Our Mission

The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities is a small state agency that helps people with disabilities live better lives. We were created by the Developmental Disabilities Act, which is a federal law. This year, our Council celebrated its 50th anniversary.

We work to improve services and supports so Tennesseans with developmental disabilities can live, work, and belong in their communities.

How We Do This Work

• Connecting people with disabilities to information, resources, and decision-makers
• Helping people learn how to speak up for themselves and others

We work to make sure Tennessee’s laws and programs work well for people with disabilities — not just on paper, but in real life.

We believe that people with disabilities deserve:

CHOICE

 to live the lives they want

BELONGING

in their communities

OPPORTUNITY

just like everyone else

Our 3 Main Goals

We organize our work around three main goals. This report shows what we accomplished toward those goals during state fiscal year 2025 (which ran from July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025).

Goal 1: Developing Engaged Leaders

We train people with disabilities and their families so they understand how systems work and can advocate for themselves and others.

Goal 2: Improving Policy & Practice

We work with policymakers so Tennessee’s disability service system supports people with disabilities in the ways they need.

Goal 3: Informing the Public

We share clear, trusted information so people with disabilities, families, and leaders are aware of disability issues and know what to do next.

Developing engaged Leaders

Partners in Policymaking®

Partners in Policymaking® is an eight-month program where adults with disabilities and family members learn to become leaders in their communities.

They Learn About:

• Disability laws and services
• Best practices
• How to work with decision-makers to create change

Real World Impacts

• One graduate hosted a disability resource fair in her county. Three other graduates joined her and set up information/resource booths.
• Nine graduates spoke at Tennessee’s largest disability conference.
• Many met with their state representatives on Disability Day on the Hill to discuss issues that matter to them.

What Our 2025 Graduates Told Us

• 100% are taking more leadership roles
• 100% know more about disability services and where to get help
• 95% feel more confident making choices and solving problems in the system

Real Impact: YMCA Changing Tables

When one Partners graduate asked her local YMCA to add adult-sized changing tables, staff were hesitant at first. She kept asking questions, shared information about accessibility grants, and stayed in touch. The YMCA eventually agreed to add two adult-sized changing tables as part of their renovation plans.

Conference Scholarships

Our Scholarship Fund helps people with disabilities and family members attend conferences and trainings they couldn’t otherwise afford.

40  people with disabilities attended conferences

119  family members attended conferences

"Attending the conference was a life-changing experience. I had an opportunity to learn about resources to help me navigate through life with my blindness." — Participant

Leadership Academy for Excellence in Disability Services (LAEDS)

LAEDS trains state employees who work in programs that serve people with disabilities. We partner with the Tennessee Department of Human Resources to bring together employees from many different state agencies to grow their leadership skills and disability expertise.

12  agencies participated

24  employees trained

100%  satisfaction rate

97%  commitment to implementation

“LAEDS really helped me see how connected all the departments are/should be to make sure that disability service delivery is done as effectively as possible.” — Participant

Advocates in Motion (AiM)

Advocates in Motion (AiM) is a self-advocacy training program led by and for people with developmental disabilities who receive disability services. The Council funds these sessions as part of our commitment to grassroots leadership.

This Year

14  AiM sessions funded (exceeded goal of 12)

20  people trained

29  board/council openings shared

Participant Gains

• 100% said their leadership skills increased
• 96% felt more able to decide for themselves
• 93% felt better able to set and reach their own goals

Board & Council Service

A Partners graduate who spoke to her county health board about what she was learning in Partners in Policymaking was invited to join the board. She now regularly shares disability resources and perspective in her role.

Thomas’s Next Steps

Thomas, an AiM trainer in Middle Tennessee, wanted a full-time job. Through AiM workshops, he practiced sharing his vision: less staff “hovering” over him and more support to move toward living in his own home. He used the skills he teaches (self-advocacy, goal-setting, and problem-solving) to complete job applications and interviews on his own. He’s still searching for the job that fits him best, but now he’s directing that search himself.

Improving Policy & Practice

We track what’s happening in Tennessee government that affects people with disabilities. Then we explain it in plain language and share it with people who need to know.

This Year

44  policy proposals tracked (goal: 10)

14  newsletters sent (goal: 12)

93%  of people with disabilities said our policy information increased their understanding

Real Impact: Protecting Students’ Communication Devices

One success we had involved helping to improve a new law about cellphones in schools. Council members Chrissy Hood and Courtney Johnson worked with lawmakers to make sure the law included protections for students with disabilities who use devices to communicate. Because of their work, students who use technology to “talk” won’t have their devices taken away.

Lifting Up Lived Experiences

We make sure that people with disabilities and families are at the center of policy conversations.

31  Council Members + Partners Grads active on policy issues

141  Tennesseans responded

100%  of Council members and Partners graduates said they felt empowered to give input on policy issues

How We Help

• Connect: Some people who contacted us had simple questions about services, so we connected them with Tennessee Disability Pathfinder or other organizations that could help.
• Untangle: Some people were stuck and couldn’t get problems with services resolved on their own. We dug into these issues with them, helping to get their issues resolved.
• Fix the Root Cause: When we saw the same problems coming up again and again, we brought that to policymakers so fewer people have problems in the future.

Real Impact: Improving Medicaid Applications

→ Problem: Applications for Medicaid Long Term Services and Supports couldn’t show an emergency unless a caregiver had died. 

→ What We Did: Our Council chair brought the situation to Council staff, and we brought it to TennCare. 

→ The Change: The form was updated so families could flag urgent situations more clearly.

Driving Systems Change

The Council doesn’t work alone. We work closely with state agencies, legislators, and advocacy groups on projects that affect people with disabilities.

This year, the Council worked with many different partners to:

Inclusive Housing Vision

Build a shared plan for affordable, accessible housing where people with disabilities can live in the community.

Special Education and State Custody

Improve cross-agency coordination so students with disabilities, including those in state custody, get consistent supports.

Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement

Learn how the justice system affects people with disabilities and families, and use that to drive safer practices.

Behavioral Health and Crisis Supports

Improve crisis response and behavioral health supports so people with disabilities stay safe and supported at any age.

First Responders & Safety Alerts

Coordinate disability training and safety alert tools so people get the right help in emergencies.

Real Impact: Emergency Preparedness Work

Our work with the Department of Health and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) on emergency preparedness helped us share important information during Hurricane Helene recovery. We got the right information to leaders and shelters when people needed it most.

We shared best practices and stories from real Tennessee families and people with disabilities. This helped these groups create better materials about what people need to know in emergencies. We worked together with these groups to offer training on emergency preparedness at a statewide disability conference.

“The conversations that we have had with the Council on Developmental Disabilities made me rethink how I approach documents and resources we create for communities. It’s about relationships and getting the right people in the room to help you create resources that truly are accessible.” — Department of Health Partner

Informing the Public

Good information is powerful, but only if people can find it, understand it, and use it. We share information in many ways: social media, newsletters, our website, press outreach, events, and Breaking Ground magazine.

This Year’s Results

• 490,000  social media impressions
• 33,417  visitors to our website this year
• 6,707  reached by Breaking Ground Magazine (mail + email)
• 42%  email open rate
• 7.17%  social media engagement rate (+6.84% over last year)
• 2,328  e-news subscribers

Communications Survey Results

(n = 22–23; some questions were skipped)

• 86% see the Council as a trusted source of information about disability topics
• 86% said that the Council shares information that is easy to understand
• 83% are satisfied overall with the information we share
• 73% feel that “most” of the information shared is helpful and relevant to them
• 73% have taken action or used resources because of our content

Audience Demographics

• 65% people with a disability
• 26% family members of a person with a disability

“Keep doing what you are doing... The highlights of disability leaders are extremely helpful... a reliable, anticipated, informative approach to keeping people informed!” — Survey Respondent

Looking Ahead

This year’s results show us several important things to focus on next.

Leadership programs are working.

Partners, AiM, LAEDS, and scholarships are building real skills and confidence. Participants are getting better at speaking up for themselves, leadership, and problem solving. We want to keep these programs strong and find ways to reach more young people and underrepresented communities.

Plain-language, people-centered policy work is essential.

When we track policies, listen to people’s real experiences, and explain things clearly, we see real changes. This includes better program communication to families, stronger welcome materials, and new service definitions for some of Tennessee’s most complex systems.

Tennesseans are listening and acting on the information we share.

People trust us, understand the content we share, and many people take action after seeing what we share. This shows that our investment in storytelling, making information accessible, and building partnerships is working.

As we continue our work in fiscal year 2026, Council members will continue to help us consider important questions:

• What should we keep doing because it clearly makes a difference?
• What should we change or stop doing to better serve Tennesseans?
• Where are we not reaching people who need us most?

How to Connect with Us

Every number in this report represents a real person: a person with a disability who got a job, a parent who learned how to navigate the special education system, a lawmaker who made a better decision because they listened to someone with lived experience.

Let’s make this the start of a conversation; not the end of one.

For People & Families

• Learn about Partners in Policymaking® and Advocates in Motion.
• Ask about scholarships to attend trainings or conferences.
• Sign up for our newsletters to stay informed about policy changes.

For Policymakers

• Ask us to help with plain language materials about disability issues for your constituents.
• Connect with us before drafting legislation.
• Invite Council members & Partners grads to share input on new policy ideas & system changes.

For Organizations & Businesses

• Partner with us to include the perspectives of people with disabilities in your planning and work.
• Use our information in your own materials.
• Follow us to stay updated on changes and opportunities in disability services and policy.