Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2026 TN NADD conference hosted by the TN-NADD Board of Directors. Special thanks to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Murfreesboro, and the UT-Knoxville virtual team for their support.
Our theme this year is Beyond Boundaries: Growing Awareness, Expanding Inclusion.
Inclusion is a word we hear often, but its meaning can vary greatly depending on one’s perspective. For a caregiver, inclusion may mean ensuring opportunities and access. For a professional, it may mean creating supports and removing barriers. For a person with lived experience of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), inclusion may represent something entirely different—a sense of belonging, connection, and full participation in community life.
Does inclusion mean crossing an invisible boundary that society has created for people with IDD? At times, it can certainly feel that way. These boundaries often manifest as isolation, limited opportunities, and barriers to meaningful relationships and community engagement.
During this presentation, Taylor Duncan will explore the importance of teaching life skills, self-advocacy, responsibility, and accountability through his passion for baseball. His experiences demonstrate how community involvement and shared interests can foster growth, confidence, and inclusion.
Karyn Harvey will discuss the loneliness and isolation that can result from these invisible boundaries and share practical strategies for helping people build meaningful relationships and connections. By promoting connectedness, we can create bridges over the barriers that separate individuals from opportunities for growth, engagement, and belonging.
Building these bridges requires collaboration among professionals, caregivers, individuals with IDD, and the broader community. The foundation must include effective strategies for addressing everyday challenges, trauma, communication, and competency development.
Join us as we explore what true inclusion means and how we can work together to make it a reality.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Murfreesboro
(*Special Conference Room rate for 124.00 USD per night)
Start Date:
Thursday, August 27, 2026
End Date:
Friday, August 28, 2026
Last Day to Book: (*for Discounted Rate)
Tuesday, July 28 2026
Group code for hotel is 920
A reservation link (see bottom) has been created to take you to a special group rate on the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Murfreesboro webpage. The reservation link allows you to book rooms for the contracted date of Thursday August 27, 2026 (check-out on Friday, August 28, 2026).
The contracted rate is $124/night plus tax.
Pre & Post Contracted Nights: per the contract, the group will receive the group rate 2 days pre & post the contracted nights, based on availability.
Click HERE to book your group rate for TN Chapter of the National Association of Dual Diagnosis (TN-NADD) Conference 2026.
This event is relevant for clinical professionals (psychologists, social workers, case managers, certified developmental disability nurses, certified family support specialists, behavior analysts, etc.), residential providers, educators, caregivers, families, and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If the program becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. If there are any immediate issues of concern, please let a TN-NADD Board member on site know so your concern can be addressed.
TN-NADD and the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Murfreesboro are happy to accommodate special needs requests. We ask that you contact us using the information below at least one week prior to the event to ensure sufficient time to make any necessary arrangements. The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Murfreesboro is a fully compatible ADA venue. Please ask an DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Murfreesboro staff member or a TN-NADD Board member if there is an immediate need onsite during the day of the conference..
Your Feedback is critical to us. We want to hear from you regarding how we did. By providing feedback you help us know what worked and what changes are needed for future conferences. Please take a minute to complete the conference evaluation and completing the conference survey.
John Weston, President TN-NADD
Matt Yancey, TDMHSAS Deputy Commissioner for Behavioral Health Community Programs
Dr. Karyn Harvey, Clinical Consultant for Hello Its Me/Author/Trainer with commentary by Vik Aurora, Focus EduSolutions (dba Hello Its Me) Founder and CEO and Focus Digital Labs (FDL) | Founder; and Charles Gaughan, Focus EduSolutions Inc. Chief Growth Officer and EVP Capital Strategy
Jovanna Emerson and Jennifer Haywood
Megan Miller and Crystal Hicks, EVC
Bethany Holton, BCBA
Dr. Karyn Harvey
Taylor Duncan, CEO Alternative Baseball
Jeanmarie Simpson, Arizona Theater Matters
Carrie Dhanarajan, BCBA, TNSTART
Roddey Coe, Melissa McKay, Dr. Verity Rodrigues, Dr. Bruce Davis