State awards scholarships for disability programs

The Louisiana Department of Education announced Friday that $350,000 in grants will be given to five recipients to build and implement new programs to students with significant learning disabilities.
The goal is to help them find employment or educational opportunities after high school.
The grant, funded by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act, will be used to create opportunities for disabled students through increased partnerships that will construct vocational training and community work-based learning on community colleges and universi-ties.
“Changes have taken place on both the state and national levels to create an atmosphere that is ripe with opportunities for high school students with significant disabilities,” State Superintendent John White said in a press release.
“Local school and charter management systems are now tasked with identifying, building and implementing vocational and educational programs that will prepare these students for lives enriched with competitive, integrated employment and life-long learning opportunities.”
The 2017-18 recipients, who will receive $58,000 for one year, for the initial grant are the following:
—St. James, St. Charles and St. John parishes in partnership with South Central Louisiana Technical College.
—St. Helena Parish in partnership with Southeastern Louisiana University and Northshore Technical Community College.
—St. Bernard Parish in partnership with Nunez Community College.
—Iberia Parish in partnership with South Louisiana Community College.
—Collegiate Academy in partnership with New Orleans College Prep.
The five recipients are included in the first round of awards, pending approval by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at its August meeting, and a sixth recipient will be chosen later this fall. A request for applications will be released Monday on the Department’s website to fund one additional recipient in the northern part of the state.
Once their programs are implemented, the recipients will work together in state and regional teams to create guidance for other schools and school sys-tems to use to expand the programs across all ages and grades. For more information, visit the Department of Education’s website at louisianabelieves.com.