Employment and Community Living

Small Victories and Hard Work Lead to PAY Check Student SUCCESS!

Jordan began his first semester with the PAY Check program in January 2018. Prior to enrolling in our pilot, Jordan was receiving instruction in a self-contained classroom with four to ten other students. When he arrived at Delgado Community College in January, he was intimidated by the Delgado workload. This was the first time Jordan had done work outside of class.

Jordan has put in the effort to step outside his comfort zone and his hard work is paying off.  Currently, Jordan is thriving in a fully-inclusive program and taking college level classes. On his most recent midterm he received a 94% and his GPA is now 3.14!  Jordan is proud of his progress and the Pay Check Specialists are all very proud to see Jordan’s growth in just a few short months.

PAY Check Strikes GOLD!

LSUHSC Human Development Center PAY Check nominated the UMC-New Orleans for the Governor’s Outstanding Leadership in Disabilities (GOLD) Employer of the Year award because of their disability employment initiative which most recently included the LSU Health Human Development Center Postsecondary Apprenticeship Pilot for Youth (Pay Check).  The PAY Check pilot is an innovative collaboration between the LSUHSC-Human Development Center (HDC), Louisiana Rehabilitation Services, Delgado Community College, two public school systems, one public Charter school association, and the University Medical Center-New Orleans (UMC-NO). Pay Check is a 3-5 semester program wherein students select courses at Delgado Community College related to UMC targeted apprenticeship areas, participate in professional career development activities, learn community and work skills, and gain employment experience through a paid apprenticeship at the University Medical Center. On November 15, 2017, at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, PAY Check counselor Rebecca Ellis presented the GOLD Employer of the Year Award to Cathy J. Lazarus, MD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at LSU School of Medicine and Chief Academic Officer at UMC-NO.