2023 Policy Retreat

The 2023 Membership Meeting and Policy Retreat will be held on Thursday, August 24th & Friday, August 25th. This is an important time for member networking, learning from each other and preparing the policy agenda for the year ahead. 

The event will be held in-person only. The meeting venue is the beautiful new TN State Library & Archives at: 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N, Nashville, TN 37219.

Dress code: we want you to be cool and comfortable. Think casual to business casual.

The agenda is available for download in .pdf format and text-only format

RSVP is required. Deadline to request a hotel room has passed. Deadline to request accommodations to support your full participation has passed. Contact Sarah at: sarah_s@tndisability.org and cc: Tom at: tom_j@tndisability.org and Andrea: andrea_h@tndisability.org or call: 615-383-9442 if you have a last minute request or change of plans.

The Tennessee Disability Coalition will cover the cost of one hotel room per member, with some exception as needed, for the evening of Thursday, August 24th to support participation in this event. The deadline to request a hotel room has passed.

Everyone who requested a hotel room has been contacted by Andrea Hall with your confirmation number.

We have booked rooms for those who requested one by the deadline at the Millennium Maxwell House. The address is: 2025 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37228. Here is a link to the hotel website: https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/nashville/millennium-maxwell-house-hotel-nashville/

Check in time is 4pm CT. Check out time is 11am CT.

Continental breakfast is provided Wednesday-Sunday from 7am CT- 10:30am CT.

Free lot parking is available on site.

If you have a question about your hotel reservation please contact Andrea Hall at: andrea_h@tndisability.org or 615-383-9442

We will hold our meeting on Thursday and Friday at the Tennessee State Library & Archives at: 1001 Rep John Lewis Way N. Nashville, TN 37219. Here is a link to more information about the venue: https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/plan-your-visit

Our meeting room is the "West TN Conference Room." When you arrive, if you need guidance to get to meeting room, please visit the TN State Library & Archives Help Desk on the main floor for directions. 

Food and beverages are allowed in the meeting room as long as we clean up after ourselves. You are welcome to bring your own. Coffee, water and small snacks will be provided by the Coalition on both days.

The air conditioning is pretty powerful in the building. If desired, you might want to bring a sweater, etc. for your comfort.

TN Library & State Archives Public Wifi:

  • Network: Public_Access_Wireless
  • Password: TNLovesBooks1796

Note: our meeting will end after regular hours for the Tennessee State Library & Archives. After we leave for the day, we cannot re-enter the building until the next morning. If you have parked in the garage under the building, you will need to move your car after the meeting. 

Parking: 

  • There is free parking in the garage under the building. There are 50 spots available, first-come first-serve. Six are accessible parking spots. To park in the garage, follow these instructions. 
  • There is free street parking around the building, by the bicentennial mall and the Nashville Farmers market.
  • Outside of normal working hours, you can park for free in the state employee spaces. Here is a map of state employee parking lots.

We plan to host, and cover the cost, of dinner for our group the evening of Thursday, August 24th. We have arranged for a group dinner served family style beginning at 5pm CT. Please arrive promptly.

We will be eating inside at reserved tables at Von Elrod's Beer Hall & Kitchen at: 1004 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219 You can check out their website is at: https://vonelrods.com

The restaurant, eating space and bathrooms are accessible. The restaurant is about a block and a half from the TN State Library & Archives Meeting space.

Parking:

  • Important to note: The Nashville Sounds Baseball team is playing in another state at an away-game on Thursday, August 24th. This should improve opportunities for parking.
  • If you have parked in the garage at the TN State Library & Archives, you will need to move your car after the meeting as we cannot re-enter the building until the next day. 
  • There is free street parking around the building, by the bicentennial mall and the Nashville Farmers market.
  • Outside of normal working hours, you can park for free in the state employee spaces. Here is a map of state employee parking lots.
  • Options for parking (free and paid) are listed on the restaurant website at: https://vonelrods.com/location/

Our dinner menu follows:

Appetizers:

  • Classic Bavarian Pretzel Bites; served with warm beer cheese and brown mustard
  • White Cheddar Pimento Cheese; served with house pretzel chips 

Main dishes:

  • Classic Bratwurst; served with sauerkraut & caramelized onions
  • Brisket Plate; served with red chile bbq, Alabama white sauce & TN Toast
  • Avocado Crunch Salad *Vegetarian*

Sides:

  • Sweet potato fries
  • Cilantro lime slaw

We hope you can find something you will enjoy on this menu. We have taken into account all accommodations including food allergies and preferences that you submitted on your RSVP. There should be options everyone can enjoy. If you have a specific question about food ingredients, etc. we encourage you to ask a server or host at the restaurant when we arrive.

The Disability & Racial Equity Committee of the Tennessee Disability Coalition Board of Directors is pleased to host a guest speaker on this topic. Dr. Milton will speak, lead activities and create space for open dialogue from 3pm-4:30pm CT on Thursday, August 24th.

Speaker biography:

Dr. Nekolas “Neko” Milton is a Registered Psychological Associate at Deeper Than Color, a Social Justice & Strength-Based Psychotherapy and Consultation group practice and an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University. Dr. Milton received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of San Francisco and completed his doctoral internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston University Medical School/Boston Medical Center. Additionally, Dr. Milton completed his postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA TIES for Families working with children and families in the foster care system. 

Since the start of his career, Dr. Milton has worked extensively with underserved communities in various settings providing individual and group psychotherapy to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. He has experience working with mood-related challenges (ie. anxiety, depression), trauma-related diagnoses, and consistently incorporates evidenced-based practices to address maladaptive patterns and behaviors. Dr. Milton’s research focuses on mental health concerns and cultural identity development among the Deaf community. He is committed to working towards social justice and equity both within the therapy room and within the community at large. Thus, his values are consistent with providing care around acculturation, mental health access, concerns for underserved populations, community building, and cross-cultural dialogues.

Speaker materials:

You do not need to prepare any materials for this event. You are welcome to bring informational materials that you would like to share with fellow members as you are able (ex: brochure about your organization or flyer for an event).

The Tennessee Disability Coalition has prepared the following materials for the event: 

Policy One Pagers:

Guest Speaker, Dr. Nekolas Milton, has prepared the following materials for the event: