This explainer has information about Porterville Developmental Center and what it’s like for the people who live there. It also includes statistics about the race and ethnicity of Porterville residents, their length of stay, and troubling data about how often and for how long DDS staff at Porterville put people in manual and mechanical restraints.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious risk to public health, especially the health of people with disabilities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) with disabilities. COVID-19 is transmitted from person to person primarily through droplets in the air. These droplets are emitted when people talk, cough, sneeze, or breathe.