Tennessee Disability Pathfinder Multicultural Outreach Project

The Pathfinder Multicultural Outreach Project was launched in 2005 with a grant from the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. The goal of the project was to provide statewide information and assistance to individuals with disabilities and their families in Spanishspeaking communities who were underserved or not being served. The strategy was to begin by focusing on services in Nashville/Davidson County.

The original project’s primary objectives were:

• to assist Spanish-speaking individuals with disabilities and/or family members in understanding disability systems and providing a path for accessing available services;
• to identify Spanish-speaking staff and individuals within existing agencies;
• to provide technical disability training within the community.

Multicultural Outreach Program outcomes to date include:

• a significant increase in the number of individuals with disabilities identified in the Spanish-speaking community in Tennessee;
• several successful training conferences in Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville; and
• the development and expansion of Camino Seguro, a database of service providers with Spanish-speaking staff in Middle, West, and East Tennessee.

In addition, Pathfinder initiated a parent support group in October 2006 that has grown into a recognized resource of valuable information for Spanish-speaking families.

Contact

Cecilia Melo-Romie, (615) 479-9568