Equitable Funding for Children with Developmental Disabilities: Phase 3

Purpose

Building on previous progress in documenting and beginning to address ethnic and racial funding inequities among California’s Regional Centers for Developmental Disabilities, Public Counsel will use this third phase of funding to promote more equitable access to services by analyzing data on the allocation of funds and services; raising public awareness about clients’ rights; and working with legislators on legislation to hold Regional Centers accountable for reducing disparities in access to services.  

Outcome

Public Counsel’s 2020 report, Confronting Inequities in California’s Funding of Services for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Sobering View of Our Current Standpoint, found that gaps in funding between children of different racial and ethnic groups largely remain, and in some cases have worsened over time. The report offers policy and budget recommendations that address long-standing inequities in access to basic necessities, health care, and services and supports for children and families of color served by the Regional Centers. In partnership with disability rights stakeholders across the state, Public Counsel participated in the #CareNotCuts campaign and utilized the findings of the 2020 report to successfully defend against proposed cuts to the state’s developmental disabilities program.