NASHVILLE, TN -To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the historic signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Tennessee State officials from the Department of Human Services are sharing testimonies from recipients of programs provided by the Volunteer State, designed to help citizens with disabilities find employment. State officials said much of this work had been done through the Tennessee Department of Human Services’ Division of Rehabilitation Services’ Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program.
Officials said this program has helped individuals with social and developmental disabilities gain employment and maintain their independence. State officials even boast that the department has helped as many as 6,000 Tennesseans gain competitive integrated employment through their VR program. Tennessee Technology Access Program Executive Director Kim Lilley said the VR program helps provide employers who are looking to diversify their workforce with qualified workers who have a disability.
This ability to work is something many Tennessee families are in desperate need of, as 31.4% of Tennesseans who according to KFF, earn income that is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level as of 2023, and who also estimate 194,000 uninsured adults would be eligible for Medicaid if the state decided to expand its programs. Instead, Tennessee chose not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to cover nearly all Non-elderly adults below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Lilley said everyone’s experience with VR is going to vary widely depending on what the individual needs in accordance with their assigned rehab counselor. Lilley said citizens with limited disposable income can pursue possible assistance with payment for VR programs through the Tennessee Technology Access Program. (TTAP), whose mission is to serve individuals of any age statewide in addressing a disability. Lilley said oftentimes, but not always, the services acquired through TTAP are of no cost to the individual, allowing them to look more clearly at the pros and cons of their situation and plan their lives accordingly.
“Through that TTAP program, we also have a short-term loan program,” Lilley said. “So, if we have devices available and someone may need them, we can provide that device as a short-term loan.”
Medical financial assistance is a great relief to many, as The Institute for Public Service Reporting Memphis published around this time last year that only about 15% of impoverished families in Tennessee receive welfare benefits under TANF, according to the nonpartisan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Welfare benefits that could lessen the overall cost-burden of working with disability.
Lilley said that TTAP is often how those who would not have had another way to acquire a much-needed device, some of whom are simply not in a position to seek employment or pursue higher education, access supplies. Lilley said TTAP is often very busy as the service has become popular with Tennesseans, so popular in fact that the organization contracted 2 non-profits to help provide services, the Star Center, which provides services across West and Middle Tennessee, and Signal Centers, which helps cover East Tennessee.
State officials said an example of what the VR program hopes to accomplish can be found in the testimony of Kevin Polk. Officials said after undergoing spinal surgery, Polk found himself bound to a chair and having lost both his college scholarship and employment. Without support, savings, or income, Polk found himself turning to the VR program as a last hope and now enjoys successful employment with AAA.
Lilley said citizens can find more information regarding these programs on the TN Department of Human Services website, tn.gov/humanservices.
