Get Help
Lighthouse Louisiana offers a variety of services to help individuals of all ages who are blind, visually impaired and who have other disabilities. Our mission is to provide the tools for independence, self-reliance and success, regardless of disability.
Your support allows us to provide over 6,000 services annually that help individuals regain and maintain their independence.
Supported Employment
The Supported Employment (SE) program assists individuals who are interested in choosing, acquiring, and maintaining employment. These services are provided to individuals ages 18 and older for whom competitive employment has not been achieved and/or has been interrupted or intermittent as a result of a significant disability. SE services primary outcomes are to achieve Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE). CIE is defined as employment that pays the individual at least minimum wage, for which anyone can apply, and is not specifically set aside for people with disabilities. Services are designed to assist individuals with on-going support and extended services* to maintain employment.
Ticket to Work
Getting back into the workforce can be hard, especially when you’re not sure where to start. However, there is help available! If you’re between the ages of 18 – 64, currently receiving SSI or SSDI, and are ready to regain your independence, the Ticket to Work Program can help. Determine how work will impact your benefits; connect and apply for full-time job opportunities; update your resume and cover letter; develop an Individual Work Plan (IWP); participate in mock interviews; receive support to overcome barriers to employment; find referrals for clothing, transportation and other resources, etc.
Upward Mobility
Teams across the organization come together to support the program’s objective to enhance the lives of Lighthouse Louisiana’s employees who are blind/low vision by providing them with equitable and accessible training opportunities. We are energized by the involvement in and wide-ranging support of the Upward Mobility Program and are diligently working to expand training opportunities and ultimately, pathways to meaningful employment.
If you would like to partner with Lighthouse Louisiana’s Employment Services team to provide externship opportunities, please contact us at eservices@lighthouselouisiana.org or (504) 899-4501 ext. 259.
Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA)
Lighthouse Louisiana has a Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program that provides free assistance to Social Security disability beneficiaries who live in Louisiana and are working or want to work. Our Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs) will provide comprehensive benefits counseling and work incentives planning to help beneficiaries make informed decisions about working and understand how earnings from work may impact their benefits.
Lighthouse Louisiana provides WIPA services to the following parishes: Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana.
West South-Central WIPA (WSC WIPA) is provided by LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Human Development Center: https://www.hdc.lsuhsc.edu/wscwipa/
If you would like general information about how work might affect your benefits, you can call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you use TTY services, use 1-866-833-2967. If you are working or have a job offer, the Help Line can refer you directly for Work Incentives Planning and Assistance services.
This webpage section was updated at U.S. taxpayer expense.
This material is funded through a Social Security cooperative agreement. Although Social Security reviewed this document for accuracy, it does not constitute an Official Social Security communication.