News
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August 9, 2023Press Release on TN General Assembly Special Session
For a PDF of the Press Release click here. For Immediate Release As advocates for youth in the youth justice system, we are disturbed to see the Governor and legislature propose increasing youth incarceration as a response to the tragedy at The Covenant School, a tragedy that had nothing to do with the youth justice […]
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August 1, 2023Minority Mental Health Month
What is culture? Culture is an incredibly important part of who we are, how we view the world, and how we live our day-to-day lives. For this reason, it is important to have care in the mental health field that is culturally competent. Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Toni Kelly, understood this early in her career […]
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July 26, 2023The Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Although 33 years have passed since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed, there is still progress to be made in all facets of life. Here, at Disability Rights Tennessee, we believe that disability rights are human rights and continue advocating for and protecting the rights of Tennesseans with disabilities. If you have experienced discrimination because of a disability, contact our Get Help Line at 800-342-1664 or GetHelp@DisabilityRightsTN.org
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July 21, 2023Free the Vote: Addressing Voter Disenfranchisement in TN
Kristen Robinson The Power of the Vote “It means my words count.” “Taking control of my destiny.” “A second chance.” “It means freedom.” “Every vote counts. Just being able to be heard means a lot.” These are just a handful of the responses received from individuals housed at the Davidson County Jail when asked what […]
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July 19, 2023Press Release on DCS Investment in Wilder Youth Development Center
For Immediate Release PDF of Press Release As authors of the Designed to Fail report Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) and Youth Law Center (YLC) oppose any plans by the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) to invest further funds in youth incarceration facilities beyond the minimum necessary to keep youth from languishing in unsanitary and […]
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July 14, 2023Long COVID as a Disability Under Civil Rights Laws
En español Welcome back to DRT’s blog series related to the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). This is our fourth blog post in a series looking at the lingering effects of the pandemic in the wake of the federal government’s announcement that the PHE is over. Today, we are looking at how […]
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July 7, 2023News Channel 5 Nashville | Child advocates blast proposed DCS rules for housing delinquent youth
One licensing board member: ‘They caught some things maybe we didn’t’ View original article here. Published by Ben Hall on July 6, 2023. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A proposed change to rules at the Department of Children’s Services could lead to widespread privatization of youth detention facilities and may even lead to children being kept […]
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July 6, 2023Tennessean | “DCS proposed new rules for housing some youth, but advocates are worried.”
View original article here. Published by Josh Keefe July 6, 2023. DCS sought to implement stricter rules for hardware-secure residential facilities because some are currently operating under a more general, and less stringent, residential childcare license. The Department of Children’s Services has proposed new rules to increase accountability for certain residential facilities, but watchdog groups […]
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June 16, 2023Long COVID: What It Is & What You Need to Know
En español Welcome back to DRT’s blog series related to the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). This is our third blog post in a series acknowledging that the end of the PHE does not equate to the end of the pandemic’s lingering effects, which include Long COVID. Today, we are defining Long […]