The Tennessee Rehabilitation Center (TRC) in Smyrna is a state-operated training center that provides career and technical education to prepare individuals with disabilities for greater independence and competitive integrated employment in their local communities. In addition to comprehensive vocational evaluation, TRC-Smyrna provides vocational skills training in several Areas of Study and offers additional enhancement courses as needed to support individual students’ educational goals.
Resource list for employers and employees provided by Disability Rights TN
The ECF CHOICES program launched in July 2016 with the goal of helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work and to live as independently as possible. In its first year, the program enrolled 1,500 people. In 2018, the program is slated to expand and enroll up to 2,700 members.
Even with a well-paying job, employees who have a disability, or employees who support family members who have a disability, often face significant costs to maintain health, independence and quality of life. ABLE accounts are key to “Achieving a Better Life Experience” for your employees with disabilities and their families. An ABLE account can be used to support your employees’ ability to work and to increase their productivity, which results in a diverse, valued and productive workforce. The ABLE Employer Toolkit can help you understand and integrate ABLE into your employee benefits program to support their success in work and life.
JobWise has been partnering with Vocational Rehabilitation Services for over 14 years assisting people with disabilities find meaningful competitive employment in the community.
Possibility Place will strive to provide job training and volunteer skills where the participant can contribute to society and find personal fulfillment, training for independent living skills, opportunities for further learning of basic reading, math, and computer skills, training for a lifetime of healthy lifestyle habits including recreation, exercise, and healthy choices, opportunities to build friendships and learn strong social skills, and opportunities for the participants to grow mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Project SEARCH provides individuals living with disabilities with tuition free job training and educational, developmental, and employment opportunities within Vanderbilt. The goal of Project SEARCH is to fill a business need with qualified individuals living with developmental disabilities. W
Tennessee’s online home for training and resources on preparing students with disabilities for life after high school. Consider this the “blueprint” to building a comprehensive transition program for your students. Learn about the best practices and practical strategies for special educators, families, and other transition team members as you fill your toolbox with key tools for success.
Elevating employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
In April of 2018 my daughter, Sharmane and I experienced the privilege of attending the National Down Syndrome Society’s inspirational and educational First Annual Down Syndrome Adult Summit.
With Sharmane getting older, forty-four at the time of the conference and dementia prevalent in people with Down syndrome, we mainly attended lectures related to dementia and Alzheimer’s. A few speakers provided insight into the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, which are different for people with Down syndrome as explained below. Others described best practices for dealing with those experiencing dementia, and one lecture offered suggestions for preserving memories.
This essay is intended to help the parents, family, friends, and caregivers of people with Down syndrome to recognize and navigate the turbulent world of dementia if you must enter that realm.
I wanted to write a blog post and share a little about myself and my family with everyone. You may be wondering….what brought me to DSAMT given that I don’t have a child with Down syndrome? Well, the answer is a little long...
The consequences of making assumptions about our kids can be real and negatively impactful. This post explores the need to shift the paradigm from one of what our kids can't do to what they CAN do.