A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Tennessee State Resources

Complete update · 1/2008
Partial update · 2/8/2008

The offices listed on this state sheet are primarily state-level offices. Even if an office is not close to your home, they can usually put you in touch with resources in your community, as well as provide you with information and assistance about disability issues in your state. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.

State Agencies and Organizations

Age of Eligibility

Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

United States Senators
Honorable Bob Corker (R)
185 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3344; (202) 224-1911 (TTY)
(202) 228-0566 (Fax)
E-mail: http://corker.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm
Web: http://corker.senate.gov/index.cfm

Honorable Lamar Alexander (R)
455 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4944
(202) 228-3398 (Fax)
E-mail Web Form: http://alexander.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Web: http://alexander.senate.gov

United States Representatives
To find the contact information for your representative in the House of the U.S. Congress, visit the House’s Web site at: www.house.gov, or call: (202) 225-3121; (202) 225-1904 (TTY).

Governor
Honorable Phil Bredesen
Governor's Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37423-0001
(615) 741-2001
(615) 532-9711 (Fax)
E-mail: phil.bredesen@state.tn.us
Web: www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/Welcome.do

Official State Web Site
Web: www.tennessee.gov/

State Department of Education: Special Education
Joseph Fisher, Assistant Commissioner
Division of Special Education
Department of Education
Andrew Johnson Tower, 7th Floor
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0380
(615) 741-2851; (888) 212-3162
E-mail: joe.fisher@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/speced/

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Julie McCargar, Executive Director of Federal Programs
Department of Education
Andrew Johnson Tower, 5th Floor
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0380
(615) 532-6297
E-mail: julie.mccargar@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2
Jamie Kilpatrick, Director of Early Childhood Programs
Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS)
Tennessee Department of Education
Division of Special Education
710 James Robertson Parkway, 7th Floor
Andrew Johnson Tower
Nashville, TN 37243-0375
(615) 741-3537; (800) 852-7157
Web: http://state.tn.us/education/speced/TEIS/

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5
Debbie Cate, Preschool/619 Coordinator
Tennessee Department of Education
Division of Special Education
2763 Island Home Boulevard
Knoxville, TN 37920
(865) 594-5691
(888) 212-3162 (Special Education questions)
Web: http://state.tn.us/education/speced

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Andrea Cooper, Assistant Commissioner
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Department of Human Services
400 Deaderick Street, l5th Floor
Nashville, TN 37248-0060
(615) 313-4714
E-mail: andrea.cooper@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/humanserv

Coordinator for Transition Services
Jane Winstead, Director for Transition Services
Tennessee Department of Education
Division of Special Education
2763 Island Home Boulevard
Knoxville, TN 37920
(865) 594-5691
E-mail: Jane.Winstead@state.tn.us

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Ralph Barnett, Assistant Commissioner
Division of Career and Technical Education
4th Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Roberston Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0383
(615) 532-2834
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/

State Mental Health Agency
Virginia Trotter-Betts, Commissioner
Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
Cordell Hull Building, 3rd Floor
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 532-6500
E-mail: Shawn.Cook@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/mental

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
Richard A. Edgar, MS, Director
Office of Children and Youth
Division of Special Populations and Minority Initiatives
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
Cordell Hull Building, 5th Floor
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 253-4800; (615) 532-6612 (TTY)
E-mail: richard.edgar@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/mental

Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities
Stephen H. Norris, Deputy Commissioner
Division of Mental Retardation
Department of Finance and Administration
Andrew Jackson Building
500 Deaderick Street, 15th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 532-6533
E-mail: felicia.thompson@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/dmrs

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Wanda Willis, Executive Director
Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities
Parkway Towers
404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 130
Nashville, TN 37243-0228
(615) 532-6615
E-mail: tnddc@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/cdd

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Shirley Shea, Executive Director
Disability Law & Advocacy Center of Tennessee (DLAC)
2416 21st Avenue South, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37212
(901) 458-6013; (800) 342-1660 (Toll-free in TN only)
(888) 852-2852 (TTY)
E-mail: shirleys@dlactn.org
E-mail: gethelp@dlactn.org
Web: www.dlactn.org

Client Assistance Program
Contact Protection and Advocacy Agency, listed above.

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Dee Hitz, Nursing Consultant
Children’s Special Services
Tennessee Department of Health
Cordell Hull Building, 5th Floor
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37247-4750
(615) 741-2703
E-mail: dee.hitz@.state.tn.us
Web: www.tennessee.gov

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
TennCare
(800) 669-1851
Web: www.state.tn.us/tenncare/

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Thom Roberts, Executive Director
Tennessee Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Citizens Plaza Building
400 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37248-6000
(615) 313-4918; (615) 313-5695 (TTY)
(800) 270-1349 (in TN)
Web: www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/rehab/cc.htm

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 848-0299 (V)
(800) 848-0298 (V/TTY); 711 (TTY)
(866) 503-0264 (Speech to Speech)
(866) 503-0263 (V/TTY/ASCII)

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired or Deaf-Blind
Jennifer Vick, Project Coordinator
Project TREDS - TN Deafblind Project
Vanderbilt University
Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Center for Child Development
3401 W. End Avenue, Suite 460 West
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 322-8279; (800) 288-2266 (V/TTY)
E-mail: jennifer.vick@vanderbilt.edu
Web: www.treds-deafblindproject.com

Cathy Steger, Deaf-Blind Coordinator
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Citizens Plaza State Office Building
400 Deaderick Street, 14th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243-1403
(615) 313-4917; (800) 628-7818
(615) 313-6601 (TTY); (800) 270-1349 (TTY)
E-mail: Cathy.Steger@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/humanserv/vis-home.html

State Department for Children and Youth in State Custody
Viola P. Miller, Ed.D., Commissioner
Tricia Lea, Ph.D., Director of Medical and Behavioral Services
Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
Cordell Hull Building, 7th Floor
436 6th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243-1290
(615) 741-9699
E-mail: tricia.lea@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/youth

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Shelley Kaplan, Project Director
DBTAC - Southeast ADA Center
Project of the Burton Blatt Institute - Syracuse University
490 10th Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 385-0636; (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: sedbtacproject@law.syr.edu
Web: www.sedbtac.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Frederick B. Palmer, M.D., Director
Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
711 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38105
(901) 448-6512; (888) 572-2249
(901) 448-4677 (TTY)
E-mail: fpalmer@utmem.edu
Web: www.utmem.edu/bcdd/

Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D., Director
Elise McMillan, J.D., Co-Director
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Vanderbilt University
230 Appleton Place, Peabody Box 40
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 936-8852; (866) 936-8852
(800) 273-9595 (TTY)
E-mail: ucedd@vanderbilt.edu
Web: http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/ucedd/index.html

Technology-Related Assistance
Kevin R. Wright, Executive Director
Tennessee Technology Access Program
Citizens Plaza State Office Building, 14th Floor
400 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 313-5183 (V); (615) 313-5695 (TTY)
(800) 732-5059 (Toll-free in TN only)
E-mail: tn.ttap@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/humanserv/ttap_index.htm

State Mediation System
Bill Wilson, Attorney
Division of Special Education
Department of Education
Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway, 7th floor
Nashville, TN 37243-0380
(615) 741-5988
E-mail: bill.wilson@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/msped.htm

Special Format Library
Ruth Hemphill, Director
Tennessee Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Tennessee State Library and Archives
403 Seventh Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243-0313
(615) 741-3915; (800) 342-3308
E-mail: tlbph.tsla@state.tn.us
Web: www.tennessee.gov/tsla/lbph

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464-0543
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
To identify an autism group in your state, contact:
Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-0881; (800) 3-AUTISM
Web: www.autism-society.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Jaclyn Packer, Ph.D., Director of Information Center
American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(212) 502-7600; (800) 232-5463
E-mail: afbinfo@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Cerebral Palsy
Peggy Fryer, President/CEO
UCP of the Mid South, Inc.
4189 Leroy Avenue
Memphis, TN 38108
(901) 761-4277
E-mail: pfryer@ucpmemphis.org

Epilepsy
Joyce Whitmer, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation Middle and West Tennessee
2002 Richard Jones Road, Suite C-202
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 269-7091; (800) 244-0768
E-mail: jwhitmer@epilepsytn.org
Web: http://epilepsytn.org

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Walter F. Rogers, Executive Director
The Arc of Tennessee
151 Athens Way, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37228
(615) 248-5878; (800) 835-7077
E-mail: wrogers@thearctn.org
E-mail: walterrogersarc@aol.com
Web: www.thearctn.org

Learning Disabilities
Learning Disabilities Association of America
4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15234-1349
(412) 341-1515
Web: www.ldaamerica.org/

Mental Health
Angie Thompson, Executive Director
Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee
2416 21st Avenue South, Suite 201
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 269-5355
E-mail: forinfo@mhamt.org
Web: www.ichope.com

Elliott Garrett, President
Sita Diehl, Executive Director
NAMI-Tennessee
1101 Kermit Drive, Suite 605
Nashville, TN 37217
(615) 361-6608; (800) 467-3589 (in TN)
E-mail: sdiehl@namitn.org
Web: http://namitn.org

Charlotte Bryson, Executive Director
Elizabeth Boggs, Executive Administrative Assistant
Tennessee Voices for Children
701 Bradford Avenue
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 269-7751; (800) 670-9982
E-mail: TVC@TNVoices.org
Web: www.tnvoices.org

Laura Fair, Respite Project Coordinator
Tennessee Respite Network
701 Bradford Avenue
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 269-7751; (800) 670-9882
E-mail: tvc@tnvoices.org
Web: www.tnvoices.org

Speech, Language, and Hearing
Nelia Westenberger, Executive Director
Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
P.O. Box 70
Spring Hill, TN 37174
(931) 487-9871
E-mail: wmijohn@aol.com
Web: www.taaslp.org

Tourette Syndrome
Linda Saunders, Program Manager
Tourette Syndrome Association Mid-South Regional Office
(Serving Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia)
423 Summertrees Drive
Auburn, AL 36832
(334) 502-0055
E-mail: tsamidsouth@bellsouth.net
Web: http://tsa-usa.org/TSANatlLocal/Chapters/Midsouth.htm

Organizations Especially for Parents

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI)
Jenness Roth, Executive Director
Support and Training for Exceptional Parents, Inc. (STEP)
712 Professional Plaza
Greeneville, TN 37745
(423) 639-0125
(800) 280-7837 (English toll free in TN only)
(800) 975-2919 (Spanish Toll free in TN only)
(423) 639-8802 (TTY)
E-mail: jenness.roth@tnstep.org
E-mail: information@tnstep.org
Web: www.tnstep.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Cindy Dearing, President
Tennessee Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc.
1905 Acklen Avenue
Nashville, TN 37212-3788
(615) 383-9740
E-mail: president@tnpta.org
Web: www.pta.org

Other Parent Organization
Kate Driskill Kanies, M.A., M.L.S., RIP Coordinator
Regional Intervention Program (RIP)
3411 Belmont Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 963-1177
Email: Kate.Kanies@state.tn.us
Web: www.ripnetwork.org

Other Disability Organizations

Susan Armiger, President/CEO
Easter Seals Tennessee
2001 Woodmont Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 292-6640; (800) 264-0078
Web: www.eastersealstn.com

Leslie Ladd, State Director
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
1101 Kermit Drive, Suite 201
Nashville, TN 37217
(615) 399-3200; (888) 399-3272
Web: http://marchofdimes.com/

Carol Westlake, Executive Director
Tennessee Disability Coalition
955 Woodland Street
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 383-9442; (615) 292-7790 (TTY)
E-mail: coalition@tndisability.org
Web: www.tndisability.org

Carole Moore-Slater, Program Director
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder (statewide bilingual disability information & referral service for all ages)
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
1114 17th Avenue South, Suite 105
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 322-8529; (800) 640-4636 (English/Spanish line)
(711) Free relay Service
E-mail: TNPATHFINDER@vanderbilt.edu
Web: www.familypathfinder.org

Independent Living

To find out the contact information for the Statewide
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1710 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 207-0334 (V); (202) 207-0340 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).
NICHCY State Resources are listings of selected state-wide organizations that can refer people to organizations in their area. We update our state resources continuously; however, the addresses and telephone numbers of these selected groups are constantly changing. If you find that an address or number has changed or is incorrect, please e-mail us at nichcy@aed.org and let us know.
Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.	NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 Washington, DC 20013 (800) 695-0285 · v/tty (202) 884-8441 · fax e-mail: nichcy@aed.org web: www.nichcy.org