Call Pathfinder – March 2022

Call Pathfinder Image with a blue background and photo of a person with a cell phone up to their ear and a light shinging by their watch. Text "Call Pathfinder 1-800-640-4636."

Caller: I recently moved to Tennessee to be near family. My cousin has a developmental disability, and she told me a long time ago that she was featured in a magazine. She was so excited then and I never got to see it. We were talking about it recently, and my aunt mentioned being interviewed by a student as a part of a big project somehow connected to the legislature. That’s all I know. Someone on Facebook told me that Pathfinder was the place to call about disability questions and if the resource exists, they can probably help. Any ideas what magazine that might have been? I want to read the article and surprise my cousin next time I see the family. I also want to learn more about my cousin’s disability.

PATHFINDER: That’s such a cool way to surprise your cousin and educate yourself about their journey!

In regards to magazines featuring persons with disabilities, there’s two great resources that come to mind — Breaking Ground and Tennessee Kindred Stories of Disability. Breaking Ground is a monthly publication by the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities (TN Council on DD).  Kindred Stories is an annual collaboration between our parent organization Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) and The Arc Tennessee. It grew as a way to communicate with our state legislators about challenges and successes of families with disability. Interviews and drafts are done by Belmont and Vanderbilt University students. This may be the magazine that featured your cousin’s story.

A brand-new Kindred Stories issue on housing will be available soon.  You can find the new issue and archived editions of Kindred Stories on the VKC website here.

You can also subscribe and find archived editions of Breaking Ground Magazine on the TN Councill on DD’s site.

To assist you with learning more about your cousin’s disability, there are so many resources that can help.  Since you are new to the area, you can start with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, which is a national Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. It is a great place to learn more about your cousin’s disability. If you have never explored the VKC website, it has a wealth of information and opportunities for anyone who is interested in or impacted by developmental disabilities. The Study Finder on their site, is a resource to help scientists and researchers increase knowledge and understanding about certain developmental disabilities and specific conditions. Researchers are looking for participants, and a lot of the studies pay participants with money or services. You or your cousin might want to help.

Another tool is the VKC Topical Content list. You will find all kinds of things here, from definitions to persons who work in a particular area, to related research studies and more. It includes lots of diagnoses and conditions, but it is much more extensive than that.

Also, Pathfinder is a great tool with over 3,500 services available at your fingertips.  If you go to our website at TNPathfinder.org and input your cousin’s diagnosis into the keywords section, you can search and find several resources and events that will not only assist you in gaining information on your cousin’s disability but also provide you with support services and ways to engage with the disability community.

Spend some time exploring the websites of Pathfinder and VKC. You’ll find much more than you expected.  If you need any additional help, always feel free to call us at 800-640-4636, for customized, one-on-one assistance to find the resources you are seeking.

*Questions and scenarios found in the Call Pathfinder column represent questions received by Pathfinder but are not taken from actual Pathfinder calls. Actual resource information provided varies based on the specific situation and needs of each individual.