Reflections
As part of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's 50th anniversary celebration, families, researchers, staff, trainees, and others shared their reflections. View a sample below, and select "more" to view additional comments.
| A reflection from a family |
 | In 1969, our family moved to Nashville with our son who has an intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has been a source of vision, information, and support for our family. Belinda and Ron Butler - Parents See More... |
| A reflection from a professional |
 | Recently a mother shared with me that over four decades ago she gave birth to a baby girl with Down syndrome. The medical staff and others strongly encouraged her to give her daughter over to an institution as it was the best option at the time. While in the hospital a social worker from the Kennedy Center discussed services and resources available to her if she chose to keep her child in her care. As a result of their conversation she decided to raise her child with the support of her family and this Center. This family is currently thriving in their community. To work somewhere that touches people’s lives on such an incredible level is an experience I am very fortunate to be part of. Sarah Harvey - VKC Disability Professional See More... |
| A reflection from a trainee |
| As a UCEDD trainee, the VKC has been very important to me. I have learned so much from contributing to many of its self-advocacy projects for people with disabilities, and I am proud to be a part of all they do in the Nashville community. As a graduate student in Peabody College, I feel that working with the VKC UCEDD has helped me to mature in ways that will make me a successful special education teacher. Carrie Glover - Graduate student in Special Education and VKC UCEDD Trainee See More... |
| A reflection from a researcher |
 | My father was a psychiatrist, and as a young child, I spent Saturdays at his clinic and so was accustomed to being with people with disabilities. Later, we lived on the grounds of a state mental health hospital, where I had many friends with different types of developmental and psychiatric difficulties. I wanted to better understand their lives and stories. At the Yale Child Study Center, my experiences with children with fragile X syndrome started me on the path of looking at other genetic syndromes, since they offer unique windows for understanding the connections among genes, brain, and behavior, as well as specific ways to optimize interventions with individuals and families. My husband and I moved to Vanderbilt because we wanted to be part of a community of researchers and others dedicated to understanding people with developmental disabilities on a number of different levels—genetics, brain science, treatments, supporting families, public policy, and advocacy. The VKC embodied all of that in one place. Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D. - Psychology, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics See More... |
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