Local – East TN

Local Resources – East Tennessee

Financial Aid and Services

  • The Arc – Washington County
    • http://www.arcwc.org/
    • The Tri-Cities local chapter for The Arc, which provides support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities – as well as their families. For other areas, click here.
  • Employment and Community First CHOICES
    • https://www.tn.gov/didd/employment-and-community-first-choices.html
    • State-run Medicaid-based program that helps provide home and community-based services
    • Tennessee is currently working on a Katie Beckett waiver for families who need help but don’t currently meet requirements for CHOICES or TennCare. I will update the list when this gets finalized.

Therapy Places

Note: These are places that I’ve personally been to and had overall positive experiences with. That may not be the case for everyone, so it’s important to pay close attention to the treatment that you (or your child if you’re a caregiver) are getting. Not every therapist is the same, and it’s important to keep an eye out for any red flags.

And again: I highly recommend avoiding Applied Behavior Analysis at all costs. Occupational and speech therapy does a lot of the exact same things – but with much less trauma and compliance-training that often puts our kids at risk of being in danger. I’ll write about my dislike of ABA at some point.

  •  Mini-Miracles Pediatric Therapy
    • https://www.minimiraclespllc.com
    • Occupational, Physical, Speech, Counseling, Transition to Adulthood program
    • I went here for OT and PT, as well as their Transition to Adulthood program. Sometimes there is a waiting list, but it depends.
  • ETSU’s Adult Speech and Language Clinic
    • https://www.etsu.edu/crhs/aslp/speechpathology/contactus.php
    • Speech therapy for autistic adults, traumatic brain injuries, neurocognitive disorders, etc
    • Contact the department at the link above and they can provide more information.
    • Note: they also have programs for young children and teens as well! There may be a waiting list, but I’m not sure.

Transportation

  • Net Trans
    • https://nettrans.org/ride-guide/
    • If you can’t drive, this is generally an inexpensive way for travel between cities. They require 24 – 72 hours notice and it’s usually only through phone calls.
    • If you’re on TennCare, your insurance should pay for transportation to doctor appointments – but you have to schedule trips through your insurance. Sometimes information can get messed up, so it can be very hit-or-miss.
  • ParaTransit
    • https://www.johnsoncitytransit.org/paratransit.html
    • This is specifically for people in the Johnson City area, but other cities may have similar.
    • You have to fill out paperwork proving you’re disabled in order to be eligible for the program (yes, I know), but it’s generally a $2 fee for each trip within Johnson City.  Make sure to go through all the requirements on the website.