May 7 – Nashville; Goodwill Industries, 937 Herman St. at 5 p.m. CDT
May 8 – Jackson; Jackson Center for Independent Living, 1981 Hollywood Drive at 5 p.m. CDT
May 9 – Memphis; Memphis Center for Independent Living, 1633 Madison Avenue at 5 p.m. CDT
May 16 – Chattanooga; State Office Building Auditorium, 550 McCallie Ave. at 5 p.m. EDT
VR: Submit written comments to:
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Attention to: Samuel E. Cole
Citizens Plaza State Office Building, 10th Floor
400 Deaderick St. Nashville, TN 37243
For more information, you can contact:
(615) 313-5682; TTY (615) 313-5695 or Long Distance 1-800-270-1349 or Email: Samuel.Cole@tn.gov
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TennCare PLUS proposal: TennCare has a proposal for a new program to integrate care for “full benefit dual eligibles,” those who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. You can learn more and review an overview of the proposal and the full document here.
May 8 - 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. CDT, Room 16 of Legislative Plaza, 301 6th Ave. N., Nashville.
TennCare changes to the CHOICES program: TennCare will be accepting comments regarding upcoming changes to the Nursing Facility Level of Care requirements for entry into CHOICES, TennCare's program of long-term services and supports for individuals who are elderly or physically disabled. These changes, which will be applied only to new applicants for CHOICES, are designed to target Nursing Facility services to persons with higher acuity of need, while simultaneously making Home and Community Based Services more broadly available.
May 7 - 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. CDT, Bordeaux Branch of the Nashville Public Library, 4000 Clarksville Pike, Nashville
Individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in any TennCare hearings and who may require aid to do so should contact Helen Moore by email or by calling (615) 507-6474.
Submit written comments to: You can submit comments or ask questions about the hearings or the draft proposal to Susie Baird by email at tenn.care@tn.gov or by calling (615) 507-6480.
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New Administration on Community Living: As many of you may already know, a couple of weeks ago a new federal agency called the Administration for Community Living was created within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The new entity will join together three existing bodies — the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (where Councils on Developmental Disabilities are located), the Office on Disability and the Administration on Aging — under one umbrella to serve seniors and those with disabilities. All offices maintain their individual missions, but join in pursuing public policy goals and cross-cutting initiatives for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities and senior citizens. For more information, visit
www.hhs.gov/acl/.
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Dept. of Justice Says Sheltered Workshops May Violate ADA: In our April monthly update, we included an excerpt of an article from Disability Rights Oregon, the Protection and Advocacy agency of Oregon, about how “advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities filed a class action lawsuit in January challenging Oregon’s failure to provide supported employment services to more than 2,300 state residents who are segregated in sheltered workshops.”
“The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, charges state officials with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by confining individuals with disabilities to segregated settings where they have little – if any – interaction with non-disabled peers. Moreover, they are paid far below the state’s minimum wage of $8.80 for doing rote tasks that offer no training, no skills, and no advancement,” (see whole article here).
However, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice has filed a statement of interest in Oregon District Court in support of the plaintiffs, in response to the state’s efforts to dismiss the case. The brief makes it clear that the Dept. of Justice interprets the integration mandate of Title II of the ADA to apply to the unnecessary placement of people with disabilities in segregated sheltered workshops. This is a significant development and we will keep you updated about this case, as it has the potential to influence the state of employment of people with disabilities across the country.
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Upcoming Events (by region) - *Note: If you have an event for the next few months that you’d like us to add to our next monthly update, please email details to Mildred at mildred.sparkman@tn.gov.
Statewide: “2012 Revolutionary Leaders of Our Time” Webinar Series
This webinar series features multiple modern revolutionary leaders in the disability field. All of the presenters have donated their services. All proceeds from this series go to support the Tennessee Association of Microboards and Cooperatives, Inc. For more information, to view speakers or to register, visit
2012revolutionaryleaders.eventbrite.com/ What: Live video webinar seminars by revolutionary leaders
When: Every Wednesday through June 30
Dates: May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6, 13, 20
Time: 1-2:30 Eastern, 12-1:30 Central
TN Disability Megaconference – May 31-June 1
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East
May 12 – Open Doors TN Disability Health Fair. For more information, click here.
May 15 –ETTAC; Enrichment Series Workshop: Accessible Recreation Options - An opportunity for people with disabilities and families to explore a wide variety of accessible recreational options in East Tennessee. Al Kaye, a recreational therapist will lead the discussion. Registration by Monday, May 14th is required. For more information, visit
www.discoveret.org/ettac or contact Louise McKown at 865-219-0130.
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Middle
*May 7-11 – Goodwill Career Solutions week: Goodwill of Middle TN will offer a wide variety of job fairs and job preparation workshops all across Middle TN. Visit
www.giveit2goodwill.org for a complete list of events and locations.
May 12 – 7 a.m.; Easter Seals Youth Fishing Tournament for children and youth with disabilities. For more information, visit
www.eastersealstn.com or contact Gay Bruner at 615-292-6640 ext. 147 - gbruner@eastersealstn.com
May 17 – Autism Orientation at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; A two-hour informational session on autism and other pervasive developmental disorders conducted by an autism specialist and a parent of a child with autism. Sponsored by the Autism Society of Middle TN; for more information, visit
www.tnautism.orgMay 18 - Next Steps at Vanderbilt Open House. Meet current Next Steps at Vanderbilt students and staff and learn about classes, internships, social opportunities, and more. 2-4 p.m.
May 19 – Transition Institute and Information Fair at Coffee County Central High School; sponsored by STEP. A full day of quality transition information will be available for students, parents, teachers, and service providers. For more information, visit
www.tnstep.org or call 1-800-280-7837.
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West
May 12 - Rolling for Independence hosted by the Memphis Center for Independent Living; This fundraising event will highlight new bike lanes - MCIL was instrumental in helping with design, public hearings and advocacy efforts for this addition to the neighborhood. For more information, contact Sandi Klink at 901-726-6404 or visit
www.mcil.org/mcil/calendar.aspMay 18 - Brain Injury Education Conference, Memphis TN; call for details: 901-545-8487
May 19 – Memphis City Schools Exceptional Children Parent Summit; 8:30am-2:00 pm at Colonial Middle School, 4778 Sea Isle, Memphis TN. For more information, contact Annette Vaughan at 901-416-0161.