September 2025

From Our Chief Strategy Officer

Dear readers, 

Fifty years ago today, Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton signed an executive order creating our Council. 

The order had been five years in the making. It filled a main requirement of the federal Developmental Disabilities Act of 1970. Our Council was at first housed under the state’s disability agency. We became an independent state agency in 2015 through an executive order signed by Governor Bill Haslam. Today, Governor Bill Lee appoints members to our Council as we continue the work given to us 50 years ago.

The past 50 years have brought huge changes for people with developmental disabilities. Our Council has played a leading role in many of those changes. We make sure people with developmental disabilities and their families are at the table where decisions are made, helping to shape the systems and policies that affect their lives. 

Our values were given to us by the Developmental Disabilities Act. They are the same today as they were 50 years ago: greater independence, inclusion, and self-determination for people with developmental disabilities in their lives and communities. We know there is much more work to do.

How we do that work is shaped by Tennesseans who live the everyday disability experience. That happens through our Council members who represent the statewide developmental disability community. (Learn more about the role of our members with this short video.) It happens through our network of Partners in Policymaking® graduates. It happens every time one of you shares a story with us, asking for help or giving insight from your disability experiences. 

It also happens through the community needs assessment we do every five years. Did you see the email we sent yesterday with the full results of our new needs assessment? I hope you take a few minutes to look through the report. It gives an in-depth picture of what nearly 1,500 members of Tennessee’s disability community told us about the needs and issues that matter to them. We’ll be using that information to write a new state plan outlining our work for the next five years. 

This issue of our newsletter is dedicated to celebrating 50 years of progress through the work of our Council. You have hopefully seen the special anniversary edition of Breaking Ground magazine. It included insight from 14 past and present leaders in the Tennessee disability field. Below, you can read the full interview with Wanda Willis, former Executive Director for our Council for 30 years. (We previously published the full interview with current Executive Director Lauren Pearcy.) Wanda shares her thoughts about where we’ve been and where we’re going in this work for change. Director of Public Policy Emma Garton then highlights the specific impact our Council has had on disability policy more recently, and the concrete issues we’re working on today. 

I also want to acknowledge each of you as partners in this work. Together, we are building a Tennessee where people with developmental disabilities can thrive and belong.

Happy Council anniversary day, everyone!

Jolene Sharp

 A Conversation with Wanda Willis

Reflecting on 44 Years of Disability Advocacy in Tennessee

After more than four decades dedicated to disability services in Tennessee  (30 years with the council and 44 years total in the field) Wanda shares her insights on the milestones that shaped our state's approach to supporting people with developmental disabilities.

To celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we spoke with 14 disability leaders – past and present – for a special edition of Breaking Ground magazine. We couldn't fit all that great content in the magazine, so we'll be sharing more of their full interviews throughout the year.

We're excited to share a short excerpt from Wanda's interview on our 50th Anniversary.

Q: What lessons from that experience should today's advocates keep in mind?

A: The lesson that I continue to learn every single day, even in retirement, is that people with a developmental disability will always, always surprise us by exceeding barriers that we set based on what we think are the limitations that can't be worked around or overcome. I've seen so many people go around what we thought were impossible barriers.

Q: Fast forward twenty years. If everything went exactly the way you hoped, what would disability services and inclusion in Tennessee look like?

A: Support services in Tennessee would be available to all adults with developmental disabilities after they leave high school based on their individual needs rather than fitting an individual into specific service options after having them wait years on a list. Adults with developmental disabilities deserve options to leave home and live as independently as possible with support in the community when they finish high school.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to the next generation of leaders in our field, what would it be?

A: Look for solutions. Don't just point out problems. I can complain as vigorously as the next person, but after five minutes, I want to understand why we're doing things the way we're doing them and what are the barriers to change, then start the conversation.

Continue reading Wanda's full interview here.

In case you missed it, check out our interview with our current Executive Director Lauren Pearcy, published earlier this month.

Sign up here to get updates when new content for this special leadership interview series is available.

Policy Corner: Council News to Know

Dear Readers, 

In last month’s edition, we gave an update about the FY26 federal budget process. Since then, the House committee that votes on the budgets for the departments of labor, health and human services, and education released their proposed bill. Many of the disability programs we monitor were recommended for level funding (the same amount of money as previous years). Read more from the latest issue of the policy news from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

As we celebrate 50 years of the Council in TN, we can recognize the many ways the Council works to improve policy issues in our state. Public policy is bigger than just working on legislation. It is at the heart of most everything we do – connecting real Tennesseans with disabilities and families to policymakers (which includes local, statewide and federal officials in the executive and legislative branches of government).

 We teach our members that the “voice” we embody is that of “the sage.” That means we want to:

• Understand issues deeply
• Teach others what we learn
• Help people be heard
• Use factual and nonpartisan information
• Create trust and engagement
• Build relationships and understanding
• Be seen as a trusted guide and source of knowledge

This work includes efforts to:

• Track and share plain language information about policies that impact Tennesseans with disabilities
• Listen to Tennesseans with disabilities about barriers they experience. Make sure their stories influence policy changes.
• Advance progress toward inclusion, self-determination, and independence.

 Policy improvements are often slow and unpredictable. Change requires a lot of time building relationships and laying groundwork. Some big wins from the last couple of decades include:

• Funding the launch of TN’s inclusive higher education programs on college campuses for students with intellectual disabilities. We also supported policy change at state agencies and through legislation to increase access to the programs for more students. 
• Bringing policymakers from a dozen state agencies together to work on transition and employment services for students with disabilities through the Employment Roundtable. This work continues today through the TN Dept. of Disability and Aging’s Employment First Task Force and related groups.
• Working on legislation to create the nation’s first Office of Mobility and Accessible Transportation within the TN Dept. of Transportation.

Right now, we’re focusing a lot of our work “behind the scenes” on policy issues related to improving:

• Behavioral health supports for people with disabilities and mental health concerns
• The child welfare system’s impact on children with disabilities in state custody
• The impact of law enforcement interactions and criminal justice systems on people with disabilities

If you have ideas or stories you’d like to share about any of those topics, reach out any time at tnddc@tn.gov – we always learn from you!

Thanks for reading! 

- Emma Garton, Policy Director

Anniversary Spotlight: Breaking Ground 

In case you missed it:

Our 50th Anniversary edition of Breaking Ground gathered insights from 14 Tennessee disability leaders - on wins, lessons, and the road ahead.

It highlights Tennessee’s journey from institutions to inclusion, reflecting on Then, Now, and Next. Tennessee’s disability community has come a long way, from living in institutions to belonging in our communities more and more each passing day. We tell that story in this issue, and we don't want you to miss it. 

Browse the full anniversary issue →

Want to make sure you receive Breaking Ground as soon as it publishes? Sign up for free here!

My First 50th Anniversary

As I put together this September edition of the E-news, I'm realizing this is actually the first time I've written a direct section for our newsletter.

Until now, I've been working behind the scenes - delivering information and resources, creating graphics, and managing the layout. Writing in my own voice rather than the Council's feels much more vulnerable!

One thing I love about this work is seeing projects come to life, often intended for a large audience. Sending our E-News to over 3,000 people still makes me anxious every third Thursday of the month. There's always that moment of hesitation before I hit send!

This past year at the Council has been incredible - some of the most rewarding work of my life.

One highlight has been working with our Partners in Policymaking® program. While I always feel nervous meeting so many new people at the start of each class, by the end I've gotten to know these amazing individuals and feel privileged to support their leadership and advocacy journeys.

As someone who is autistic, I deeply appreciate how the Council creates spaces where I can bring my authentic self to this work.

One of the projects I'm most proud of from this past year is our 50th anniversary Breaking Ground issue. It was intensive work (my friends barely saw me for two weeks), but interviewing 14 disability leaders and hearing their personal stories reminded me why this work matters so much.

Early in my time here, I recorded a video with disability advocate Sandy Klink, and it struck me how important it is to document these firsthand experiences. Statistics and (sometimes inaccessible) PDFs have their place, but personal stories truly connect us, make our experiences real to those who need to hear it, and help people understand what they might otherwise fear or misunderstand. That's exactly what the communications work of our Council is meant to do.

Collecting and sharing these firsthand experiences is now officially part of my job duties, and I couldn't be more excited. Every day, I get to tell these stories in countless ways for the Council on Developmental Disabilities. I feel blessed to be part of this important work as we begin our next 50 years.

- Dirk Strider

 Call for Housing Stories

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, The Arc Tennessee, and AbleVoices are collecting Kindred Stories of Disability for the 2026 issue: “Housing Opportunities and Barriers in Tennessee Communities.”

They are seeking perspectives from adults with disabilities, as well as parents and caregivers.

Participation involves a 1-hour Zoom interview with questions shared in advance and an optional photo session. You'll get to review your story before it’s shared.

Stories will be printed and delivered to legislators during Tennessee Disability Day on the Hill. Your lived experience can help policymakers understand real housing needs and improve services across our state.

If you or someone you know is interested, please consider participating or sharing this opportunity with them. 

You can learn more & sign up here.

Editor's Note: If you've read the results of our new joint needs assessment, you know housing is a top-priority issue for Tennessee's disability community. We hope you'll share your experiences as part of this story collection that will help inform policymakers in Tennessee