Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities provides innovative leadership in education, research, and services to people with disabilities, the community, and families. We promote the independence, self-determination, productivity, integration, and inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities and provide supports for families.
Our Disabilities, Religion, and Spirituality Program provides disability-related training to current and future religious and spiritual leaders and educators; supports individuals with disabilities and their families as they give expression to their religion or spirituality; and encourages disability service providers to consider the religious and spiritual interests of the individuals they serve.
Contact Us:
Erik Carter erik.carter@vanderbilt.edu
(615) 875-3398
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Activities
Research
- Disability Ministries Case Studies (2014 to present)
- Spirituality, Supports, and Well-Being of Youth and Adults with Significant Disabilities (2011-2014)
- North American Survey of Disability and Theological Education (2013)
- Individuals With Disabilities and Full Participation in Communities of Faith: A Means to Health and Well-Being (2009)
Dissemination
- Tip Sheets
- Coping With Loss and Intellectual Disabilities
- How Congregations Can Connect People With Disabilities With Employment
- Inclusion in a Faith Community: Tips and Resources for Families
- Inclusion in a Faith Community: Tips and Resources for Congregational Care Teams
- Inclusion in a Faith Community: Tips and Resources for Faith Leaders
- Including Children With Autism in Religious Education Classrooms
- Practice Guides
- Including Adults With Disabilities in Religious Life and Education
- Welcoming People with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families: A Practical Guide for Congregations
- Disability and Religion Resource List
- Faith Community Visual Supports
- Articles
- Annandale, N., & Carter, E. W. (in press). Disability and theological education: A North American study. Theological Education.
- Carter, E. W. (2013). Supporting inclusion and flourishing in the religious and spiritual lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Inclusion, 1, 64-75.
- Carter, E. W., Taylor, C. E., Ault, M., Collins, B., Kleinert, H., & Tyree, M. (2012). Recent research on spiritual supports: What we know and where we might go. TASH Connections, 38(1), 31-34.
- Griffin, M. M., Kane, L. W., Taylor, C., Francis, S. H., & Hodapp, R. M. (2012). Characteristics of inclusive faith communities: A preliminary survey of inclusive practices in the United States. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25, 383–391.
Education & Training
- Disabilities and Congregation Inclusion Conference (2010, 2011)
- “Praying With Lior” Film Screening (2010)
- Field Education site for students at Vanderbilt Divinity School (2008-present)
- Helping Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities Cope With Loss, Panel Discussion (2011)
- Where Personal, Professional, and Communal Ethics Meet: The Challenge and Promise of Inclusive Spiritual Supports With People With Developmental Disabilities and Their Families, Bill Gaventa lecture (2009)
- Beyond Inclusion: Rethinking Normalcy, Identity, and Disability in Theological Terms, Thomas Reynolds lecture (2010)
- Including Children With Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities in Religious Education (2010-2013)
- Presentations at state and national conferences (e.g., AAIDD, TASH, Tennessee Disability MegaConference)
Service & Technical Assistance
- Consultation with Vanderbilt Divinity School on Theology and Disabilities course (2014)
- Consults with area congregations on inclusion practices (ongoing)