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 Speak Up for Yourself.” The presenters talked about some of the barriers to speaking up, the life situations where advocating for yourself is challenging but essential, and strategies for developing those self-advocacy skills. One of those strategies was simply getting up the gumption to participate actively in the YLA.
Before long, Sam was enthusiastically contributing to group discussions, sharing their opinions and perspectives, seeking out their peers for casual conversation, and networking during breaks and meals. They were particularly inspired by two powerful quotes that were emphasized during the training: “Nothing about me without me,” and “If you don’t speak up for yourself, nothing changes.”
Long story short, Sam returned to YLA the following year as a mentor to the new participants, led an icebreaker activity, and co-presented a session with an Empower Tennessee staff member. Less than a year after that, Sam was interning with Empower Tennessee and a local museum where they enhanced their skills in planning and facilitating meetings, and later obtained a paid position doing the same work.
Sam’s empowerment success story is not unique. Learning to speak up for yourself – practicing self-advocacy – is the basic skill that makes positive change possible. Learning to advocate with your parents, teachers, employers, healthcare providers, and others ensures that your hopes, desires, and needs are addressed.
For Empower Tennessee, like the other Centers for Independent Living in Tennessee and across the country, “individual and systems advocacy” is a core service, because it is nothing less than the foundation for living more independently. At Empower Tennessee, self-advocacy is a thread that weaves its way through several of the agency’s resource offerings.
Youth Leadership Academy provides monthly skills development training – a second core service – and an annual, intensive, three-day conference. YLA 2024 will take place June 10-13, at the Tennessee Disability Coalition in Nashville. For more information about the monthly group or the annual conference, contact Marissa Smith-Fletcher at marissasf@empowertn.org or 615.200.6028. To apply for YLA 2024, please visit .
EmpowerCon: The topics may vary from Access to Emergency Preparedness to Voting, and the dates and times sometimes change, but joining one of our EmpowerCon sessions is a great way to learn about something new and hone your skills. To learn more about EmpowerCon, please send a message to info@empowertn.org.
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge. Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, MHFA helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis until professional assistance is obtained or the crisis is resolved. To register for one of Empower Tennessee’s free upcoming Mental Health First Aid trainings, fill out this form: . If you have other questions about this opportunity, please send a message to Dan Dumont at dan@empowertn.org.
Peer Groups Empower Tennessee offers five, no-cost peer groups:
- Empowered Ladies is a social group of women who live in Tennessee that gathers to talk, learn, laugh, and empower one another. Participants exchange authentic life experiences with their peers. This gathering takes place every 2nd Wednesday of the month, unless otherwise noted, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm Central. To register for Empowered Ladies click on the link or contact Kasondra Farmer at 200.6028 or kasondra@empowertn.org.
- Empowered Gents is a social group that gathers to learn about assistive technology and other resources that increase the independence and confidence of men with disabilities. Participants share experiences and life hacks with their peers. It meets every 1st Thursday of the month, unless otherwise noted, from 4:00 – 5:30 pm Central. Those interested can sign up at bit.ly/ETEG22 or contact Quoc “Q” at q@empowertn.org or 615.200.6028.
- Empower BLAST stands for Blind and Low Vision Access, Support & Tech. It is a social group that gathers to learn about assistive technology and other resources that increase the independence and confidence of people who are blind or have low vision. It meets every 4th Friday of the month, unless otherwise noted, from 1:30 – 3:00 pm Central. The registration link is or contact info@empowertn.org or 615.200.6028 for more info.
- Living Your Best Empowered LIFE is a social group that promotes discussions about employment and housing, and provides opportunities to chat, learn, and share stories about your personal experiences in seeking, securing, and maintaining housing and employment while living with a disability. It meets every 3rd Tuesday of the month, unless otherwise noted, from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central. You can register at or contact Marissa Smith-Fletcher at marissasf@empowertn.org or 615.200.6028 for more info.
- Empowered Rainbow Crew is a free online therapy group for LGBTQ+ young adults with disabilities. The program is open to adults ages 18 through 28 who live in Tennessee, and who self-identify as having a disability and as a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The groups are facilitated from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective by a licensed mental health provider who self-identifies as LGBT. The therapeutic peer support meets in a small, closed group for 8 weekly sessions. The ongoing peer support group meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 12:30 – 2:30 pm Central. To sign up for either group or to learn more, contact Dan Dumont, LCSW at dan@empowertn.org.
There’s no better way to practice and improve your self-advocacy skills than in a safe and welcoming setting, with other individuals who share the disability experience. It is our promise to you that our YLA program, EmpowerCon sessions, Mental Health First Aid training, or any of our Peer Groups will provide such an environment. If you don’t see a group that sounds like a fit for you, please advocate for yourself and others and let us know what type of group you’d like to help us launch. We sincerely hope you will consider joining us soon.
*Names used in reference to participants are fictitious to maintain the privacy of the participants.
Gina Lynette is the Executive Director at Empower Tennessee where she channels her passion for guiding and assisting people in defining, planning, and acquiring the individualized resources and supports needed in order to live happy, inclusive, and self-determined lives. This passion comes from her personal experience living with disabilities, as well from co-parenting her four children – three of whom experience developmental disabilities – with her husband, Ned Andrew Solomon.