What is LEND?

LA LEND is a program that lasts nine months. During this time, trainees complete more than 300 hours of learning. The program includes classroom lessons and real‑world experiences in clinics and in the community.

LA LEND helps prepare many kinds of people—graduate students, people with disabilities, family members, and professionals—to become leaders who support the health and well-being of mothers and children.

In this program, trainees learn about the environmental, social, developmental, learning, and policy challenges that affect people with disabilities and their families. They also learn how to support children with autism or other developmental disabilities and their families.

Each trainee is matched with a faculty mentor who helps guide them through the program and supports their learning.

You can learn more by visiting the LA LEND website: www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/lend

You can also follow LA LEND on social media.

  

Who is a LEND Trainee?

A LEND trainee is someone chosen to take part in the LEND program so they can grow as a leader in Maternal and Child Health.

A trainee can be:

• A graduate student who wants to work with people with disabilities
• A parent of a child with a disability
• An adult with a disability
• A professional who already works in the field and wants to share what they know

The LEND program helps trainees learn new skills, build confidence, and become strong leaders. They also learn from each other by sharing their experiences and ideas.

 

To be accepted into the LA LEND training program, trainees must be able to complete all the program parts listed below.

Orientation

Required 4.5‑hour LEND Orientation on July 17, 2026, at the Human Development Center, 411 South Prieur St., New Orleans, from 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

Foundations Week in Maternal and Child Health

This is a week‑long class where you learn important ideas about the health of mothers and children.

• Location: LSU Human Development Center, 411 South Prieur St., New Orleans.
• Dates: Monday–Friday, August 3–7, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Seminars in Maternal & Child Health Topics & Leadership Development

Twice Monthly Didactic Seminars

Twice a month, you will participate in interactive educational seminars led by faculty or guest experts that focus on key topics related to neurodevelopmental and related disabilities. They are designed to build interdisciplinary knowledge, enhance leadership and clinical skills, and promote collaboration across professions to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Monthly Cohort-Led Seminars

Scholars will coordinate & meet independently with a small group of LEND peers to complete activities and lessons that build content knowledge and develop leadership skills.

Clinical and Field Experiences

Trainees will also take part in hands‑on learning experiences.
You will sign up on a first‑come, first‑served basis for different in‑person activities that help you learn more. Some examples are:

• Visiting the NICU
• Helping at an autism diagnostic clinic
• Doing developmental and autism screenings
• Watching classes in an inclusive school
• Visiting a genetics lab
• Joining MIECH‑V case conferences
• Going to the Late Effects Clinic
• Watching an FASD diagnosis
• Going to the Sickle Cell Clinic
• Taking part in the Delgado/PAYCheck programs
• Other new opportunities as they become available

Important:

• These activities are not on the same days as seminars.
• They require extra time, so you will need to plan your schedule
• Most experiences take place in New Orleans.
• Most happen between 9 AM and 5 PM on Monday-Friday.

Family Mentoring Experience

• Each graduate student and practicing professional trainee is matched with a family or student for a full year. This helps trainees understand what daily life is like for children with disabilities and their families.
• You will have 6 total visits (about one visit each month).
• Each trainee will complete a special project for their assigned family or student.
• This project will be shared during the end‑of‑year presentations.

PAYCheck Mentoring Experience

• Each family and community expert with living experience trainee will be paired with a PAYCheck student for the school year. The goal is to help trainees understand what the transition to work and adult independence looks like for young people with disabilities.
• You will complete six hours of visits. These visits may include:
  • Watching classroom lessons
  • Seeing on‑campus supports
  • Observing job training or job coaching
  • Watching pre‑employment training
  • Seeing students try different jobs
  • Visiting community‑based instruction
• After each visit, trainees will complete a short reflection journal about what they saw and learned.
• Trainees will also work on a special project with their PAYCheck student. Together with PAYCheck staff, trainees will help the student create a resume, portfolio, or other career tool that supports the student’s job goals.
• At the end of the experience, trainees will give a short presentation to other LEND trainees and faculty about what they learned.

Capstone Leadership Project

Each trainee will complete a 70‑hour project that they plan and work on mostly by themselves. The project includes:

• Choosing an important topic that affects people with disabilities or their families
• Reading and studying information from books and articles to find out what is known and what is missing
• Writing a report that includes:
  • What you read
  • What you think about the information
  • A summary of the information
  • What you learned by putting everything together
• Trainees will get training and support from LEND faculty and from their faculty mentor. Faculty mentors will be assigned after Foundations Week.

You will receive more details during the first seminar after Foundations Week.

Bi-Monthly Policy and Advocacy Meeting

• Each trainee will complete 40 hours or more of training to learn how to understand laws and speak up for people with disabilities.
• These meetings are held online, twice a month, in the evening. The group will choose the meeting days and times together during Orientation.

Required Travel to AUCD Conference

All trainees must travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the AUCD 2026 Annual Conference. The conference will take place from November 8–11, 2026.

The Louisiana LEND program is paid for by a grant. To stay in the program and be able to earn a stipend, you must finish at least 300 training hours. You must also be able to attend all required activities listed below. If you cannot attend these activities, you cannot be accepted into the program. LEND faculty will check your progress during the year to make sure you are completing everything. Please read the requirements below:

• You must attend the LA LEND Orientation on July 17, 2026, from noon to 4:30 pm.
• You must attend Foundations Week, a week‑long class in Maternal and Child Health, from Monday, August 3, 2026 through Friday, August 7, 2026.
• o  Twice monthly didactic Seminars.
  
  • Using Zoom for an activity that is supposed to be in person will be marked UNEXCUSED.
  • If you do not show up for an activity and you do not give a reason and tell LEND staff, it will be marked UNEXCUSED.
  • You may have only one excused absence each semester, and it must be approved by your faculty "sponsor" and the LEND coordinator.
• You must take part in all available clinical and field experiences and cohort group assignments outside of seminar time.
• You must complete the Family Mentor Experience or the PAYCheck Experience (6 visits).
• You must complete a 70+ hour Leadership Project on an approved topic in Maternal and Child Health.
• You must complete 40+ hours of online Policy & Advocacy Meetings.
• You must attend the AUCD Conference from November 8–11, 2026 in Washington, DC.

I understand and agree to the requirements of the LA LEND program listed above.

To sign, type your name below.

* If you work as a student worker right now, you can still apply for the LEND program. But if you are accepted, you must either stop your student worker job or choose not to receive the LEND stipend.

Graduate Student or Practicing Professional

• Graduate Student
• Practicing Professional

Community Expert with Living Experience, Including:

• Person with a disability
• Person with a special health care need

Family Member Trainee, Including:

• Parent of a person with a disability
• Parent of a person with a special health care need
• Family member of a person with a disability
• Family member of a person with a special health care need

The following questions are about education you completed in the past. You do not have to answer them.

Thank you for wanting to join the LA LEND program. LA LEND helps students, people with disabilities, family members, and working professionals learn to be strong leaders. The program teaches you how to speak up for others and how to help children, families, and people with disabilities. 

LA LEND teaches trainees through classes and real‑life activities. You will visit clinics, schools, and community programs. You will learn about the challenges that people with disabilities and their families face every day. 

In LA LEND, trainees learn how to: 

• Support children with autism or other developmental disabilities and their families.
• Focus on a person’s strengths and treat all families with respect.
• Work well with people who have different backgrounds and different types of experience.
• Learn from each other and work together as a team.

LA LEND values the voices and experiences of people with disabilities and their families.

We encourage trainees with disabilities and family trainees to share their stories and ideas during the program. 

LA LEND helps these trainees learn how to speak up for themselves and others. Some trainees may already work in the disability field or want to work in it later. All trainees in this group must complete every part of the program. 

Please take your time when answering the questions below. Think carefully and give clear, complete answers.

Thank you for your interest in the LA LEND program.  LA LEND prepares graduate students, individuals with disabilities, family members, and practicing professionals to become future leaders in advocacy and maternal and child health (MCH) fields. LA LEND provides instruction and clinical/field experiences related to environmental, social, developmental, learning, and policy challenges that underpin the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families. LA LEND prepares leaders to:

• Address the needs and priorities of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or other neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) and their families.
• Adopt strengths based, family- and person-centered, culturally aware and responsive perspectives and practices.
• Value having people from different backgrounds, lived experience and disciplines, to learn and work together (i.e., interdisciplinary thinking and practice).

LA LEND values the knowledge and perspectives of individuals with disabilities and family members. We encourage and support trainees with disabilities and family trainees to share their lived experiences and perspectives in all components of LA LEND. LA LEND generally focuses on advocacy knowledge and skills for trainees with disabilities and family trainees.  However, we recognize that some family trainees and trainees with disabilities may also be working in a disability-related field or be preparing for a career in a disability field. Regardless, trainees with disabilities and family trainees are expected to complete all components of the program. 

LA LEND trainees with disabilities must:

• Want to be a leader in their community and be willing to speak for themselves and share their insights and experiences with others in class, field experiences, and after LA LEND.
• Have completed high school or be working on a high school equivalency program.
• Have some post-secondary education and/or work experience after high school.
• Use a computer for email and internet.
• Be able to use a “smart” cell phone.
• Be able to share ideas by writing, typing, or assistive technology.
• Want to learn about advocacy for people with disabilities or be involved in the disability field.
• Have transportation to attend required in-person LA LEND activities.

Please take your time when answering the questions below. Think carefully and give clear, complete answers.

Thank you for your interest in the LA LEND program. LA LEND prepares graduate students, individuals with disabilities, family members, and practicing professionals to become future leaders in advocacy and maternal and child health (MCH) fields. LA LEND provides instruction and clinical/field experiences related to environmental, social, developmental, learning, and policy challenges that underpin the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families. LA LEND prepares leaders to:

• Address the needs and priorities of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or other neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) and their families.
• Adopt strengths based, family- and person-centered, culturally aware and responsive perspectives and practices.
• Value the knowledge and perspectives of individuals with disabilities and family members.
• Value having people from different backgrounds, lived experience and disciplines, to learn and work together (i.e., interdisciplinary thinking and practice).

We encourage and support trainees with disabilities and family trainees to share their lived experiences and perspectives in all components of LA LEND.  LA LEND generally focuses on Advocacy knowledge and skills for trainees with disabilities and family trainees. However, we recognize that some family trainees and trainees with disabilities may also be working in a disability-related field or be preparing for a career in a disability field. Regardless, trainees with disabilities and family trainees are expected to complete all components of the program.

Please take your time when answering the questions below. Think carefully and give clear answers.

Application Timeline

April 30	Application Due
May 22	Finalists are notified and provided dates for interviews
May 25–June 5	Interviews are conducted
June 12	Finalists are notified of acceptance/non-acceptance

Submission Instructions

Letters of Recommendation

All LEND scholars are required to submit two signed letters of recommendation. You can upload these letters as PDF documents by using the fields below.

If you have further questions, please contact the LA LEND Director:

Krista James, Ph.D.
LEND Director
Human Development Center
Kjames@lsuhsc.edu

If you are a student, LA LEND personnel will ask your department to sign a letter confirming your application to the program. The letter will contain a copy of the Required Training Components checklist from this form. This signature shows they will help you solve any schedule problems so you can complete all required LEND activities.