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 Department of Education: Special Education 
Joseph Fisher, Assistant Commissioner 
Division of Special Education
Department of Education 
Andrew Johnson Tower, 5th Floor
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0380 
(615) 741-2851 
E-mail: jfisher@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/speced/

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Julie McCargar, 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 
Contact State Department of Education: Special Education, listed above.

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 5 
Contact State Department of Education: Special Education, listed above.

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

Coordinator for Transition Services
Tennessee Department of Education 
710 James Robertson Parkway 
Andrew Johnson Tower, 5th Floor 
Nashville, TN 37243 
(615) 741-7790
E-mail: Joe.Fisher@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/speced/

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities 
Division of Vocational Education
Andrew Johnson Tower, 4th Floor
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
Pam Sylakowski, Director 
Office of Children and Adolescent Services
Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
Cordell Hull Building, 3rd Floor
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 532-6758; (615) 532-6612 (TTY)
E-mail: Pam.Sylakowski@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/mental

State Mental Retardation Program 
Richard Kellogg, Acting Deputy Commissioner
Division of Mental Retardation Department of Finance and Administration
Andrew Jackson Building
500 Deaderick Street, 15th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 532-6530
E-mail: Richard.Kellogg@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/mental/mrs.html

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
Wanda Willis, Executive Director 
Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities
Andrew Jackson Building
500 Deaderick Street, 13th Floor, Suite 1310
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
Tennessee Protection and Advocacy, Inc.
P.O. Box 121257 
Nashville, TN 37212 
(615) 298-1080; (800) 342-1660 (Toll-free in TN only) 
(615) 298-2471 (TTY) 
E-mail: shirleys@tpainc.org
Web: www.tpainc.org

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

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Margaret Major, Acting Director 
Children's Special Services
Department of Health
Title 5 Children with Special Health Care Needs
Cordell Hull Building, 5th Floor
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37247-4750
(615) 741-8530
E-mail: Margaret.Major@.state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/health/MCH/css.htm

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

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Ann Hampton, CSPD Coordinator
Division of Special Education
Department of Education
Andrew Johnson Tower, 5th Floor
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0380
(615) 741-2851
E-mail: ahampton@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing 
Thom Roberts, Director
Tennessee Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing 
Citizens Plaza Building, 11th Floor
400 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37248-6000
(615) 313-4918; (615) 313-5695 (TTY)
(800) 270-1349 (in TN)
Web: www.state.tn.us/humanserv

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
Lisa Cushing, Program Coordinator
Project TREDS
Vanderbilt University
Peabody Box 328
230 Appleton Place
Nashville, TN 37203-5701
(615) 322-8279; (615) 322-8280 (V/TTY)
(800) 288-2266 (V/TTY)
E-mail: lisa.cushing@vanderbilt.edu
Web: www.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/treds/index.html

Cathy Steger, Deaf-Blind Coordinator
Division of Rehabilitation Services
Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Citizens Plaza State Office Building
400 Deaderick Street, Suite 1100
Nashville, TN 37248-6200
(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
Michael Miller, Commissioner
Tricia Henwood, Director of Medical 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.henwood@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/youth

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Shelley Kaplan, Project Director
Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access
Georgia Tech
490 10th Street
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 385-0636; (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: sedbtac@catea.org
Web: www.sedbtac.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Frederick B. Palmer, 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/boling.html

Technology-Related Assistance
Kevin R. Wright, Executive Director
Tennessee Technology Access Project
Citizens Plaza State Office Building, 11th Floor
400 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37248
(615) 532-3122 (V); (615) 741-4566 (TTY)
(800) 732-5059 (Toll-free in TN only)
E-mail: Kevin.R.Wright@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/humanserv/ttap_index.htm

State Mediation System 
Bill Ward, Legal Consultant
Division of Special Education
Department of Education
Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway, 5th floor
Nashville, TN 37243-0380
(615) 741-2422
E-mail: Bill.Ward@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/education/msped.htm

Special Format Library
Ruth Hemphill, Librarian
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@state.tn.us
Web: www.state.tn.us/sos/statelib/LBPH/lbph.htm

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 201
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
(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
Frances Mary D'Andrea, Director
American Foundation for the Blind-National Literacy Center
100 Peachtree Street, Suite 620
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 525-2303
E-mail: literacy@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Cerebral Palsy 
Diana Reid, Executive Director
UCP of the Mid South, Inc.
4189 Leroy Avenue
Memphis, TN 38108 
(901) 761-4277
E-mail: dreid@ucpmemphis.org

Epilepsy 
Jean Dodds, Executive Director 
Epilepsy Foundation of West Tennessee 
70 Timber Creek, Suite 1
Cordova, TN 38018
(901) 854-0114
E-mail: jeanmdodd@hotmail.com

Learning Disabilities 
Learning Disability Advocacy Center (L.D.A.C.)
7516 Enterprise Avenue, Suite 1
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 755-0244
E-mail: IEPHelp@aol.com

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

Thelma Vaughan, President
NAMI-Tennessee 
5410 Homberg Drive, Suite 4
Knoxville, TN 37919-5029 
(865) 602-7900; (800) 467-3589 (in TN)
E-mail: nami-tn@nami.org
Web: http://namitn.nami.org

Charlotte Bryson, Executive Director
Tennessee Voices for Children
1315 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 269-7751; (800) 670-9982
E-mail: TVC@TNVoices.org
Web: www.tnvoices.org

Kim Gustin, Respite Project Coordinator
Tennessee Respite Network
1315 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 269-7855; (800) 269-7855
E-mail: kgustin@tnvoices.org
Web: www.tnvoices.org

Mental Retardation 
Walter Rogers, Executive Director
The Arc of Tennessee 
44 Vantage Way, Suite 550
Nashville, TN 37228
(615) 248-5878
E-mail: wrogers@thearctn.org
E-mail: walterrogersarc@aol.com
Web: www.thearctn.org

Speech and Hearing
John and Nelia Westenberger, Executive Directors 
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

Spina Bifida
Lynn Hess, Executive Director
Spina Bifida Association of Tennessee
P.O. Box 23056
Nashville, TN 37202-3056
E-mail: spinabifTN@aol.com

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Nancy Diehl, Executive Director
Support and Training for Exceptional Parents, Inc. (STEP)
712 Professional Plaza
Greeneville, TN 37745
(423) 639-0125; (800) 280-7837 (English & Spanish Toll-free in TN only)
(423) 636-8217 (TTY)
E-mail: Nancy.Diehl@tnstep.org
E-mail: information@tnstep.org
Web: www.tnstep.org

Parent-To-Parent 
Dusti Williams, Nursing Consultant
Children's Special Services
Parents Encouraging Parents (PEP) Program 
Tennessee Department of Health
Cordell Hull Building, 5th Floor
425 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37247-4750
(615) 741-0353
E-mail: dusti.williams@state.tn.us
Web: www2.state.tn.us/health/mch/css.htm

Community Parent Resource Center
(Serving Nashville/Davidson County)
Norman Tenenbaum, Executive Director
The Arc of Davidson County
111 N. Wilson Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 321-5699
E-mail: ntenenbaum@arcdc.org
Web: www.thearctn.org

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

Other Disability Organizations

Jayne Perkins, President/CEO
Easter Seals
2001 Woodmont Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 292-6640; (800) 264-0078
E-mail: jperkins@eastersealstn.com
Web: www.tn.easter-seals.org

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
480 Craighead Street, Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 383-9442; (615) 292-7790 (TTY)
E-mail: coalition@tndisability.org
Web: www.tndisability.org

Carole Moore-Slater, Program Director
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder
Vanderbilt Kennedy Family Outreach Center and Clinics
1810 Edgehill Avenue
Nashville, TN 37212
(615) 322-8529; (800) 640-4636 (English/Spanish line)
(615) 322-7830 (Nashville line)
(800) 273-9595 (TTY)
E-mail: carole.moore-slater@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
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406; (703) 525-4153 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org