Resources:
Helpful websites and more to come
Special Education
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.
The Individual Transition Plan
This part of the IEP process for transition aged students is provided for this part of IDEA.
The purposes of this part are
(a) To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living;
Department of Rehab
DOR is a government agency that works with youth and adults with disabilities to help them become employed.
Student Services
For youth still being served by the school district, an IEP or 504 is all that is needed to qualify for Student Services.
https://www.dor.ca.gov/Home/StudentServices
Employment Services
Once a client is ready to work, or work toward training in support of a job goal can maybe qualify for their Employment Services program if they have a qualifying disability (usually any disability that impacts ability to work).
College Transition
This is a great list of colleges that have special programs for special needs students.
https://www.topcollegeconsultants.com/autism-in-college/
But keep in mind that your choices are not limited to colleges on this list if you don’t find a good match. There are ways of building-your-own college support program in a place your son wants to be.
Autism Informed writing tutoring (and so much more)
This provider is excellent, and can do so much more than just writing mechanics.
WAG tutoring – Lucy Wallace
(Disclosure: my family has used this provider sine 2022)
Regional Center
What is the regional center?
See this video by Jim Hauck, former Director of Alta Regional Center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=WSYbbTpvXyI
The Law that created the regional centers - what is the Lanterman Act?
https://rula.disabilityrightsca.org/rula-book/chapter-1-the-lanterman-act/what-is-the-lanterman-act/
A consumer friendly guide to the Lanterman Act - DDS
https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Consumer_Guide_To_The_Lanterman_Act.pdf
Listing of all 21 regional centers
https://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/listings/
Department of Developmental Services
DDS oversees the coordination and delivery of services for Californians with developmental disabilities through a statewide network of 21 community-based, non-profit agencies known as regional centers. Regional centers provide assessments, determine eligibility for services, and offer case management services. Regional centers also develop, purchase, and coordinate the services in each person’s Individual Program Plan.
Association of regional center Agencies (ARCA)
For both a map and a list of regional centers in the state of California visit the Association of regional center Agencies (ARCA)
https://arcanet.org/your-regional-center/
What services can the regional center provide?
List of regional center servcies and descriptions:
https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RC_ServicesDescriptionsEnglish_20190304.pdf
Self Determination Program
A service within the regional center
What is SDP?
State Counsel on Developmental Disabilities
The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) is established by state and federal law as an independent state agency to ensure that people with developmental disabilities and their families receive the services and supports they need. They are very involved in the Self Determination Program, advocacy and training resources.
They offer an SDP orientation.
Goods and services available in the Self Determination program
Services available in the Self Determination program are not like items on a menu that you can just choose. There needs to be a disability related challenge, a goal that the participant wants to achieve that requires the good or service, no other generic resource that will fund the service, and the good or service is allowable by law.
https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SDP_Service_Definitions.pdf
Service codes for the Self Determination Program
https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SDP_Service_Codes_02142019.pdf
Other Neurodiversity
Standford neurodiversity project
Worth checking into to see what they are doing now.
https://med.stanford.edu/neurodiversity
Disability Rights California
This is a powerhouse agency which has so many resources to help people with disabilities navigate services.
Their site can help you learn about policies and laws, keep up on news, and they offer free trainings and webinars.
They also have a phone number to call to see if there is someone who can help you with your case if you have a problem.
They have free resources on their site covering all sorts of topics in 30 different areas.