PULASKI, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee Southern is presenting a resource fair to serve the disability community in Middle Tennessee. Titled FIRE, Fostering Inclusion through Resource Efforts, the resource fair is designed for individuals with disabilities, parents or caregivers, educators, and professionals working with individuals with disabilities. The fair is scheduled for Thursday, March 23rd at 5:00 PM in the Curry Athletic Center on the UT Southern campus in Pulaski, TN. Admission is free with no tickets required.
UT Southern Grissom School of Education’s Special Education Program along with over 25 agencies serving the disability community in Middle Tennessee will serve as hosts. Some of the agencies represented include Tennessee Department of Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities, Tennessee Disability Pathfinder, Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Arc Tennessee, Employment and Community First CHOICES, and many more.
UT Southern students studying to teach special education developed the FIRE resource fair based on research into the lack of disability resources in Giles County. Through their research, these future educators found that 17 percent of the Giles County population has a disability, yet there are minimal, if any, services available in Giles and surrounding counties.
As future educators, UT Southern teacher candidates in Special Education will be required not only teach students and engage with their families but help them also to connect with the community. While UT Southern teacher candidates are not able to control the location of equipment retailers or specialized medical centers, they certainly are able to help create opportunities for children and families to access services or online resources, and to get connected to advocates and support groups. Out of this mission and direction for future teachers, the idea to host a resource fair for disability services and agencies on UT Southern’s campus was born—all in an effort to help eliminate barriers and create access for those who need services.
Please join us for an evening highlighting the needs of all those touched by disabilities in our community. Admission is free; please contact Dr. Claire Paul, program coordinator, for any questions or more information (cpaul11@utsouthern.edu).
The University of Tennessee Southern is an institution of higher education, originally formed under the name Martin Methodist College and founded in 1870. Offering associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees, UTS is located on an historic campus in Pulaski, among the beautiful rolling hills of southern Middle Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Southern is convenient to both Nashville (70 miles north) and Huntsville, Alabama (40 miles south).