Louisiana LEND at the Human Development Center

Join NOAGE - New Orleans Advocates for LGBTQ Elders on May 16 for a powerful and informative LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Symposium! 🌈

We are especially proud of 2024 LEND scholar Jakeel Abdullah who is leading the disability-focused portion of this symposium.

This FREE event brings together a diverse lineup of speakers covering important topics in LGBTQ+ health across the lifespan. Whether you're a professional or community member, there’s something for everyone.

✨ Continuing education credits available for social workers and counselors
✨ Free registration for community members
✨ Breakfast & lunch provided

🔗 Register now: tinyurl.com/noagesymposium26

NOAGE is hosting a symposium on LGBTQ+ health and wellness on May 16. There will be a variety of speakers presenting on various topics related to LGBTQ+ health and wellness across the lifespan. Continuing education credits are available for social workers and counselors. Registration/attendance is FREE for community members. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Register at tinyurl.com/noagesymposium26

Congrats scholars! 🤩

Do you want to be part of the next generation of leaders and advocates? Now is the time to apply to LEND! Learn more and apply: https://www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/lend/

Your feedback can help improve programs and resources for people with disabilities throughout Louisiana. Take the survey here: https://humandevcenter.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SMyTtngt1Zt8H4

This survey is a capstone project for a scholar with the Louisiana LEND program. If you have questions or need help, please contact:
Dr. Krista James
Phone: 504-556-7516
Email: [email protected]

Help us improve services for individuals with disabilities in Louisiana! Take our survey: https://humandevcenter.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SMyTtngt1Zt8H4

We want to hear directly from you about what is working, what is not, and what kinds of services or support would make life better for you and your family. Your feedback can help improve programs and resources for people with disabilities throughout our state.

This survey is a capstone project for a scholar with Louisiana LEND at the Human Development Center. If you have questions or need help, please contact:
Dr. Krista James
Phone: 504-556-7516
Email: [email protected]

Thank you for helping us create a better Louisiana for people with disabilities!

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Louisiana Statewide Needs Assessment

Help Us Understand Disability Services Across Louisiana. Your Voice Matters! Share Your Experiences to Improve Services for Individuals with Disabilities.

Long Wait Times, Transportation Barriers, High Costs, Confusing Systems

Who Can Participate? Individuals with Disabilities, Parents & Caregivers, Educators & Providers, Community Advocates

Why Your Input Matters: Identify Service Gaps, Improve Coordination, Support Families, Build Inclusive Communities

Take Our Survey! Scan the QR code or visit: https://bit.ly/4dcukUe

Questions? Contact us: Dr. Krista James [email protected], 504-556-7516

From the classroom to Capitol Hill. THIS is what leadership in action looks like.

2025 LEND Scholar Constance Alphonse, now serving as our LEND Program Coordinator, recently attended the Disability Policy Seminar and met with Senator Bill Cassidy to advocate for stronger supports for children and families.

Through LEND, scholars don’t just learn, they lead. Our program equips graduate students, practicing professionals, self-advocates, and family advocates with the skills to influence policy, share their stories, and drive systems-level change.

Ready to make your voice heard? Apply to the Louisiana LEND program today! https://www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/lend/

💬 In Constance’s words:
“Last week I attended the Disability Policy Seminar and had the incredible opportunity to meet with members of Congress and their staff. Never in my wildest dream did I envision myself in this moment.

Thanks to being a LA LEND scholar at the Human Development Center at LSU Health New Orleans, I learned how to tell my story and speak with confidence.

I shared my experience as an educator working with students affected by seclusion and restraint and emphasized the importance of disability programs and stronger supports in K–12 education.

Civic engagement matters: when we share our lived experience, we help shape policies that protect and empower our families and children.

Thank you to Senator Bill Cassidy for listening as I shared my perspective and for taking the time to hear how these issues impact our children and families.”

You’re invited! 🎓 Celebrate a year of growth, leadership, and impact at the Louisiana LEND End-of-Year Celebration & Showcase.

Hear directly from our scholars as they present their final capstone projects and stay to connect with alumni, faculty, and fellow changemakers.

📅 April 24, 2026
⏰ 12:30–4:30 PM
📍 Human Development Center Auditorium at 411 S Prieur St

Join our next LEND cohort and become more than a provider. Be a changemaker. 💥 Apply by April 30th: https://www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/lend/

Be more than a provider. Be a changemaker. 💥 Join Louisiana LEND and help change systems, not just outcomes.

Now recruiting for the 2026–27 cohort. Apply by April 30. Learn more and apply at https://www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/lend/

Currently recruiting:
🧑‍🎓 Graduate Students interested in building interdisciplinary leadership skills and hands-on experience to shape your future career.
🥼 Practicing Professionals looking to expand their impact through systems change, advocacy, and family-centered care.
🙋Self-Advocates aiming to use lived experience to inform leadership, influence systems, and drive meaningful change.
👨‍👩‍👦 Family Members wanting to turn experience into advocacy and leadership to improve outcomes for children and families.

About LEND:
LEND is a nine-month, 300+ hr interdisciplinary program that prepares students, professionals, self-advocates, and families to be leaders in advancing inclusion for children with autism and developmental disabilities through advocacy, family engagement, and maternal child health.

Wrapping up this year’s LEND seminar series with innovation in action! Today we explored how assistive technology is changing lives with Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network and MakeGood Assistive Design. From everyday tools to a toddler wheelchair made with a 3D printer, today was all about access and possibility.

This is what advocacy can do 👏 THANK YOU to everyone who raised your voice, called your legislators, shared your story, and stood with the FASD community. This is YOUR win.

🎉✨ HISTORIC NEWS FOR THE FASD COMMUNITY❣️✨🎉

We are thrilled to share that the FASD Respect Act language has officially passed the U.S. Senate as part of the SUPPORT Reauthorization Act of 2025 (HR.2483) and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law! ✍️

This is a milestone moment for the 1 in 20 Americans living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ( ). For too long, families and self-advocates have gone without recognition or resources at the federal level. Today, Congress has taken a historic step toward changing that reality.

💡 What this legislation does:
🎯Authorizes a federal response to FASD.
🎯Allows the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to fund education, prevention, and awareness programs nationwide.
🎯Provides resources to States and Tribes to build FASD-informed services into their systems of care.
🎯Brings hope, recognition, and validation to families and self-advocates who have fought for years to be heard.

This victory is thanks to the bipartisan leadership of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), plus Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), and to the tireless voices of advocates, families, and self-advocates across the country.

As Susan Shepard Carlson, former First Lady of Minnesota and past FASD United Board Chair, reminds us: “The passage of FASD authorization is truly historic and a huge victory for the FASD field. This would not have happened without the bipartisan leadership in the House and Senate, and the united effort of so many advocates around the country.”

👏 THANK YOU to everyone who raised your voice, called your legislators, shared your story, and stood with the FASD community. This is YOUR win.

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