As a parent of an autistic child, I am deeply troubled by the lack of support provided by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and the 21 regional centers in California. My three-year-old son is consistently denied increases in respite, reimbursements for incontinence supplies, and non-medical therapies / social recreation activities like drum lessons that serve as music therapy. This is happening while Nancy Bargmann who is the director of DDS, allows our local (inland) regional center to pay their in-house counsel lawyer $20k bi-weekly and their director $10k bi-weekly salaries (source: irc salaries )

The situation is not unique to us. Many families across California are experiencing similar issues with DDS and regional centers denying necessary services to clients who need them most. It's time we demand accountability from these institutions.

In a state where over 330,000 individuals receive services through DDS (source: DDS data), it's unacceptable that service requests are being denied without clear justification or transparency with respect to regional centers POS policies, WIC, and RULA. We must ensure that funding allocated for developmental services goes directly towards improving the lives of those who need it most - our children. 

DDS refuses to provide the public data on respite statistics for all regional centers as well as ARPA grant funding for social recreation and non medical therapies. The California state auditors office has found DDS at fault for: 

“DDS has also not provided regional centers with the data systems or processes necessary to track and measure whether consumers have convenient access to services. Finally, DDS has not ensured that regional centers promptly resolve consumers' complaints regarding their rights.

Although DDS has been aware of many of these issues, it has not always taken timely and adequate actions to address them. As a result, it cannot be certain that regional centers are effectively serving Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” source: MICHAEL S. TILDEN, CPA
Acting California State Auditor Report 2021-107

California Tax Payers deserve the truth and transparency with where and how their tax dollars are being spent  

DDS is also enabling regional centers to treat clients unethically and discriminatory by picking and choosing who they allow to have smoother reimbursement processes for with non medical therapies and social rec stipends. Examples are some families can go through an Online portal for reimbursement within 30 days and others have to go through a mail in process which takes 45+ days to do in order to receive reimbursement for the upfront costs parents are paying out of pockets for their disabled children to participate in normal activities with their typical peers while completely ignoring this DDS directive: DDS directive to all Regional Centers dated 2/6/24 regarding access and payment processes for non medical therapies and social recreation activities

Join me today in demanding accountability from DDS and California's 21 regional centers so they can better serve our children with developmental disabilities. Sign this petition to urge them to prioritize client needs over administrative costs!