In 2012, a group of parents met with Catherine Blakemore, executive director of Disability Rights California, to sketch out a self-determination law for regional center consumers.

Those ideas eventually became SB 468, a bill authored by former State Sen. Bill Emmerson . Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law in 2013. The bill requires the California Department of Developmental Services to apply for a federal Self-Determination Program Waiver. This program will give individuals and their families more freedom and control when choosing regional center supports and services. The federal waiver was submitted in 2014. We are hopeful that it will be approved and implemented by the end of the year.

Board members Judy Mark and Elizabeth Gomez say self-determination will have a major impact on their children.