Special Needs Law Center

03/02/2026

Just think how WARM it will be on April 29th! Let's get out and play golf to support DSAMT. We sponsored a hole where you can just pick up the ball and throw it! (not really....)

Get Tickets for Golf Tournament: Caleb Thompson Memorial.

01/14/2026

Very Proud of my former boss, Martie Lafferty, as she testifies for fair housing.

Later today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren will host a Spotlight Forum discussing the Trump Administration’s failure to enforce fair housing and civil rights laws during the nation’s fair and affordable housing crisis.

The forum will feature remarks from:

• Sasha Samberg-Champion, NFHA Special Counsel for Civil Rights

• Martie Lafferty, NFHA Member and Executive Director of the Tennessee Fair Housing Council

• Former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) civil rights attorneys and whistleblowers Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan

We invite you to join the forum virtually: https://bit.ly/3LJ6uEk, and take action by calling on Congress to maintain funding for essential programs.

It only takes a few minutes to make your voice heard—visit: https://bit.ly/4kHAgp4

01/12/2026

On Jan. 1, millions of Americans became eligible to open an ABLE account. These little-known accounts allow people with disabilities to build up savings with significant tax advantages. They’ve been around for a decade, but you had to be diagnosed with a disability that began before you turned 26 ...

11/11/2025

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-teacher-wants-to-advise-parents-of-their-iep-rights-her-school-disapproves/ar-AA1Q8TUq?ocid=socialshare

You want to help your students’ parents understand their IEP rights—but your school says not to. Here’s where the legal line is, what you can safely say, and how to support families without crossing boundaries.

03/20/2025

We need to speak up about this before it's too late.

While Medicaid fraud exists, targeting children with disabilities to combat it is misguided. Discover the true sources of fraud and why protecting essential services for vulnerable kids is paramount.

06/27/2024

What a great opportunity to help members of the autism community (hopefully) improve their BNA experience as it grows!

AutismTN is working on an important project with Nashville International Airport (BNA), and we need your help! We want to learn about your experiences with air travel. Your feedback will help us understand what works well and what can be improved to make flying easier and more comfortable for members of the autism community.

Are you willing to complete a short survey about your experiences with air travel? Whether you have experienced challenges or found solutions during your travels, we want to hear from you.

Here's the link: https://forms.gle/p73HoMuVwcNMkr1E9

The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. We are collecting answers through Friday, June 28th, 2024. Your responses will be kept confidential.

By sharing your experiences with us, you will help us create a more supportive environment at for people in the autism community. Thank your for time and contribution to this important project!

05/06/2024

Social Security Leader Advances New Actions in Response to Recommendations From The Arc U.S.
On April 9, the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Martin O’Malley, addressed attendees at the Disability Policy Seminar to share the steps he’s taking right now to improve benefits for people with disabilities. He announced that the SSA is moving now to:
Reduce the financial hardship of overpayments for beneficiaries,
Ensure that food assistance from friends and family no longer counts against Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits,
Simplify rules related to rental assistance, and
Reduce wait times for the the SSA’s national 1-800 helpline number.
The Arc’s longstanding advocacy work led the charge to make these policy changes a reality.

For the last several years, The Arc has repeatedly raised the alarm about the urgent need for the SSA to improve customer service for people with disabilities, including providing testimony before the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee. We have sought to ease the burden of overpayments and eliminate punitive rules that reduce SSI benefits. We have also made several recommendations for addressing these challenges.

03/28/2024

Good news from SSA - they will no longer count food provided by parents as in kind support and maintenance! 😀

The Social Security Administration said it will change the way it calculates what recipients receive in supplemental security income.

02/13/2024

Online registration for DSAMT Gift Shop.

02/13/2024

GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN!! Get DSAMT's newest World Down Syndrome Day Shirt only available to order for 1 week so we can ship them in time for you to wear for WDSD! While you are on the page be sure to order the elementary school curriculum for FREE for Middle TN elementary schools and a yard sign for your home and business.
T-shirt orders will be cut off on Monday February 19 at 12pm, but the free (only for Middle TN families) yard signs and curriculum will be available until March 21st.
ORDER HERE: https://dsamt.regfox.com/merchandise

02/13/2024

Let's show our support on 3/21 and dress like the cool kids!

GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN!! Get DSAMT's newest World Down Syndrome Day Shirt only available to order for 1 week so we can ship them in time for you to wear for WDSD! While you are on the page be sure to order the elementary school curriculum for FREE for Middle TN elementary schools and a yard sign for your home and business.
T-shirt orders will be cut off on Monday February 19 at 12pm, but the free (only for Middle TN families) yard signs and curriculum will be available until March 21st.
ORDER HERE: https://dsamt.regfox.com/merchandise