A Call to Action: Advancing Tennessee’s Juvenile Justice System to Strengthen Families, Communities, and Oversight

About the Report: What would it look like if Tennessee’s juvenile justice system prioritized strengthening families, connecting youth to their home communities, and creating safe environments that promote healing, growth, and being held accountable for one’s actions? Instead, Tennessee’s youth continue to suffer, primarily Black youth with disabilities. Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) and Youth Law […]

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Lawsuit Alleges Discrimination Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Tennesseans Under Care Of State Of Tennessee

Five plaintiffs with counsel from Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) and Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC allege that the State of Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DIDD), and Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (DMHSAS) discriminate against service recipients who are Deaf and use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate.

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February 15, 2024

A Call to Action: Advancing Tennessee’s Juvenile Justice System to Strengthen Families, Communities, and Oversight

About the Report: What would it look like if Tennessee’s juvenile justice system prioritized strengthening families, connecting youth to their home communities, and creating safe environments that promote healing, growth, and being held accountable for one’s actions? Instead, Tennessee’s youth continue to suffer, primarily Black youth with disabilities. Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) and Youth Law […]

January 23, 2024

Client Story – Joan Kite, TBI Survivor

Joan Kite, a two time Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivor shared her story with DRT’s Lee Sherwood and discussed her recovery journey and what it means to be an advocate.

January 9, 2024

Tennessee Lookout | “New Nashville program provides eligible jail inmates pathway to voter registration, restoration”

View original article here. Published by Kathy Carlson, January 8, 2024 People in county jails often are eligible to vote, and a new program in Nashville aims to guide potential voters through the process. “The requirement to serve jail inmates has been around for a long time,” Davidson County Administrator of Elections Jeff Roberts said […]

January 8, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Massive sign on letter rejects cuts to non-defense discretionary funding in FY 2024 deal Contact: Lee Sherwood, Director of Community Relations – Email: LeeS@DisabilityRightsTN.org; Phone/Text: 409-771-0098 NASHVILLE, TN.— Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) issues the following statement announcing an 1,098-organization sign-on letter urging Congress to reject any full-year continuing resolution that would result […]

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