Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, IDDRC, LEND) Videos Document 50 Years of History

January 8, 2016

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, IDDRC, LEND) has created two videos documenting the Center's rich history and promise. With a view to the future as well as to the past, the two videos can be viewed online and shared through social media-Creating Hope, a documentary, and a short video Opening Doors, Transforming Lives.

Documentary Creating Hope

The documentary Creating Hope: A History of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is the story of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, a leader in the field of human development and developmental disabilities research for more than half a century.

Since its beginnings in the 1960s, the research and activism generated by the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Education and Human Development, as it was originally named, has been creating hope for generations of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

The documentary tells the story of the national change in quality of life for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities that began with the story of President John F. Kennedy's oldest sister and the Kennedy family.

"We are so grateful to Peabody Dean Camilla Benbow and to Peabody's talented producer Lyle Jackson for this amazing documentary," said Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D., VKC director, Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair, and professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics.

"The documentary is a wonderful history highlighting how Peabody and Vanderbilt led the field forward in years past, blended with how we continue to push the field forward with interdisciplinary research and practice. This critically important national story needs to be told to students, researchers, and our communities today and in the years to come."

The documentary is narrated by Brian Dennehy, a prolific U.S. actor, well-respected on both screen and stage, winner of a Golden Globe Award, two Tony Awards, and a Grammy.

The documentary was produced in 2015 by Lyle Jackson, media content producer, Research Office, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, for the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Center.

View the documentary (~23 minutes)
Video Opening Doors

Opening Doors, Transforming Lives showcases ways in which the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has helped to improve the lives of children and adults with disabilities and their families over its 50-year history.
From infants to adults, from families to communities, lives are affected by VKC research, training, and services.

"Despite its brevity, this video captures the spirit and breadth of our Center, our partnership with families, and how we work together to change lives," said Elise McMillan, J.D., co-director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VKC UCEDD).
This video was produced in 2015 by Kyle Jonas, media content producer for the VKC UCEDD.

View the video (~9 minutes)