NEWS FROM PATHFINDER BY MELISSA FORTSON
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder has phone, Web, and print resources in
English and Spanish to connect the Tennessee disability community with
service providers. Referral services, free of cost, are provided to persons
with disabilities, family members, service providers, and advocates.
Pathfinder is a joint project of the Tennessee Council on Developmental
Disabilities and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human
Development.
RECENT ADDITIONS TO PATHFINDER WEB SITE
Visitors to the Pathfinder Web site at www.familypathfinder.org will
discover two recent additions to Pathfinder’s collection of local and
national resources.
A topic page addressing Tennessee Medicaid Waiver services has been
added and includes information about Home and Community-Based
Services (HCSB) waivers administered by the Division of Mental Retardation
Services (DMRS) and the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability
(TCAD). The DMRS waiver was developed as an alternative to services in an
institutional setting and is the primary source of support for persons with
Intellectual Disabilities (ID) who live in the community. Persons with ID and
their families are encouraged to contact their DMRS Regional Office for
information about this waiver.
Another HCBS waiver, serving older adults and persons with disabilities, is
administered through the TCAD. This waiver is intended to provide a
community-based alternative to nursing home care. Services available to
waiver recipients include case management, personal care, homemaker,
home delivered meals, and more. Persons seeking information about this
waiver should contact their local Area Agency on Aging & Disability
(AAAD). Contact information for both DMRS and the local AAADs is
available through Pathfinder.
Another page, available under “Pathfinder Features,” lists emergency
preparedness and response resources for persons with disabilities and
their families. One may ask why, when a year has passed since the arrival
Hurricane Katrina, emergency response is still an important issue for the
disability community. Disasters can happen anytime and anywhere and
Pathfinder hopes to aid people with disabilities in maintaining their
independence by helping them prepare adequately for natural disasters,
fires, and other emergencies.
Web site users continue to have access to the Tennessee Disability
Pathfinder Database, which lists statewide disability resources, and the
Pathfinder Disability Calendar, a list of disability-related events across
Tennessee.
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: THE FIRM
In July 2006, multiple Mid-South agencies serving the disability community
came together to offer the first meeting of Family Informational Resource
Meetings, or The "FIRM." The focus of the first meeting was Community
Resources: Agencies and Programs Beneficial for Families Living with
Issues of Disabilities. Future quarterly meetings will address education,
family, and inclusion issues, as well as other topics of interest to families of
persons with disabilities. Sponsors of the FIRM include UT Boling Center for
Developmental Disabilities, Support and Training for Exceptional Parents
(STEP), and the Down Syndrome Association of Memphis and the Mid-
South (DSAM). For more information, contact DSAM at
dsaminfo@yahoo.com or 901-541-5155.
PATHFINDER DISABILITY CALENDAR
Pathfinder maintains the Pathfinder Disability Calendar, an Internet
calendar of trainings, conferences, meetings, and other disability-related
events. Organizations post events to this interactive calendar, the most
comprehensive listing of Tennessee disability events. To access the
calendar, go to the Pathfinder Web site at http://www.familypathfinder.org
and click on “Pathfinder Disability Calendar.” For more information, or to
request an access code that will allow your organization to post events,
contact Pathfinder.
STAY CONNECTED WITH PATHFINDER
Pathfinder publishes The Pathfinder, an e-newsletter containing information
about program activities and other disability-related resources in Tennessee.
Past issues of the publication are archived on the Pathfinder Web site
(under Pathfinder Features, click on “The Pathfinder: News from Tennessee
Disability Pathfinder”). To receive future news from Tennessee Disability
Pathfinder via e-mail, please contact us at tnpathfinder@vanderbilt.edu .
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder
(615) 322-8529 (Nashville area)
(800) 640-4636 (toll-free, English & Español)
(800) 273-9595 (TTY)
www.familypathfinder.org
tnpathfinder@vanderbilt.edu
Melissa Fortson is program coordinator and information & referral
specialist with Tennessee Disability Pathfinder.