Disability Agency Seeking Statewide Input for its Work

September 2, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities is asking for public input on the work it will be doing for the next five years.

“Our work is guided by the goals in our five-year state plan,” Executive Director Wanda Willis said. “Before we write a new plan, we survey the entire state. We want to know how disability services are working. What’s going well? What needs to change? Where are the gaps? What matters most to people living with disability in our state?”

The Council gathers this input through an online survey, available in English at bit.ly/PublicInput2020 and Spanish at bit.ly/SpanInput2020.

“This is a chance for people to give feedback that guides real work for change,” Willis said. “Hearing from more, and more diverse, people helps us get the best picture of where the needs are. It helps us keep working to improve our state’s disability services system.”

The Council works on issues that cover the whole lifespan, from early intervention for babies to special education to adult services and aging. “It’s so important for us to hear from people who are in all those stages, who have all different types of disabilities, who have all different kinds of identities and life experiences,” Willis said.

The Council’s survey will be open until the end of September. Once it is complete, the Council will use results to guide its new five-year state plan, which will begin in 2021. There will be a chance for the public to comment on the new draft plan before it is final. Follow the Council on Facebook or Twitter for news about the process.

The Council will also use the results of its public input survey to form a “snapshot of disability services” in Tennessee. That snapshot will be sent to the federal government, along with the state plan, and shared with the public.

For questions or help filling out the public input survey, contact Council Program Operations Director Alicia Cone at 615-253-1105.

About the Council on Developmental Disabilities
The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities is a state agency established to improve disability policies and practice, educate policymakers and the public, and build collaboration to create lasting, positive change for Tennesseans with disabilities and their families. The Council is the only state agency tasked with looking at how all the pieces of our disability system work together, identifying areas of need, and bringing different parts of government and outside groups together to tackle challenges and improve state services. For more information, visit www.tn.gov/cdd or follow us on Twitter (@TNCouncilDD) or Facebook.

September 1, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A Smithville man has been charged in a Clay County child rape, according to District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway.

32 year old Derrick Tramel was arrested Monday on a charge of felony child rape. He was transported to the Clay County Jail where he was held on a $350,000 bond.

In a statement, General Dunaway said a ten-year-old girl told Child Protective Services earlier in the day that she had been sexually abused by an adult.

Dunaway said his office, along with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services, began an investigation, and determined Tramel had raped the little girl.

September 1, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Beware if a company calls you trying to sell advertisements on behalf of DeKalb County High School.

“It has come to our attention that there has been a company calling trying to sell advertisements on behalf of DeKalb County High School. They are asking for sponsorships money for t-shirts and offering other benefits at DCHS sporting events,” said DCHS Principal Randy Jennings.

“If you receive one of these calls please do not agree to any terms or send them money. DeKalb County High School will not use an outside company to raise money on our behalf. Fundraising efforts will be done through the school or a booster club representative. If you have any questions when contacted please call the school to verify the fundraiser is legitimate,” said Principal Jennings.