Statements

Mission

The mission of United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee is to advance the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of individuals with disabilities through hands on services and to provide support to family members and caregivers. Our vision is to achieve a fully inclusive community, where people with disabilities have access and opportunity to achieve their fullest potential; a community where they and their families realize the promise of integration, self-direction, and quality of life choices.

Background

United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee (UCP) was incorporated in 1985 by concerned parents of children with disabilities, adults with disabilities, and volunteers. Our guiding vision is to achieve a fully inclusive community, where people with disabilities have access and opportunity to achieve their fullest potential; a community where they and their families realize the promise of integration, self-direction, and quality of life choices. UCP serves persons of all ages with all forms of disabilities, with focus on disabilities that primarily affect mobility and developmental progress. In recent years, UCP has dedicated our resources to the state's under-served populations, i.e., persons with significant disabilities who are not served by the state's system of developmental disability services, and persons who do not qualify for substantial governmental supports. These include children and adults with developmental disabilities who are disqualified from the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Medicaid Waiver Services because of diagnosis or who are on the extensive waiting lists for services in Tennessee's Medicaid Waiver Programs. The agency also serves a large population of individuals who have acquired disabilities as a result of conditions related to aging.

Impact

UCP has a very lean and efficient operation, with only 5 full time staff members and hundreds of volunteers. The services we have developed allow us to serve a substantial number of people at a low cost. These programs are sustainable, and they are to a certain extent scalable within the context of available funding. UCP programs provide targeted, essential relief that makes a measurable difference in the safety and independence of both the individual with a disability as well as their home-based caregivers. United Cerebral Palsy currently serves over 2500 people annually through the following initiatives (Each of these programs has waiting lists for services):Each year, UCP provides over $1Million worth of durable medical equipment to persons with severe disabilities who could not otherwise acquire this equipment.Our Rutherford County Family Support Program serves over 240 individuals annually, with focus on families with children who have developmental disabilities and limited supportsUCP, our volunteers and partner programs across the state have constructed over 2500 wheelchair ramps on to the homes of low income individuals with severe disabilitiesOur sports and recreation programs serve approximately 50 children and young adults annuallyUCP was recognized by the Tennessee State Legislature for our advocacy efforts which resulted in the creation of the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesUCP does not represent that our programs meet all of the needs of the populations we serve; their needs are immense. UCP will continue to advocate for sound public programs that provide equity in services to all disability populations. Until that time, our primary goals are:to continue to provide low-cost targeted services to relieve extraordinary needsto address waiting list needs in our key programs of serviceto expand our volunteer outreach, training and services,to develop non-restricted funds to meet ongoing operational needs

Needs

Funding is needed to provided direct services to persons with severe developmental disabilities other than intellectual disabilities. These include disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, and other disabilities acquired at birth or during childhood. Due to a gap in Tennessee's service structure, these individuals are not served by either the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities or by the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

CEO Statement

United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee is unique among agencies serving individuals with developmental and acquired physical disabilities in Tennessee. While most agencies that primarily focus on developmental disabilities services provide programs for populations for which waiver contract funding is available through the state Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, UCP has chosen to focus on the needs of substantially unaddressed populations. Our agency relies on an array of private funding initiatives for basic services to our families. Many people with significant disabilities do not qualify for long term care supports under TennCare and they cannot acquire private insurance adequate to meet their significant long term care needs. The individuals our agency serves are people with documented and verifiable needs who simply have nowhere else to turn. Our resources are meager, but our volunteers and families prove every day that much can be done when limited resources are used with innovation and care.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Human Services  - Developmentally Disabled Services/Centers
Secondary Category:	Housing, Shelter  - Home Improvements/Repairs
Tertiary Category:	Recreation & Sports  - Amateur Sports

Areas Served

While our primary focus is Middle Tennessee, UCP of Middle Tennessee provides services to individuals with disabilities in approximately 80% of Tennessee counties in any given year.

TN - Bedford

TN - Cannon

TN - Cheatham

TN - Clay

TN - Coffee

TN - Cumberland

TN - Davidson

TN - DeKalb

TN - Dickson

TN - Fentress

TN - Franklin

TN - Giles

TN - Hickman

TN - Houston

TN - Humphreys

TN - Jackson

TN - Lawrence

TN - Lewis

TN - Lincoln

TN - Macon

TN - Marshall

TN - Maury

TN - Montgomery

TN - Moore

TN - Overton

TN - Perry

TN - Pickett

TN - Putnam

TN - Robertson

TN - Rutherford

TN - Smith

TN - Stewart

TN - Sumner

TN - Trousdale

TN - Van Buren

TN - Warren

TN - Wayne

TN - White

TN - Williamson

TN - Wilson