Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) is dedicated to ensuring its online resources are accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. If you encounter any barriers while using this website, please report them for assistance.
At its core, Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) is committed to empowering individuals with disabilities. LRS provides crucial Rehab Services designed to help people with disabilities achieve their goals of obtaining, maintaining, and advancing in competitive, integrated employment. Beyond employment, LRS also fosters independence within their communities by offering a wide range of support and collaborating with businesses and various community resources. These rehab services are tailored to meet diverse needs and are delivered with the aim of fostering self-sufficiency and community integration.
Diverse Programs and Specialized Rehab Services
LRS offers a spectrum of programs and rehab services to address the unique needs of individuals with disabilities. These are designed to provide comprehensive support across different areas of life and work.
Blind Services: For individuals who are blind or visually impaired, LRS provides both vocational rehabilitation and independent living services. These rehab services are specifically tailored to help individuals overcome challenges related to vision loss and achieve their personal and professional aspirations.
- Randolph-Sheppard Business Enterprise Program: This program creates career pathways in the food service industry for qualified individuals who are blind. It’s a specialized rehab service focused on entrepreneurial opportunities and skill development.
- Older Blind/Visually Impaired Program: Recognizing the unique needs of seniors with vision loss, this program expands independent living services for individuals aged 55 and older with severe visual impairments. This rehab service emphasizes maintaining independence and quality of life in later years.
Independent Living Program: This program emphasizes choice and control, enabling individuals with disabilities to live or remain in their homes and communities. The rehab services offered include information and referrals, independent living skills training, peer support, and advocacy, all designed to promote self-determination and community inclusion.
Louisiana Rehabilitation Council: This council plays a vital advisory role, working alongside LRS to ensure that individuals with disabilities are actively involved in shaping and delivering vocational rehab services throughout Louisiana. This collaboration ensures that services are relevant, effective, and responsive to the community’s needs.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Going beyond basic job training, these rehab services provide comprehensive support to individuals seeking employment. This can include work evaluations, job readiness training, assistive technology assessments and provisions (like customized computer interfaces), job counseling, and even medical and therapeutic services. These holistic rehab services address various barriers to employment and promote long-term career success.
Employer Services: LRS also provides valuable services to employers, offering a cost-effective way to find qualified job candidates. By connecting employers with job-ready individuals with disabilities, LRS facilitates inclusive hiring practices and helps businesses meet their workforce needs. These employer-focused rehab services create mutually beneficial partnerships.
LRS State Offices
LRS Regional Offices
Services Transitioned to the Department of Health and Hospitals
It’s important to note that some programs previously under LRS have transitioned to the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) as of July 2010.
Louisiana Commission for the Deaf: Now under DHH, this commission ensures that services across Louisiana are accessible to individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, or speech impaired. While no longer directly under LRS, these services are a critical part of the broader rehab services landscape in Louisiana.
- Interpreter Services: Provides qualified interpreters for Deaf individuals, ensuring effective communication and access to services.
- Telecommunication Access Program: Offers equipment like text telephones and amplification devices to eligible Louisiana residents with hearing or speech disabilities, promoting communication access and independence.
Home and Community Services: Also now managed by DHH, these programs focus on community-based support for individuals with severe disabilities. These rehab services, though administratively separate from LRS vocational services, share the common goal of promoting independence and community living.
- Community and Family Support Program: Enables individuals with severe disabilities to live independently in their communities by providing integrated support services at a lower cost than institutional care.
- State Personal Care Attendant Program: Offers personal care attendants to assist individuals with severe disabilities in their daily living activities, fostering greater autonomy and self-direction.
- Traumatic Head and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund Program (TH/SCI): Provides flexible, individualized services to Louisiana residents who have experienced traumatic head or spinal cord injuries. The TH/SCI program aims to help individuals regain functionality and live independently within their communities, representing vital rehab services for this population.
Disability Determination Services
The Disability Determinations Services (DDS) program, while administratively under the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), plays a crucial role in the overall system of support for people with disabilities.
Disability Determinations Services (DDS): This state agency is responsible for determining disability eligibility for Social Security benefits under Title II and Title XVI of the Social Security Act. Although focused on eligibility determination rather than direct rehab services, DDS is a critical gateway to accessing various support systems for individuals with disabilities.
Louisiana Rehabilitation Services, along with its partner agencies, provides a comprehensive network of rehab services aimed at empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve employment, independence, and full community participation. By offering diverse programs and collaborating with community partners, LRS is a vital resource for Louisianans with disabilities.
