Lafayette Parish forum outlines community transition services, waivers and vocational supports for students with disabilities

At a Lafayette Parish School System Community Resource Forum for parents and guardians of LEAP Connect high school students, program staff and community providers described local and state services that can help students with disabilities transition from school to adult life.

The forum’s presenters recommended that families register with state systems while students are still in high school, explained how Medicaid waivers and support programs work, and reviewed vocational services and job preparation available through Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS).

The meeting began with Ellen Castellanos, a program specialist in the Lafayette Parish School System Department of Special Education, explaining the forum’s purpose and introducing the presenters. Nicole Flores, director of Families Helping Families of Acadiana, described her organization as a “family directed resource center” and a free, peer-led “one-stop shop” for people with disabilities and their families. Flores said the center provides peer-to-peer support, education and training, and information and outreach. She listed partnerships and programs including Early Steps, the Bureau of Family Health, the Department of Education, the Developmental Disabilities Council and LA CAN, and noted FHF Acadiana serves Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St.…