Share Your Story - Tell Us How TNSTEP Helped
One of the greatest gifts we can give each other is hope. As parents, guardians, and caregivers of children and youth with disabilities, reading a story highlighting other families’ successes is so encouraging! Your story may be the lifeline that will give another family the strength to keep trying, reach higher, or try something new!
We want to allow you to share your success stories with other families through our website or social media. So if you have used strategies that you learned at a TNSTEP training or through working with TNSTEP staff that helped you feel more confident, increased your skills, enabled you to be more effective at an IEP meeting, or helped improve outcomes for your child, and you would like to share that with others, send it in!
Don’t forget to send a photo. Everyone loves pictures!
Submit your story and picture ONLINE HERE or send your pictures and stories via email (in Word or PDF format) to [email protected] with the subject line of SHARING MY STORY.
By submitting content to TNSTEP you are granting permission for the content and photos to be used on TNSTEP’s website, social media venues, for grant writing purposes, or in other promotional materials as needed.
Photo caption: Cody Jennings with his friends when he could finally stand up with them using his Permobile! His mother learned the importance of inclusion through TNSTEP!
Family Advocacy Forums: Coming in 2022!
TNSTEP and the Tennessee Disability Coalition (TDC) are partnering on a new initiative to increase families’ ability to advocate for equitable resources, supports, training, policies, and processes for their children and youth with disabilities. Our families must have a voice in policies and practices related to children and youth’s education, health, safety, and well-being. The Family Advocacy Forums (FAF) will provide a platform for interactive discussions on important issues, easy-to-use tools, and training to prepare participants to engage in school and community reform.
Forums will address topics based on hot button issues that arise throughout the year. By combining TDC’s expertise in impacting policy, TNSTEP’s expertise in federal and state special education laws and practices, and families’ expertise and lived experiences in what is important for their children with disabilities to thrive at home, in school. In the community, we hope to positively impact areas such as school discipline, mental health services, equity, inclusion, education, and much more.
Having information is GREAT! Putting that information into action is VITAL to get to the outcomes we all want for individuals with disabilities. If you’re interested in being part of the FAF Design Group to help shape this new initiative, please email [email protected]. We look forward to sharing more information on how to join this action-oriented series in the coming months. To ensure you are in the know, sign up below.
Sponsor a Workshop
TNSTEP offers FREE in-person or virtual training, workshops, and resources for parents and families of children and youth with disabilities, special health care needs, and mental health needs. Our training is hands-on, activity based, and interactive. They can be customized to fit within your existing family involvement activities.
TNSTEP also offers a variety of professional development training and resources to assist educators in their work. Our professional development is customized based on the needs of the district or organization using best practices and research-based information.
Bring a TNSTEP workshop to your community!
- Schedule an in-person or virtual training
- Locate an in-person meeting space
- Advertise the workshop in your community
- Take registrations by phone/email or TNSTEP take registrations online
- TNSTEP will provide the training materials
To sponsor a workshop CLICK HERE to fill out the form and a team member will be in contact you to schedule the workshop.
Promote TNSTEP
Working with school systems, community agencies, and disability organizations helps improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities. Help us reach as many families as possible by promoting TNSTEP and sharing our mission!
Complete a Project
Grad Students and Interns
Let your coursework benefit families!
Expert in Your Field
Graphic design, technology, writing, accounting? You name it, we may need it.
Volunteer Time or Expertise
Every minute given by volunteers is a gift beyond measure! Look at STEP’s commitment to volunteers and the scope of opportunities and become part of the STEP Volunteer Force.
Submit Content
Expanding Information Available to Families … By Design
We believe that families who are informed and empowered can feel more confident as they navigate the special education process. With this in mind, the TNSTEP website has been designed to provide a medium for providing families with news and information that is timely, diverse, and relevant to the issues they face each day.
The TNSTEP Website/LMS provides an online repository of information, and articles of interest that organizations or individuals may contribute to by submitting content, as well as information provided by TNSTEP. By inviting others to submit content we hope to:
- Provide an opportunity for information to be shared electronically from people who do not have websites or whose sites are not designed for easily sharing current information.
- Provide a diverse array of information on a range of disabilities, possibilities, events, and information.
- Bring the knowledge and expertise of multiple sources to a central location to benefit Tennessee families.
If you are interested in learning more about how to submit content for consideration on TNSTEP’s website/LMS, please read the Content Submission Guidelines here.
We look forward to hearing from you — both through content submission and through your feedback. Let us know how useful and relevant the information available through the TNSTEP site is to your journey.
Our goal is to empower parents so they can become the best advocates for their children and be effective partners with school staff in planning the appropriate educational programs for their children and youth with disabilities, special health care, and mental health needs.
Submit Content Form
The TNSTEP Nominating Committee is currently accepting nominations for our governing board. This is a valuable opportunity to contribute to the governance and oversight of TNSTEP, Tennessee’s Parent & Youth Training & Information Center, an organization dedicated to supporting families, children, and youth with disabilities.
About the TNSTEP Board
The TNSTEP Board serves several essential functions, including:
- Providing strategic direction and governance
- Overseeing organizational activities
- Ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of TNSTEP’s services
Board members are deeply committed to the mission of TNSTEP and the vital services it provides to families, children, and youth with disabilities.
Composition of the Board
The TNSTEP Board is composed of:
- Parents of children and youth with disabilities
- Individuals with disabilities
- Professionals working in fields that provide services or education to students with disabilities
Nomination Process
- If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else, please complete the online nomination form.
- Click here to submit a nomination. Upon receipt of a nomination, a member of the Nominating Committee will contact the individual to verify her/his interest in serving on the board and to answer any questions.
Thank you for your interest and support in helping TNSTEP continue its mission to empower families and improve the lives of children and youth with disabilities in Tennessee.
Make a Donation
Financial support enables TNSTEP to provide services to more families. Your gift will enable us to create additional materials and trainings, improve outreach through technology, cover the needs in urban and rural areas, and much more!