North Bay Regional Center provides advocacy, services, support, and care coordination to children and adults diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties.
We partner with community-based organizations and agencies to empower our clients to thrive and live as independently as possible within the geographically, culturally, and ethnically diverse communities we serve.
To learn about the history of the regional center system and who we serve, see We Speak for Justice.
Two programs are available at NBRC for individuals to receive services from: Early Start and the Lanterman Act.
Early Start is a federally-funded program is for infants and children ages birth to 3 years focusing on early intervention services:
- Must be a resident of Solano, Sonoma, or Napa County
- No financial qualifications
Eligible children include those infants or toddlers who:
- have a significant delay in at least one area of development,
- have an established risk condition with a known probability of causing a disability or delay, or
- have severe vision, hearing, or orthopedic (“solely low incidence”) conditions,
- are at “high risk” of experiencing developmental delays or disabilities due to a combination of biomedical risk factors.
For more information, see our Early Intervention page here.
NBRC’s Lanterman Program is funded through both state and federal contracts and is for children 3 years and older, adolescents, and adults thus centered around a lifetime of services:
- Must be a resident of Solano, Sonoma, or Napa County
- No financial qualifications to apply
- Individuals must be diagnosed with a developmental disability (see below) that begins before a person’s 18th birthday, is expected to continue indefinitely, and which presents a substantial (Sec 4512 W & I Code) disability:
- Intellectual Disability (previously Mental Retardation) – A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in intellectual functioning confirmed by clinical assessment and intellectual testing (an IQ score of approximately 70 or below on an individually administered intelligence test); and deficits in adaptive functioning across multiple environments.
- Cerebral Palsy – (also known as CP) is a disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination. It can be caused either when the brain does not develop properly during pregnancy or if there is damage to the brain before, during, or after birth.
- Epilepsy – A disorder in which the major symptoms are seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity of the brain. Eligibility is based on a seizure disorder that is uncontrolled or poorly controlled despite medical intervention and adherence to medical treatment.
- Autism – A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent impairment in reciprocal social communication and social interaction as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities.Symptoms are present from early childhood. Other disabling conditions -that are closely related to intellectual disability or require similar treatment to that required by persons with an intellectual disability.
- Other conditions may be considered if the individual would require services similar to that which would be needed for an individual diagnosed with an intellectual disability.
A “substantial disability” per California Welfare and Institutions code (more information available here), requires the presence of significant functional limitations in three or more of the following areas as appropriate to the person’s age:
- Receptive and Expressive Language
- Economic Self-Sufficiency
- Learning
- Self Care
- Self-Direction
- Mobility
- Capacity for Independent Living
