Disability Thrive Initiative

A dedicated webpage has been created at the Department of Developmental Services website which includes copies of public notices and letters from DDS; a link to submit comments online; and other resources specific to the closure of SDC.

Open the link here for further information an instructions to generate public input through Sept. 1st, 2015 : DDS Contact Information6-27-15

My brother Frank drove his car off the road coming home from work late one summer night in 1969 when he was a few months shy of 22. He suffered a serious brain injury.  Although he couldn’t live on his own, he read newspapers and watched television, knew the names of presidents and governors, and had a dim opinion of them all.

For most of the last 20 years of his life, I was Frank’s conservator, first with our father, and then on my own. Read more.

California is dismantling a state health program for seriously ill children, and pushing them into risky managed health plans that could limit access to specialty care. Read more.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said his agency is providing millions of dollars to support parent training and professional development related to special education. (U.S. Department of Education/Flickr)

As school gets underway in many parts of the country, federal officials are doling out millions of dollars to help parents and teachers better serve students with disabilities. Read more learn how local Matrix and ParentsCAN Family Resource Centers are participating.

The Special Session is still going. We need them to come up with a real solution to our system’s problem’s this year.  Fortunately, there are many ways for you to demand the Legislature not break faith with our community. There will be a pair of hearings on Tuesday, August 18th, giving advocates and the public in general the chance to comment. The Assembly committee agenda is specifically focused on our system. The Senate committee (no agenda yet) will be discussing the Managed Care Organization (MCO) tax as a potential funding fix (for more on that, see prior action alert). Come out and make your voice heard! There’s also a rally, with speakers and legislators, followed by a march on the Capitol, coming together on September 3rd.

From police officer body cameras to nanny cams, we are seeing cameras used more and more as a way to help provide accountability.

Now they’re an option in patient rooms at senior care homes Joe Balbas is co-owner of Vista Gardens, a local facility for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia patients. He’s been pushing for cameras, saying elderly patients in assisted living facilities should have the option of having security cameras in their room. Read more.

On Wednesday, ARCA, with the support of Lanterman Regional Center, as well as the co-hosting and participation of San Gabriel/Pomona, Eastern Los Angeles, North Los Angeles County, Harbor, Westside, and South Central Los Angeles Regional Centers, held a community roundtable. This event was meant to inform legislators about the crises the developmental service system and their constituents face, and the options available in the Special Session (X2). It is our great pleasure to report that the event was a tremendous success. Click here to read more, and go to the ARCA page for highlights and pictures: http://arcanet.org/dir.php.