Lafayette Parish forum outlines transition supports, waivers and contact points for students with disabilities

Ellen Castellanos, program specialist with the Department of Special Education and LEAP Connect supervisor, opened a Community Resource Forum at the Lafayette Parish School System boardroom to give parents and guardians information about community resources for students with disabilities.

"The purpose of this meeting is really to provide parents, guardians, families with information about community resources that may be available to you or your children," Castellanos said, introducing two presenters who work in regional disability supports.

Nicole Flores, executive director of Families Helping Families of Acadiana, described the nonprofit network that offers free, peer‑to‑peer navigation, education and outreach across nine centers in Louisiana. Flores said the centers help with school‑related questions, connecting families to Medicaid waivers, post‑secondary and employment options, and other supports. She noted the group’s Youth Leadership Forum — a free, four‑day advocacy camp for students in 10th–12th grade — will be held at LSUE in July and delegate applications are open through the end of the month.

"What we are is a one‑stop shop for anything disability‑related, or if you have a special health care need," Flores said, adding that staff bring lived experience as parents or people with disabilities.

Flores provided the Families Helping Families of Acadiana contact and office details and said the network operates under a mix of contracts and grants, including with state developmental disabilities councils, the Department of Health and the Department of Education. She offered the office address and phone number for local help.

Troy Abshire, regional director for the Acadiana Area Human Services District and the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD), reviewed entry and program options available through OCDD and its locally managed district. He said families or individuals can request a screening and that staff meet with each applicant to assess goals and appropriate programs.

Abshire outlined non‑waiver and waiver services. Non‑waiver Family Support can fund home modifications, ramps, assistive technology, respite and occasional start‑up costs (for example, furniture or deposits) when funds are available and requests meet regional priorities. He said OCDD helped supply iPads to students at Austin Elementary for communication supports as an example of a funded request.

Abshire described the Flexible Family Fund (a $258 cash stipend tied to exceptionality on a school IEP) and said his region serves roughly 202 people through some local programs. He said the regional OCDD served more than 2,700 individuals across waiver programs last year.

On waivers, Abshire listed the principal Medicaid waiver categories discussed: Children’s Choice, Supports Waiver, Residential Options Waiver and the New Opportunities Waiver. He said that since Louisiana moved from a first‑come, first‑served system to needs‑based screening in recent years, OCDD no longer maintains the long statewide waiting list it had previously and that people who screen as eligible now are routed to appropriate waivers based on need. He encouraged families to call the regional OCDD entry number to request screening and explained that waivers can include community supports, in‑home hours, day programs and services to teach independent living and employment skills.

Abshire also addressed legal‑decision alternatives for adults, noting that waiver services can include an "authorized representative" arrangement and that full interdiction (a complete legal guardianship) removes many civil rights. "We always approach it as a team," he said, describing limited interdiction or representation as options families can discuss with attorneys.

Ellen Castellanos summarized Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) offerings for employment support, noting LRS is part of the Louisiana Workforce Commission and provides vocational guidance, training, assistive technology, on‑the‑job supports, and long‑term supported employment services. She said students and families can refer themselves to LRS and that counselors develop an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) for eligible individuals.

No formal votes or policy actions were taken at the forum; presenters offered contact points and guidance. Presenters and school staff repeatedly directed attendees to three primary contact numbers for next steps: OCDD/AAHSD entry at 262‑5610, Families Helping Families of Acadiana at 984‑3458, and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services at 262‑5353.

The forum included a question‑and‑answer period in which parents and students asked about waiver eligibility, timing for financial assistance and pathways to independent living or day programs. Presenters emphasized that OCDD can re‑screen applicants if circumstances change and that, where school records such as IEPs exist, those documents often help establish a qualifying history for developmental disability screening.

Overall the forum aimed to connect Lafayette Parish students and families to existing local services — navigation and peer support, family support dollars and waiver options, employment and training services — and to encourage families to request screenings and retain documentation needed for eligibility determinations.

Contacts cited during the forum: Acadiana Area Human Services District / OCDD entry: 262‑5610; Families Helping Families of Acadiana: 984‑3458; Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) Lafayette: 262‑5353.