Each year, Vanderbilt University students interview individuals with disabilities and their families as part of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Tennessee Kindred Stories of Disability project. The conversations focus on topics that highlight barriers to services and supports and that connect to current policy discussions at the state and federal levels.
The 2026 collection of Kindred Stories highlights the reality that finding a safe, stable, and affordable home remains one of the greatest challenges facing Tennesseans with disabilities.
The individuals who shared their experiences in this issue describe housing not just as shelter, but as the foundation for autonomy, dignity, emotional well-being, and belonging. Yet limited affordable options, staffing shortages, and restrictive eligibility criteria frequently block the path to stable community living.
Parents like Sarah and Cynthia describe raising adult children with autism and complex support needs, with no appropriate housing options available. For both families, the lack of trained staff and no clear pathways to finding suitable housing leaves them exhausted and isolated.
Stories from adults like Elysia, Katrina, and Greyson demonstrate how even those living independently face unstable housing conditions, unaffordable rents, and limited options for fully accessible units.
For families like Kelli and her daughter, Samantha, and Leisa and her daughter, Grace, the fear of what happens when parents can no longer provide care is constant and acute.
Severe shortages of direct support professionals, income-based cutoffs, and a lack of appropriate, affordable, and accessible housing options are the major themes that echo across the stories.
The current issue, which includes striking photographs provided by AbleVoices, will be distributed to state House and Senate members during Tennessee Disability Day on the Hill thanks to a longstanding partnership with The Arc Tennessee. With the main aim to educate legislators and policymakers about issues important to Tennessee families, the booklets also will make their way to Washington, D.C., for distribution during Capitol Hill visits with federal lawmakers at the Disability Policy Seminar in March.
To read the current issue and to access archived issues, visit https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/resources/kindred/
Tennessee Kindred Stories of Disability is an annual project of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, The Arc Tennessee, and AbleVoices.
Top photo by Drew Hulsey from AbleVoices
