50 Years of Breaking Ground in Tennessee

From institutional walls to community belonging, the journey of Tennessee's disability community has been marked by persistence, courage, and the belief that all people deserve to live self-determined lives. As we celebrate the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities' 50th anniversary, we honor those who laid our foundation and the leaders who continue to push boundaries today.

In 1975, when the Tennessee Council first began its work, life looked very different for Tennesseans with disabilities. Many lived in large institutions, far from their families. Children with disabilities often couldn't attend their neighborhood schools. Finding a job or living on your own seemed out of reach for many.

"I remember hearing stories about the time before the ADA," reflects Anna Bass, Executive Director of Disability Rights Tennessee. "The Deaf community would tell me about their struggles to get access to communication, sometimes in very traumatic ways."

Today, we've seen changes that once seemed impossible. Institutions have closed. Instead of being in sheltered workshops, people have more opportunities for competitive jobs in the community. Young adults with intellectual disabilities now walk across college graduation stages. We've built a statewide network of advocates, families, professionals, and policymakers all working toward the same goals: inclusion, independence, and self-determination.

Our progress hasn’t always been a straight line, though. As Lynette Porter, the Council’s Deputy Director, reminds us: “The work is never over. Any big shift in how the service system operates creates an entirely new set of problems to solve.” Each victory shows us new areas that need our attention.

This special anniversary issue brings together the voices of fourteen Tennessee leaders who have shaped disability policy and advocacy across five decades. Their stories reveal common themes: the power of working together, the importance of lived experience in driving change, and the balance between celebrating progress and pushing for more.

“The lesson that I continue to learn every day, even in retirement, is that people with a developmental disability will always surprise us by exceeding barriers that we set based on what we think are limitations that can’t be worked around or overcome,” says Wanda Willis, who led the Council for more than thirty years. “It’s up to us to work with people to continue removing barriers.”

Lauren Pearcy, the current Executive Director for the Council adds, “It’s not necessarily passing a piece of legislation or launching a program that makes a lot of change. Sometimes, one of the biggest impacts we can make is helping people think differently.”

As Edward Mitchell, Executive Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council, reminds us: “Every advocate has a place... We need each and every advocate, no matter where they fit in the realm of advocacy. We need everybody to maximize their specialty and work together.”

As you read these stories, you’ll notice common themes:

• The power of changing how people think, not just what the law says;
• The importance of bringing people with disabilities to every decision-making table; and
• The need to keep pushing forward, even when progress seems slow.

Together, we’ve broken new ground for 50 years. And together, we’ll continue creating a Tennessee where people with disabilities lead the lives they choose, surrounded by communities that value their contributions, and where inclusion turns into true belonging.

This is not just the story of one Council or one community. It’s the story of Tennessee’s journey toward recognizing the full humanity and citizenship of people with disabilities - a journey still unfolding, with new ground yet to be broken.