News from Tennessee Disability Pathfinder
Dear Friends of Pathfinder, Self-advocacy is a skill that is important to me personally and professionally. When I was teaching Special Education, self-advocacy was one of my top priorities for my students. I am passionate about teaching self-advocacy skills because it gave my students a voice to express what they need or want. It gave… Read more A Message from Pathfinder’s Education & Resources Coordinator on Self-Advocacy
It is Pathfinder’s mission to ensure that we provide up-to-date resource information to the disability community. In doing so, we diligently work to add new agencies that support individuals with disabilities and their families within the 95 counties of Tennessee, therefore increasing our directory of services of over 3,500 agencies and resources. Here is a… Read more New Agencies Added to Pathfinder Directory of Services
Whether you’re speaking up for your own needs or the needs of our community, advocacy is an important and powerful tool. And it doesn’t have to happen in a vacuum! There are THOUSANDS of self-advocates across Tennessee and when we ban together, we can see meaningful change happen in big ways. While there is strength… Read more Nothing Without Us: Disability Day on the Hill 2024
Empowerment begins with a voice, your voice. Start by thinking of the disability community as a vibrant quilt. Each service provider, resource, community member, and ally serves as a vital thread, connecting the patches of every self-advocate. This dynamic quilt unfolds to reveal a Tennessee disability community empowered with strength, knowledge, and self-determination. Embracing your… Read more Self-Advocacy is as easy as 1,2,3…4,5,6
When Sam* arrived at the opening session of the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) – a collaborative program funded and coordinated by Empower Tennessee, the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, and TNSTEP – they were quiet and pretty much kept to themselves. That first day, they heard a presentation on “Finding Your Empowered Voice: Learning to… Read more Independent Living Begins with Self-Advocacy
Becoming your own best advocate is a journey that often requires resilience, determination, and a strong sense of self-worth. For a teen artist and author on the autism spectrum like me, navigating the challenges of both the school system and societal perceptions can be particularly daunting. This reflection delves into my experiences as a 15-year-old,… Read more In Their Own Words: Perspectives in View – Rainbow Mosho
The Power of Self-Advocacy: The Arc Tennessee & People First Self-advocacy is a crucial skill that empowers individuals to assert their needs, rights and desires effectively. The mission of The Arc Tennessee is to empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to actively participate in the community throughout their lifetime, and one… Read more Spotlight – Feb 2024: The Arc Tennessee & People First
As Christopher Reeves, actor and disability advocate, said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Self-advocacy allows individuals to express their needs and how they might need help. Practice is the best way to build these skills and learn how to use them… Read more Special Ed 101: – Setting Self-Advocacy IEP Goals
CALLER: Hi, I am on ECF, and I have not had a PA (personal assistant) in a few years. My mother is doing everything, and I don’t even have a respite provider to give her a break. My mother and I met some people from the Consumer Direct Care Network. They had a table at… Read more Call Pathfinder – February 2024
To effectively spread awareness about things that matter to people in the community, we’ve chosen to share information shared by community partners directly from the source. Fee Waived on Disabled Person Plate for Parents and Guardians of Individuals with Disabilities Via Tennessee Department of Revenue | January 23, 2024 The Department of Revenue and the… Read more In the Know – February 2024