A Path Forward on Racial Disparity

In this column, we have shared legislation and community organizing efforts aimed at addressing the disparity in services to individuals of color and non-English speaking with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Guest columnist Mary Gonzalez shared the statewide community organizing efforts to address this racial disparity. Legislation was passed in 2012 and 2017 mandating the 21 Regional Centers not only to keep statistics of this disparity in services and post on their website, but also to list their services in multiple languages. Regional Centers have developed special disparity committees, plans and outreach efforts. You get to hear first hand about all these efforts this Sunday, 3:30 PM, March 11th, at The Arc California and United Cerebral Palsy 11th Annual Developmental Disabilities Public Policy Conference.

Tony Anderson, Executive Director of Valley Mountain Regional Center (VMRC) and former Executive Director of The Arc California, will be moderating a panel of presenters on this critical issue. The panelists include Rapone Anderson, Manager for Regional Centers Branch, Department of Developmental Services, Community Services Division, speaking on behalf of DDS, the funding source for the regional centers. Carlos Hernandez is a Cultural Specialist at VMRC, giving his perspective from a regional center. Grace Huerta will speak both as parent of two adult children with I/DD, but also as the President and Co-Founder of the Exceptional Family Center in Kearn County, serving Latino families. The final speaker will be Mary Lim-Lampe, Executive Director, Genesis, the Bay Area affiliate of the Gamaliel Network, who is one of the lead community organizers of the newly formed Justice and Equity Coalitions.

How can we end this discrimination in services? Come hear the answers! Don’t miss this workshop, A Path Forward on Racial Disparities. Not too late to register for the Public Policy Conference, March 11-12, or even for just one day! Contact Christian McMahon at The Arc, [email protected], to register.

Hope to see you there!