Announcement of Shannon Cogan's Appointment to DDS Panel on Conservatorships

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Announcement of Shannon Cogan's Appointment to DDS Panel on Conservatorships

Disability Rights California is Proud to Announce Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy Director Shannon Cogan Has been Appointed to Panel of National Experts to Review the Department of Developmental Services Conservatorship Process Shannon Cogan, the director of the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) at Disability Rights California (DRC), was appointed September 1, 2022, to a national panel of experts to review the conservatorship process at the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

Disability Rights California is Proud to Announce Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy Director Shannon Cogan Has been Appointed to Panel of National Experts to Review the Department of Developmental Services Conservatorship Process

Shannon Cogan, the director of the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) at Disability Rights California (DRC), was appointed September 1, 2022, to a national panel of experts to review the conservatorship process at the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

DDS is the state agency in California responsible for overseeing the coordination and delivery of services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the statewide network of 21 regional centers.

This panel of national experts will support the 413 individuals currently conserved by DDS. The panel will review DDS’s conservatorship program and provide recommendations on ways to improve it, including using alternatives to conservatorship such as supported decision-making.

Shannon previously served as a delegate to the Fourth National Summit on Guardianship, a gathering of experts who made recommendations to reform adult conservatorship systems nationwide. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Law and prior to her time at DRC, she was a civil trial lawyer. Shannon also ran a non-profit organization providing free equipment to children with disabilities. She became a disability rights lawyer due to her experiences advocating for her own child. To learn more about Shannon, visit DRC’s Leadership Team page here: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/about-us/leadership-team

Shannon shared, “It is my honor and privilege to be part of this expert panel. Like everyone, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve to live their lives with dignity and the support they need to thrive. I look forward to working with my fellow panelists and DDS to improve the conservatorship process and find alternatives that will increase personal autonomy and uphold the right to self-determination.”

You can read more about this panel of experts in DDS’s press release.

To learn more about DRC’s Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) view here.

Learn more about DRC’s statement on DDS Reform and our views on conservatorship here: Disability Rights California Welcomes Push to Reform DDS Conservatorships and Calls for Alternatives That Help Disabled People Lead Self-Determined Lives