Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

The Council is committed to accurate and unbiased education and dissemination of information, as requested, to local, state, and national leaders. Our current initiatives include the following:

AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities): In order to assist the Tennessee Disability Voters and the Council's two voter project grantees, the Council has a contract with the AAPD to provide technical assistance around voter registration and Get Out the Vote activities.  Mr. Jim Dickson, Vice President for Governmental Affairs of the AAPD and head of their Disability Vote Project, attends the Tennessee Disability Voters meetings to offer advice and direction.  He also works closely with Tennessee Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (TP&A) as it develops educational materials about voting rights and accessibility to polling sites for individuals with disabilities and election officials, as well as with the Tennessee Disability Coalition as it establishes a network of local, grassroots VOTE! Committees to work on registration, poll access, get-out-the vote (GOTV), issue advocacy, and election campaigns in their own communities.

Arc of Tennessee - Legislative Monitor: a legislative newsletter reporting on pending State and Federal legislation, with analysis of the impact on persons with developmental disabilities.  E-mail updates are sent weekly during the Tennessee legislative session.

Disability Resource Center: this center established a partnership with local government and private industry to contribute to and participate in the revitalization of downtown Knoxville. Includes: incorporating issues of access throughout the entire planning and development stages of key projects; modeling inclusive planning; promoting lasting change in local government and private industry awareness of disability issues; changing community attitudes; increasing understanding and comfort level about persons with disabilities; and developing new leadership in the disability community.

Partners in Policymaking Leadership Institute: a training initiative of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, which is designed to provide adults with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities with the latest information on disability policy issues, and to help them become advocates for themselves, and for others in their communities.

Tennessee Youth Leadership Forum: a training initiative of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, designed to provide 10th, 11th, and 12th grade high school students who have disabilities with information about disability issues, and to support them in developing leadership and self-advocacy skills.

Learn More About It!

www.legislature.state.tn.us/ - Tennessee General Assembly

www.sedbtac.org- Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, a regional assistance center on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

www.senate.gov - The United States Senate

www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm -  Department of Justice ADA webpage.

www.firstgov.gov - FirstGov., an access point to all federal government websites.

www.ncsl.org - National Conference of State Legislatures

www.ssa.gov - United States Social Security Administration

http://www.aapd-dc.org - American Association of People with Disabilities