Tennessee State Disability 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.

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.

State Agencies and Organizations

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 HouseÕs 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
TennesseeÕs 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
ChildrenÕs 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. ChildrenÕs 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 ChildrenÕs 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