Accessibility Awards

MAYOR-PRESIDENT’S AWARENESS COMMITTEE FOR CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES HONORS 2025 AWARD RECIPIENTS

The Lafayette Mayor-President’s Awareness Committee for Citizens with Disabilities (DAC) celebrated local champions of inclusion during its annual 2025 Awards Ceremony, held October 7 at the Heymann Performing Arts Center.

More than 100 community members from across Lafayette Parish gathered for breakfast and fellowship as this year’s honorees were recognized for their outstanding leadership, advocacy, and commitment to building a more inclusive community.

This year’s honorees are:

• Non-Profit of the Year: Acadiana Native Plant Project
  For its commitment to accessibility and inclusion through programs like the Supported Satellite Growers Program and outdoor accessibility improvements.
• Business of the Year: The HUT
  Recognized for inclusive hiring practices and a workplace culture that supports employees of all abilities while contributing to local organizations that promote accessibility.
• Youth of the Year: Luna Bowles
  A 12-year-old Girl Scout honored for installing an Augmentative and Alternative Communication Board at Moncus Park to make play spaces more inclusive.
• Public Servant of the Year: Molly Guidry
  Celebrated for her leadership in the Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana and her advocacy for greater awareness and inclusion.
• Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award: Mary Hooks Baudoin
  Honored for her work as host of This Ability Podcast and for connecting families with resources that empower the disability community.
• Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award: Justina Plowden
  Recognized for her leadership as Miss Wheelchair Louisiana 2024 and founder of We Matter, using her platform to champion accessibility and inclusion.

The DAC extends sincere appreciation to local sponsors and all those who made this morning’s celebration possible through their time, generosity, and continued support of the disability community.

The Lafayette Mayor-President’s Awareness Committee for Citizens with Disabilities promotes accessibility, inclusion, and equal opportunity throughout Lafayette Parish. For more information or to get involved, contact Harlon Cowsar, Disability Awareness Coordinator, at disability@lafayettela.gov or 337-291-8300.

LAFAYETTE MAYOR-PRESIDENT'S DISABILITY AWARENESS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES 2024 AWARD WINNERS

The Lafayette Mayor-President’s Disability Awareness Committee held its annual awards ceremony on October 8, 2024, at the Robicheaux Recreation Center, honoring outstanding individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the disability community in Lafayette.

The awards recognize exceptional leadership, service, and advocacy. This year’s recipients exemplify dedication and commitment to making Lafayette a more inclusive community.

Award Recipients:

• Non-Profit of the Year: Acadiana Therapeutic Riding Organization
  The Non-Profit of the Year Award is given to a disability related non-profit organization in Lafayette that has, in some way, distinguished itself as a premier resource for the Lafayette Disability Community. New programs, grants, community outreach, and offering enhanced services or community participation activities for people with disabilities are some ways that an agency might garner recognition as a premier resource.
• Business of the Year: TheraCare Music Therapy of Lafayette
  The Business of the Year Award is presented to a Lafayette Business for going the extra mile in service of the Lafayette Disability Community. The award can be given for being a model employer of people with disabilities, for offering programs and activities that encourage participation and promote positive social engagement for the Lafayette Disability Community, or for other actions that benefit people with disabilities and their families in ways that promote inclusion and belonging.
• Public Servant of the Year: Melanie Lavergne
  The Public Servant of the Year Award is given to a person who, through their actions as a public servant, have provided support, opportunity, and belonging to people with disabilities in the Lafayette Disability Community.
• Youth of the Year: Landon Hanks
  The Youth of the Year Award is given to a young person, under the age of eighteen, who has distinguished themselves as an advocate for people with disabilities or who has performed actions that have, in some way, provided substantial and lasting benefits to people with disabilities and the Lafayette Disability Community.
• Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award: Alaina Yount
  The Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award is given in recognition of any actions, by an individual, that demonstrate extreme dedication to the Lafayette Disability Community that result in profound advancements in support, inclusion, belonging, and access. The Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award is reserved for members of the Lafayette Community who have risen above expectations and have devoted themselves to promoting opportunities for people in the Lafayette Disability Community.
• Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award: Lillian DeJean
  The Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award is given to an adult, eighteen and older, who has distinguished themselves as an outstanding advocate and representative of the Lafayette Disability Community. The Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award recognizes personal achievements by a person with disabilities and honors the efforts of that person for giving back to the Lafayette Disability Community.

The Lafayette Mayor-President's Disability Awareness Committee continues to champion efforts that foster equality, awareness, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities across the region. The awards ceremony serves as a reminder of the importance of working together to create a more inclusive society for all.

SIX COMMUNITY MEMBERS RECOGNIZED AT THE 2023 LAFAYETTE DISABILITY AWARENESS AWARDS

The Lafayette Mayor-President’s Awareness Committee for Citizens with Disabilities hosted an award ceremony today to recognize six amazing citizens in our community. The committee was formed in 2007 to advocate for our community members with disabilities and educate the public on disability awareness. 

The committee also serves as the voice for disabled citizens, making recommendations and requests on their behalf, advocating for their rights on issues affecting the disabled, and striving to make Lafayette a more inclusive community for all of our citizens. 

Mayor-President Josh Guillory recognized the winners for their “significant impact in our community, and we are proud to recognize them for their work,” and thanked committee members and Lafayette Consolidated Government Disability Awareness Coordinator Harlon Cowsar for their tireless work.

Cowsar has been a huge advocate for the Downtown Accessibility Project, a project that will provide more American with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks throughout the downtown area and across Lafayette. 

Awardees: 

• Jill Listi of Jill Listi Dance Studio - Business of the Year 
• The Beluga Project - Nonprofit of the Year
• Ms. Johnnie T. Washington - Public Servant of the Year
• Ms. Ellie Grace Guidry - Youth of the Year 
• Ms. Tiffany Richard - The Vickie Nettles Advocacy Award 
• Mr. Damon Vincent - The Lynette Fontenot Community Achievement Award

• 2019 ACCD Award Recipients

• 2018 ACCD Award Recipients

• 2017 ACCD Award Recipients

• 2016 ACCD Award Recipients