The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) has launched its new Navigating Adult Services webpages, an online resource designed to help Tennesseans with disabilities, their families, and professionals better understand and access the broad landscape of adult disability services across the state.
For many individuals and families, transitioning into or managing adulthood with a disability involves piecing together supports from multiple agencies, programs, and eligibility pathways. Navigating service systems can be complicated, making it difficult for people to identify where to begin or what services may apply to their needs.
The new Navigating Adult Services section was developed to address precisely that challenge. These webpages provide clear, organized, and user‑friendly information to help adults with disabilities, and those who support them, to better understand:
- Types of adult services available in Tennessee, including health and mental health supports, employment services, independent living resources, and community access programs.
- How to start the process of seeking services, including guidance on eligibility, required documentation, and where to get help.
- Connections to Tennessee Disability Pathfinder, a statewide resource that offers free information and referral support for locating programs and services tailored to individual needs. Pathfinder plays a crucial role in helping individuals and families navigate complex service systems.
By centralizing essential information, the new webpage series strengthens the VKC’s longstanding commitment to promoting independence, inclusion, and quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. These additions also align with the VKC UCEDD’s focus on community service, technical assistance, and dissemination of resources that improve access to needed supports statewide.
The webpage series content emerged from the ASSIST (Advocating for SupportS to Improve Service Transition) program, a 12-week research study that aimed to equip parents with the knowledge, skills, and empowerment necessary to effectively advocate to expand services or resources available to their youth. VKC faculty Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., co-director of the VKC UCEDD, and Meghan Burke, Ph.D., professor of Special Education, were principal investigators on the ASSIST project. Cate Rosenthal, a master’s student in Special Education and VKC UCEDD trainee, extracted the information from the ASSIST and adapted it for the webpage series.
Explore the new Navigating Adult Services webpages here (vkc.vumc.org/vkc/ucedd/tn-adult-services/).
If you have questions or require individualized support, remember that Tennessee Disability Pathfinder is available by phone or online to provide free, personalized assistance.
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder Contact:
By Phone: 1-800-640-4636
By Email: tnpathfinder@vumc.org
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