Let your Legislators know how their decisions affect you and your family! Call and make appointments to meet with your Senator and Representative on one of these days at Legislative Plaza in Nashville! If you are unable to come to Nashville, please meet with your legislators at their local offices. This year DDH also features guest speakers and subjects:

Wednesday February 29, 2012 with Speaker:
Jim Henry, Commissioner of the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
11:00am speaker, lunch to follow

Wednesday March 7, 2012 with Speaker:
Tre Hargett, Secretary of State
11:00 am speaker, lunch to follow

Wednesday March 14, 2012 with Subject:
The Family Support Program
11:00 am program, lunch to follow

Complimentary boxed lunches will be provided to those who attend these sessions but you have to RSVP! To RSVP go to http://www.tndisability.org/ or contact Courtney Jenkins-Atnip at ddh@tndisability.org, or by phone at (615) 383-9442.

The Arc of Tennessee Opposes the Elimination of the Family Support Program for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Click HERE to read the November 4, 2011 press release.

The Arc Mid-South is hosting Town Hall meetings with legislators to address the elimination of the Family Support program. Click HERE to view dates, times and places of meetings.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's Volunteer Advocacy Project trains volunteer advocates to provide instrumental and affective support to parents of children with disabilities. In this training, participants will learn more about special education law and advocacy strategies. At the end of the training, each participant will shadow an advocate who is working with a family. Following graduation from the program, you will be linked with a family of a child with a disability. Each volunteer advocate is expected to work with, at least, four families, at the discretion of The Arc and STEP. For more information and to apply to be a volunteer advocate, go HERE.

The Arc Cumberland County has merchandise for sale with the new logo. Items, prices and where to order can be viewed HERE.

Read The Arc's Lifeline of Hope article that appeared in the September 12, 2011 edition of TIME magazine HERE.

Message to the United States Congress:  Don’t Cut Our Lifeline! See our Public Policy page for details! The time to act is now!

VKC and The Arc worked closely together to develop a new “Kindred Stories” website – an on-line database where people can tell their stories about disability and others can read stories about disability. The goal of the project is to have stories from every county in Tennessee – as many as we can – so that we can truly put a “face” on people with I/DD and their families.  These stories can then be used to share with legislators when important issues are being debated, to bring attention to the Waiting List, to those who have no services available or other topics of importance, to share successes and generate ideas, and so much more. To tell your story click HERE.

Support The Arc with Opinions for Good!

Op4G makes it possible for people like you to earn money for themselves and The Arc TN by participating in Internet-based market research anonymously at a safe and secure website. Your identity is never known and will never be sold. Plus, all research activities are determined by you at the myOp4G website, which is filled with a variety of fun information and activities.

How to get started:

• Visit www.Op4G.com
• Choose The Arc of Tennessee as your supported non-profit
• Complete the short demographic questionnaire (your information will always be kept private and secure by Op4G)

Information Sheet on Isolation and Restraint in Public Schools is now available HERE. The Spanish version is available HERE.

The Arc of Tennessee

This project is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee.