The Compass

Dear Friends of Pathfinder, It’s not just the luck of the Irish that we’re celebrating during March, we’re also celebrating so many other wonderful important days like National Reading Month, National Optimism Month, and Easter will be celebrated in March this year for the Christian communities. Did you know there’s even a National Celery Month?… Read more A Message from Pathfinder’s Communications Manager on Celebrating Diverse Holidays

Representation matters! Children’s books should reflect the diverse world we live in, showcasing characters of all races, cultures, abilities, and backgrounds. When kids see themselves reflected in stories, it builds a sense of belonging and acceptance. The week prior and during Read Across America Week, March 2nd-6th, 2024, Pathfinder accepted the challenge of the National… Read more READ: Pathfinder’s Reading Initiative

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, but all year long the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities (Council) informs people across Tennessee about the amazing strengths and the needs of Tennesseans with developmental disabilities (DD). Before we move on… Not sure what makes a disability a “developmental disability”? Check out our brief video explaining the term,… Read more 4-1-1 on DD: Stay in the Know on Disability Issues with the Council on Developmental Disabilities

Transition Tennessee (TransitionTN) is a partnership between the Tennessee Department of Education, the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Vanderbilt University, and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. TransitionTN hosts a free website (www.transitiontn.org) for transition professionals (e.g., Special Educators or Pre-Employment Transition Services {Pre-ETS} providers), families, and students. Website resources include: Professional development courses for transition professionals. Course… Read more Using the Transition Tennessee Website to Navigate the Transition Planning Process

The Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) is the state agency responsible for oversight of services and support to Tennesseans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Every day, the department strives to support approximately 12,000 people to live rewarding and fulfilling lives through Medicaid waiver Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), the MAPs Program, and the… Read more Spotlight – March 2024 – DIDD

Walking into your first IEP meeting can feel like a rollercoaster of emotions while you process so much information. It can feel like drinking from a fire hose of information. March is Developmental Disability Awareness month and frequently after a diagnosis many parents must engage with the IEP process for the first time. To help… Read more Special Ed 101 – March 2024: Developmental Disability & the IEP

Caller: I am the mother of a five-year-old child with physical disability. I need help.  My child cannot even get onto the playground at school where everyone else in the class goes. Yes, it is a rural county, and even if there was a ramp from the sidewalk down to that enclosed playground area, the… Read more Call Pathfinder – March 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. Child Uninsured Rate Could Rise Sharply in Tennessee if Leaders Don’t Act to Protect Children’s Coverage Children made up 43.8% of TennCare and CoverKids enrollment growth during the pandemic,… Read more In the Know – March 2024