Mitch Dillon lives independently in Covington, holds down two jobs, and recently made the motion to approve $150,000 grants for each of nine college transition programs across Louisiana. He is not a lawmaker or a bureaucrat. He is a graduate of one of those very programs, and his path from student to statewide advocate is now shaping how the state distributes funding for postsecondary education aimed at adults with developmental disabilities.
Dillon, who has Down syndrome, completed his K-12 schooling in Georgia before enrolling at Nicholls State University after high school, according to NOLA.com. He graduated from the university's Bridge to Independence program in 2022, a two-year certificate track that requires students to be between 18 and 28 years old, have a documented intellectual disability, hold a high school certificate of completion, and be able to self-administer medication and function without attendant care, per Nicholls State University.
Today Dillon serves as an appointee to the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council and recently appeared before the Louisiana Senate Finance Committee, an experience he described as totally an honor, the report notes. He was recommended for a seat on the Postsecondary Inclusive Education Advisory Council by Mary Breaud, an associate professor of education and faculty adviser for the Bridge to Independence program, who said Mitch serves the advisory council as a representative of the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council, according to the same account.
From Student to Statewide Advocate
The Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council that Dillon represents is a 28-member, governor-appointed planning and advocacy body created under federal law and state statutes R.S. 28:750-758 to promote self-determination, independence, and community integration for people with developmental disabilities, according to the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council. Sen. Gerald Boudreaux authored the legislation establishing the council, the state report indicates.
Boudreaux also authored Act 682 of the 2022 Regular Legislative Session, which created the Louisiana Postsecondary Inclusive Education Fund and established the Postsecondary Inclusive Education Advisory Council under the Board of Regents, according to the Louisiana Board of Regents. That legislation aimed to expand postsecondary credential and employment pathways for students with intellectual disabilities. In July, the advisory council formally approved its annual distribution of legislative funds to strengthen and expand inclusive postsecondary education opportunities across Louisiana public campuses, the Board of Regents reported.
Sports Betting Dollars Fund Campus Programs
The money behind those grants traces back to a 2025 change in state gambling law. In 2025, House Bill 639 was awaiting Gov. Jeff Landry's signature, raising Louisiana's online sports betting tax rate from 15% to 21.5% and dedicating 3% of mobile sports gaming tax revenue to the Louisiana Postsecondary Inclusive Education Fund, according to Jones Walker LLP. A fiscal analysis projects $96.5 million in total annual sports-wagering tax revenue, according to SBC Americas. The law directs a portion of that revenue to the Louisiana Postsecondary Inclusive Education Fund.
That revenue is now flowing to nine established Bridge to Independence-style campus programs statewide. The council approved $1.65 million, including $150,000 grants for nine established programs, per NOLA.com's reporting. To qualify for the distributions, campus programs must maintain federal Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Program status approved by the U.S. Department of Education, according to the Board of Regents. Nicholls State's own program earned that federal certification after applying in 2015, becoming the first postsecondary initiative in Louisiana to do so, as noted by The Nicholls Worth.
What Life After Graduation Looks Like
Nicholls State's program, which began in fall 2016, employs a certified teacher as a program skills specialist and pairs students with graduate assistants and peer mentors who receive training and guidance from that specialist, according to NOLA.com. Most students live in the dorms during the program, requiring a certain amount of internship hours before completion, with the goal that graduates end up gainfully employed and living as independently as possible.
Dillon's mother, Kathy Dillon, said the program helped her son become able to live independently, the report states. Dillon himself said he liked learning new things about life and made many friends. His family picked him up every weekend during his first semester, but by his last semester they hardly saw him at all — a shift Dillon's mother and the university both point to as evidence the program worked as intended.
Dillon now works two jobs, including one at Stone Creek Club and Spa in Covington, and enjoys watching football and baseball in his time off. His mother, Kathy Dillon, has said the program provided him a safe way to make mistakes and helped him advance his advocacy work, while Breaud has noted that bridge students add value to college classes and that inclusive programs benefit both students and faculty. Program participants often form friendships that continue years after graduation, according to the same reporting.
Nine Campuses, One Statewide Push
Louisiana currently has nine certified transition programs, and the state's Postsecondary Inclusive Advisory Council plans to increase that number statewide, according to NOLA.com. Under Act 682, participating programs must submit annual reports to the Board of Regents with information about each program, the Board of Regents notes.
Scholarship support has also played a role for students in these programs. At Nicholls State, a scholarship sponsored by a local nonprofit has supported students enrolled in Bridge to Independence, according to Nicholls State University News. For Dillon, the combination of state funding, campus support, and a program built around independent living has translated into a life he now helps make possible for others across Louisiana.
