Life & Work with Tammy Vice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Vice.

Tammy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
First of all, thank you for this opportunity to share our family’s story.

Sometimes what we think will be our greatest trials turn out to be our biggest blessings.

I asked God for patience and flexibility. He gave me Allison and Morgan, two beautiful, opinionated girls. If children came with an owner’s manual, we’d all feel a lot more confident in the countless decisions that have to be made regarding their health and their future. Instead, we learn together, by trial and error, wrapped in love.

While Allison soared a pretty smooth course, Morgan was diagnosed with autism at age 3 1/2. It turned our family’s world upside down. As a parent of a child with special needs, I finally realized the goals may change, but the dreams are the same. We want our children to live happily and fulfilled life, blossoming into everything God intended them to be.

I was desperate to communicate with Morgan. As a writer, words are what I do, but alone they weren’t enough. Morgan has taught me that communication is so much more than words. Maybe I can best explain my journey in the lyrics of a song I wrote for her, while we were seeking her diagnosis.

“Help Me Break Those Chains” song link: https://youtu.be/LTCvFrgYckA

How can I reach you, so that I can teach you, open up the world, and put it in your hands
Cast out those shadows, and replace them with meadows. How can I help you finally understand
There is a place outside, I need to show you, please don’t hide

Help me break the chains that hold your precious mind
Like Rapunzel in her castle, please let down your golden hair
I need to climb and join you so that I can find
that is something that’s missing between here and there
Help me break those chains

Open your eyes to the colors of rainbows. Open up your ears to hear the whippoorwill
Come out of that midnight, reach into the sunlight. Feel the warmth that greets you as you climb those hills
Taste the sweetness of each day. Together we will find a way

Help me break the chains that hold your precious mind
Like Rapunzel in her castle, please let down your golden hair
I need to climb and join you so that I can find
that is something that’s missing between here and there
Help me break those chains

I have been in that place of isolation and hopelessness. I know what it’s like to be consumed with fear and doubt. My heart is for the parents/people who are still there. I hope, through sharing what I’ve learned in my family’s journey, that we can all get to a better place. And that’s how Know The Hope came to be. https://knowthehope.com

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As I stated earlier, Morgan’s diagnosis of autism turned our family’s road upside down. We were consumed with trying to locate services and support, which were almost nonexistent in 1996. We lived in Mobile, Alabama. I had been traveling back and forth to Nashville, pitching songs. I learned about Autism Tennessee, a strong family support organization there, and the autism research Vanderbilt was doing. We made the move to Tennessee in May of ’99 to be a part of that research, hoping to give both of our girls a better life.

Songwriting has always been my therapy, so the music community was the icing on the cake. While we were preparing to move, I received a call from John Rees, a publisher who’d heard one of my songs. asking to meet with me once we settled in the area. My God wink was when someone handed me the name and number of a mom who was well-known as a support advocate in the disability community. The number looked familiar. Turns out it was John Rees’s wife.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Over the years, I’ve had several independent cuts and recorded four projects as an artist with John Rees’s label, GodsChild Records. His family has been a blessing to ours.

In 2001, I began hosting an annual “Breaking the Chains” benefit for Autism Tennessee at the Bluebird Cafe. (Interrupted by Covid) This coming April will be our 20th show. We Love the Bluebird. They are a great community partner.

Our family also cohosts an autism benefit on the Gulf Coast each year, as part of the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival, benefitting Autism Pensacola, which is a major support to families there. I believe this November will be our eighth year. As a mom, I’m grateful to be a part of this supportive community.

I continue to write and perform locally, bringing Morgan along to sing some of our co-writes together. I find so much joy in working with young adults with disabilities. These guys are truly the hidden gems in our communities. And I currently direct a choir at our church called The Weekley Hall Singers.

I also write a monthly blog, sharing our family’s journey with autism https://tbvice.wordpress.com/

Below is information about Know The Hope, Inc.
Disability Awareness and Education Through the Arts

We are dedicated to helping communities see Ability, and helping parents see Possibility.

“As the mother of a young adult on the autism spectrum, I’ve had the privilege to know, and work with, lots of children who have disabilities. Through this experience, I’ve found that every individual has something significant to offer. Love, patience, and a little creativity unwraps some sweet gifts.” – Tammy Vice

Supporting and strengthening families; Through media and the arts, Tammy and her daughter, Morgan provides encouragement and ideas for families on how to work and learn together. Through music and personal stories, education is also provided to business and faith communities, opening the doors to include families with disabilities.

Working with individuals with disabilities; Songwriting skills are shared through small group workshops. Songwriting is a great way to increase communication skills, improve self-expression, and simply have fun. We currently provide these services to local schools in partnership with Borderless Arts TN.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
As a young adult with a disability and their caregiver, Morgan and I have dealt with isolation long before Covid. One of the struggles of autism is social skills and learning how to be comfortable in a crowd. I’m always having to persuade Morgan to get back out there.

Covid pushed her/us back into that cozy shell of being home. The lesson we are both having to learn is how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable out there until we get our rhythm again. As hard as it is to put ourselves back out there, it’s always worth the risks. Friends are messy and they are loud, and they make life wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://knowthehope.com
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/tbvice
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/knowthehope
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAd9MT5sG0rFvIuQ-luW9iw
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tammy-vice
• Other: https://tbvice.wordpress.com/