Each state sets eligibility ages for services to children and youth with disabilities. For current information concerning this state, please contact the office listed under Department of Education: Special Education.

State Department of Education: Special Education
Virginia C. Beridon, Director
Division of Special Populations
Louisiana State Department of Education
1201 N. 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 342-3633 
E-mail: Virginia.Beridon@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us/lde/index.html

State Coordinator for NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
Dr. Robin G. Jarvis, Director 
Division of School Standards, Accountability & Assistance
Louisiana State Department of Education
1201 N. 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 342-3513; (877) 453-2721
E-mail: Robin.Jarvis@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: Ages Birth through 2 
Nichole M. Dupree, Program Manager
Louisiana Part C Early Intervention
Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals
Office of Public Health
325 Loyola Avenue, Suite 605
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 599-1072; (866) 327-5978 (in LA)
E-mail: nmdupree@dhh.la.gov
Web: www.oph.dhh.state.la.us/earlysteps

Programs for Children with Disabilities: Ages 3 through 7 
Evelyn D. Johnson, Administrator
Division of Special Populations
Louisiana State Department of Education 
1201 N. 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 342-1190
E-mail: Evelyn.Johnson@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
James E. Wallace, Director 
Department of Social Services
Louisiana Rehabilitation Services
8225 Florida Boulevard 
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-4381 
(225) 925-4131; (800) 737-2958 (in LA)
E-mail: James.Wallace@dss.state.la.us
Web: www.dss.state.la.us

Coordinator for Transition Services
Bonnie Wise, Transition Consultant 
Division of Special Populations 
Louisiana Department of Education 
P.O. Box 94064 
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064 
(225) 342-3640
E-mail: Bonnie.Wise@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us/lde/index.html

Office of State Coordinator of Vocational Education for Students with Disabilities
Patricia Merrick, Section Supervisor
Career and Technical Education
P.O. Box 94064 
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064 
(225) 219-9333
E-mail: Patricia.Merrick@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

State Mental Health Agency
Cheryll Bowers-Stephens, M.D., MBA, Asst. Secretary
Office of Mental Health
Department of Health and Hospitals 
P.O. Box 4049 - BIN #12
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4049
(225) 342-9238 
E-mail: cstephen@dhh.la.gov
Web: www.dhh.state.la.us

State Mental Health Representative for Children and Youth
J. Richard Bassett, Director
Children's Services
Office of Mental Health
Department of Health and Hospitals 
P.O. Box 4049 - BIN #12
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4049
(225) 342-9238 
E-mail: rbassett@dhh.la.gov
Web: www.dhh.state.la.us

State Mental Retardation Program 
Kathy Kliebert, Assistant Secretary
Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities
P.O. Box 3117, Bin 21
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3117
(225) 342-0095
Web: www.dhh.state.la.us/offices/?ID=77

State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council 
Sandee Winchell, Executive Director
Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council
P.O. Box 3455 
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3455
(225) 342-6804; (800) 922-3425 (In LA) 
E-mail: swinchel@dhh.state.la.us
Web: www.laddc.org

Protection and Advocacy Agency
Lois V. Simpson, Executive Director 
The Advocacy Center
225 Baronne Street, Suite 2112
New Orleans, LA 70112-2112 
(504) 522-2337; (800) 960-7705 (in LA only) 
E-mail: lsimpson@advocacyla.org
Web: www.advocacyla.org

Client Assistance Program 
Diane Mirvis, Director 
Client Assistance Program 
The Advocacy Center
2620 Centenary Boulevard, Suite 248
Shreveport, LA 71104
(318) 227-1489; (800) 960-7705 (in LA only)
E-mail: dmirvis@advocacyla.org
Web: www.advocacyla.org

Programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs 
Linda Pippins, Administrator
Children’s Special Health Services 
Office of Public Health 
Department of Health and Hospitals
P.O. Box 60630, Room 607
New Orleans, LA 70160 
(504) 568-5055 
E-mail: lpippins@dhh.la.gov
Web: www.oph.dhh.state.la.us/childrensspecial/index.html

State CHIP Program
(health care for low-income uninsured children)
Louisiana Children's Health Insurance Program
LaCHIP Processing Office 
P.O. Box 91278 
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9278 
(877) 252-2447
Web: www.dhh.state.la.us/MEDICAID/LACHIP/Index.htm

Programs for Children and Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired 
Florence Menard, Executive Director
Blind Services
Department of Social Services
Louisiana Rehabilitation Services
8225 Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-4834
(225) 925-4131; (225) 925-3594
E-mail: fmenard@dss.state.la.us

Joyce Russo, Director
Division of Special Populations
Louisiana Department of Education
P.O. Box 94064
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
(225) 342-3640
E-mail: Joyce.Russo@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
W. Fred Roy, Executive Director
Louisiana Commission for the Deaf
8225 Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, LA 70806-4834
(225) 925-4178; (800) 256-1523 (V/TTY)
(800) 543-2099 (TTY)
E-mail: froy1@dss.state.la.us
Web: www.dss.state.la.us/departments/lrs/Deaf_-_Hard_of_Hearing.html

Telecommunications Relay Services for Individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or with Speech Impairments
(800) 947-5277 (V)
(800) 846-5277 (TTY); 711 (TTY)
(888) 550-5277 (ASCII)
(888) 272-5530 (Speech to Speech)
(800) 737-1813 (Spanish)

Programs for Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind
Joyce Russo, Director
Shawn Fleming, Educational Program Coordinator
Deaf Blind Project
Division of Special Populations
Louisiana Department of Education
P.O. Box 94064
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
(225) 342-3640; (877) 453-2721 (in LA)
(225) 219-4588 (TTY)
E-mail: Joyce.Russo@la.gov
E-mail: Shawn.Fleming@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

State Education Agency Rural Representative
Bennie McKay, Supervisor
Richland Parish School Board
Special Education
P.O. Box 599
Rayville, LA 71269
(318) 728-5964

Regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center
Wendy Wilkinson, Director
Disability Law Resource Project
2323 S. Shepard Boulevard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V/TTY); (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY)
E-mail: dlrp@ilru.org
Web: www.dlrp.org

University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Robert E. Crow, Director
Human Development Center
School of Allied Health Professions
LSU Health Sciences Center
1100 Florida Avenue, Building 138
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 942-8200; (504) 942-8380 (TDD/TTY)
E-mail: rcrow@lsuhsc.edu
Web: www.hdc.lsumc.edu

Technology-Related Assistance
Julie Nesbit, President/CEO
Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network
P.O. Box 14115
Baton Rouge, LA 70898
(225) 925-9500; (800) 270-6185 (V/TTY)
E-mail: cpourciau@latan.org
Web: www.latan.org

State Mediation System 
Ellen Dunlap Spears, Coordinator
Department of Education
Division of Special Populations
P.O. Box 94064
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
(225) 342-3661
E-mail: Ellen.Dunlap@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

Special Format Library
Elizabeth Perkins, Librarian 
State Library of Louisiana 
Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped 
701 N. Fourth Street 
Baton Rouge, LA 70802 
(225) 342-4944; (225) 342-4943 
(800) 543-4702 
E-mail: sbph@state.lib.la.us 
Web: www.state.lib.la.us/Dept/SpecServ/sbph.htm 

Disability-Specific Organizations

Attention Deficit Disorder
To identify an ADD group in your state or locality, contact either:

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 306-7070
(800) 233-4050 (Voice mail to request information packet)
Web: www.chadd.org

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
P.O. Box 543
Pottstown, PA 19464
(484) 945-2101
Web: www.add.org

Autism
Shawn Fleming
Division of Special Education
Louisiana Department of Education
P.O. Box 94064
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
(225) 342-3640
E-mail: shawn.fleming@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

Bart M. Sevin, Director
Louisiana Center for Excellence in Autism
Human Development Center
School of Allied Health Professions
LSU Health Sciences Center
1100 Florida Avenue, Building 180
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 942-8187; (800) 391-7668
(504) 942-8380 (TTY)
E-mail: bsevin@lsuhsc.edu
Web: www.laautism.org

Julie Bourgeois
Louisiana State Autism Chapter
4425 Annunciation Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
(504) 896-9050; (800) 955-3760
E-mail: jabou@cox.net
Web: www.lastateautism.org

Blind/Visual Impairments
Mary Ann Siller, Director
American Foundation for the Blind-Southwest
260 Treadway Plaza, Exchange Park
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 352-7222
E-mail: dallas@afb.net
Web: www.afb.org

Cerebral Palsy
Janet Ketcham, Executive Director
UCP of Baton Rouge - Children's Developmental Center
1805 College Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
(225) 923-3420
E-mail: jketcham@mcmainscdc.org
Web: www.mcmainscdc.org

Paul Bussell, President/CEO
UCP of Greater New Orleans
1000 Leonidas Street and Leake Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 865-0003
E-mail: ucpgno@aol.org
Web: www.ucpgno.org

Epilepsy
Dorothy Martino, LCSW, Executive Director
Epilepsy Foundation of Southeast Louisiana
3701 Canal Street, Suite H 
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 486-6326; (800) 960-0587
E-mail: epileps@bellsouth.net
Web: www.noepilepsy.com

Learning Disabilities
Anne Clouatre
Division of Special Populations
Louisiana Department of Education
P.O. Box 94064
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064
(225) 342-3640
E-mail: anne.clouatre@la.gov
Web: www.doe.state.la.us

Barbara Duchardt, Associate Professor of Special Education
Northwestern State University
Teacher Education Center, Room 103-A, Pod D
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-5154
E-mail: duchardt@nsula.edu 

Mental Health
Yakima Black, Executive Director
Mental Health Association in Louisiana
263 Third Street, Suite 103
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
(225) 343-1921
E-mail: yblack@mhal.org
Web: www.mhal.org

Adrian Berry, Executive Director
NAMI Louisiana
11762 S. Harrell's Ferry Road, Suite D
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
(225) 292-6928; (888) 343-5864
E-mail: namila@bellsouth.net
Web: http://la.nami.org

Verlyn "Vee" Boyd, Executive Director
Louisiana Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
5627 Superior Drive, Suite A-2
Baton Rouge, LA 70816-6085
(225) 293-3508; (800) 224-4010
E-mail: vboyd@laffcmh.com
Web: www.laffcmh.com

Mental Retardation
Julia Kenny, Executive Director
The Arc of Louisiana
365 N. 4th Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
(225) 383-1033
E-mail: jkarcla@bellsouth.net
Web: www.thearcla.org

Special Health Care Needs
Phyllis Landry, Executive Director
Family Voices Louisiana
1539 Jackson Avenue, Suite 200
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 299-9175
E-mail: familyla@bellsouth.net
Web: www.familyvoices.org

Speech and Hearing
Louisiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association
8550 United Plaza Boulevard, Suite 1001
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 922-4512
E-mail: lsha@pncpa.com
Web: www.lsha.org

Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida Association of Greater New Orleans
P.O. Box 1346
Kenner, LA 70063
(504) 737-5181
E-mail: sbagno@email.com
Web: www.sbagno.org

Organizations Especially for Parents and Caregivers

Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) 
Cindy Arceneaux, Director
Project PROMPT
4323 Division Street, Suite 110
Metairie, LA 70002-3179
(504) 888-9111; (800) 766-7736 (in LA)
E-mail: fhfgno@ix.netcom.com
Web: www.projectprompt.com

Community Parent Resource Center
(Serving greater New Orleans area)
D.J. and Ursula Markey, Co-Directors
Pyramid Community Parent Resource Center
2552 St. Philip Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 827-0610
E-mail: pyramidcprc@aol.com

Partners in Policymaking
Sharyn Scheyd, Coordinator
Partners in Policymaking
P.O. Box 641642
Kenner, LA 70064
(504) 443-3831
E-mail: sharyn@sharynscheyd.com
Web: www.laddc.org

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) 
Margie Rayburn, President
Louisiana Parent-Teacher Association
1543 Del Plaza, Suite 13
Baton Rouge, LA 70815
(225) 927-7382
E-mail: la_office@pta.org
Web: www.lapta.org

Other Disability Organizations

Daniel Underwood, President/CEO
Easter Seals Louisiana 
305 Baronne Street, Suite 400
New Orleans, LA 70112-1617
(504) 523-7325 (Voice/TTY)
(800) 695-7325 (Voice/TTY in LA only)
E-mail: DanUnderw1@aol.com
E-mail: essla@aol.com
Web: www.louisiana.easterseals.com

Susan Benoit, Executive Director
Families Helping Families of Southwest Louisiana 
(Part of the statewide network)
2927 Hodges Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601
(337) 436-2570; (800) 894-6558
E-mail: fhfswla@xspedius.net
Web: www.fhfla.org

Kay Marcel, Statewide Coordinator
Louisiana Citizens for Action Now (LACAN)
713 N. Lewis Street
New Iberia, LA 70563
(337) 367-7407
E-mail: kamarcel@bellsouth.net
Web: www.lacanadvocates.org

Sharon Delvisco, Instructor
Direct Support Prof. Workforce Development Initiatives
University Centers for Excellence in Dev. Disabilities
Human Development Center
School of Allied Health Professions
LSU Health Sciences Center
1100 Florida Avenue, Building 119
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 942-8104; (504) 942-8380 (TTY)
E-mail: sdelvi@lsuhsc.edu
Web: www.hdc.lsumc.edu

Jessica Broussard, President
Linda Alwood, Club Administrator
Louisiana Occupational Therapy Association
P.O. Box 14806
Baton Rouge, LA 70898
(225) 291-4014
E-mail: lotassoc@aol.com
Web: www.lota.org

Soundra (Temple) Johnson, Chief Executive Officer/CEO
Louisiana Health and Rehabilitation Center, Inc.
1033 N. Lobdell Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 231-2490
E-mail: soundrajt@aol.com
Web: www.lahealthandrehab.org

Brenda Singelmann, Project Director
Louisiana Youth Leadership Forum
4323 Division Street, Suite 110
Metairie, LA 70002 
(504) 888-9111; (800) 766-7736
E-mail: bsingelmann@fhfgno.org

Mazie Malveaux, Executive Director
VSA arts of Louisiana
2758-D Brightside Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
(225) 761-4243 (V/TTY)
E-mail: vsalouisiana@cox.net
 

Independent Living 

To find out the contact information for the Statewide 
Independent Living Council (SILC) in your state, contact:
Independent Living Research Utilization Project
The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
2323 South Sheppard, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 520-0232 (V); (713) 520-5136 (TTY)
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

To find out the contact information for centers for 
independent living (CILs) in your state, contact:
National Council on Independent Living
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 525-3406; (703) 525-4153 (TTY)
E-mail: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org