The Challenge of Applying Person-Centered Planning Practices in a Structured Planning Setting –
In “the wild,” a person-centered planning gathering can be a celebration. A celebration of someone’s life and a look ahead to a life focused on an individual’s unique gifts, talents, strengths, needs and personal preferences. This article looks at the challenges of applying person-centered planning practices in a structured planning environment, with a closer look at California. Download the complete article here.
Practical Use of the National Core Indicators – August 2026
Every state that participates in the National Core Indicators – Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities program (NCI-IDD) collects a standardized set of survey results – and in most of those states, that data sits in public reports and dashboards that go largely unread. That’s a missed opportunity. Download the article here.
Essential Lifestyle Planning: A Brief History – July 2026
There are many successful approaches to person-centered planning, Essential Lifestyle Planning (ELP) is one of them. It focuses on how a person wants to live each day. It is the foundation for most of the widely used person-centered thinking tools listed later in this article. Download that article here.
New Grievance Rights for Regional Center Services Under the HCBS Access Rule – July 2026
A new federal rule gives people who get regional center services through California’s home- and community-based services (HCBS) system a formal way to complain if their plan or their services aren’t truly person-centered. It’s a real expansion of rights — but as of this writing, California is still finishing the details of how it will work. This guide briefly describes what’s settled, what isn’t, and how it fits alongside the advocacy tools service coordinators already use. Download this article here.
Update on Supported Decision-Making – July 2026
Supported Decision-Making (SDM) has gone from a promising idea to something written directly into California law, and it’s now spreading state by state and gaining attention in Congress. This update summarizes what’s changed, how SDM compares to conservatorship, and where to find current California-specific tools. Download this article here.
About New “Cost-Effective” Rule and Self-Determination Budgets – July 2026
California is writing, for the first time, a statewide definition of what counts as a “cost-effective” service for people with developmental disabilities. If you’re in the Self-Determination Program (SDP), the exact wording could affect how much you’re allowed to pay your providers. Download the complete article here.
Recent Research on Person Centered Planning – July 2026
A compilation of studies from the past two years. The common thread seems to be that while the use of person-centered planning is well established, real choice-making still lags theory in everyday practice. Download here.
Some Thoughts About the California Developmental Services System – June 2026
For the past six months, we have provided Claude AI with access to resources regarding the California Developmental Services System. We recently asked it to write up as summary about the current state, strengths, challenges and needs. Download that unedited summary. What are your thoughts? — July 2026
Risks and Opportunities- June 2026
There are many dimensions which shape a life of quality for members of any community. When considering how to support people with developmental disabilities in living a life of quality we need to think about those elements which add quality to our own lives. For example, a local family doctor frequently gives lectures about how to live a balanced life. He suggests that the characteristics of the “best possible life” are: good health; reasonable wealth; family; peace; security; friends; time; and, growth. He feels so strongly about this advice that he lists these qualities on the back of his business card and hands them out to anyone who will listen. People with developmental disabilities want the best possible life as well and supported living services can help achieve that goal. Download the rest of the chapter excerpted from Patterns of Supported Living.
What California’s Master Plan for Developmental Services Means for You – June 2026
In March 2025, California released the Master Plan for Developmental Services: A Community-Driven Vision. It’s a big deal — the most ambitious effort in decades to rethink how the state supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families. Read a summary here.
Effective Ways that Regional Center Service Coordinators Can Advocate for Individuals with IDD and Their Families – June 2026
Summary: Service coordinators can be strong, practical advocates — inside the regional center and across systems — by using the IPP process, documenting needs, coordinating assessments and services, negotiating with vendors/schools/health plans, and connecting families with legal/advocacy resources when needed. Below are specific actions they can take, limits to their authority, a simple step-by-step checklist families can use, and sample language to use when asking the coordinator for help. Download the complete article here.
Paper and Practice – June 2026
Person-centered planning in California was written in law in 1992. That was the year that the Lanterman Act was amended to require that IPPs reflect a person’s own preferences, strengths, culture, and vision for their life. To this day, individuals and families often report a difference between that promise and what happens. You can download that article here.
How to Read Your Regional Center Assessment – June 2026
If you have been referred to a regional center in California — or if you are a family member supporting someone who has — you may have heard the words “assessment” or “evaluation” and wondered – what does that actually mean? What are they looking at? And what happens with the results? You can find those answers in How to Read Your Regional Center Assessment.
The Many Hats of a Regional Center Service Coordinator – May 2026
A California Regional Center service coordinator helps people with developmental disabilities and their families get the services and supports they need. Service coordinators wear many hats! They meet with the person and family, write and update the person’s individual plan, find and arrange services and supports (like education and training, job supports, housing), check that services are working, respond in crises, and help families understand benefits and rules. They also keep records, report suspected abuse, and work with schools, doctors, and other agencies so everyone is on the same page. Download and read more about the many hats here.