The 17th Annual Tennessee Disability MegaConference took place at the Nashville Airport Marriott May 23-24, 2019. Staff and faculty from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center were there to share and absorb information to better support people with disabilities and their families in Tennessee. From private consultations by staff at Tennessee Disability Pathfinder to presentations on topics such as considering postsecondary outcomes, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) was an active presence and in-kind sponsor of Tennessee’s largest conference focused on disability.
MegaConference kicked off with The Arc Tennessee Awards banquet. The impressive list of awardees from across the state included two (2) VKC-affiliated people and programs.
Elise McMillan, J.D., received The Arc Tennessee’s Roger Blue Lifetime Achievement Award. It is The Arc’s highest honor. McMillan is co-director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; director of Community Engagement and Public Policy; and a senior lecturer in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.
Cecilia Melo-Romie received The Arc Tennessee’s Public Awareness Award. Melo-Romie is the Statewide Spanish Outreach Coordinator with Tennessee Disability Pathfinder. She retires later this month.
Karen Mevis, Tennessee Disability Pathfinder’s Information & Referral Coordinator, provided 10-minute mini-meetings with individuals who requested customized resource information based on needs and questions.
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder’s director, Megan Hart, led a session on expanding the reach of Tennessee Disability Pathfinder to rural areas of the state thanks to a grant from the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities.
A panel discussion on thinking ahead about postsecondary outcomes included Elise McMillan and Janet Shouse, program coordinator for the IDD Toolkit.
Carol Rabideau, VKC social worker, was co-chair of the conference planning committee.
For more on Tennessee Disability MegaConference, visit: www.tndisabilitymegaconference.org
Last Updated: 5/24/2019 11:59:44 AM
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