Help Save Lanterman Act Services for People with Disabilities

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Please take 60 seconds to seconds to send one email today



Dear Friends,



Thanks to California 's Lanterman Act, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members or other advocates are part of the planning team that decides what supports and services they will receive.



But in the chaos caused by last year's budget cuts and accompanying Lanterman Act changes, some staff members at regional centers have simply cut people off services without even talking to the people most affected. In fairness to these overworked staff members, some of the Lanterman Act changes that Governor Schwarzenegger and the Legislature adopted last year are confusing and could be misinterpreted to allow service cutoffs without meetings of the planning teams.



Here's our chance to make sure that stops!



Please send an email by Monday, April 12 to the Assembly Human Services Committee asking them to pass Assembly Bill 2702, authored by Assembly Member Wesley Chesbro and sponsored by The Arc of California . Our bill makes it crystal clear that the planning team process hasn't changed -- the people most affected by the decisions are still key to the decision-making.



I usually don't ask you to send prewritten emails like this, because calls and letters carry much more weight. But prewritten emails can have an impact when there are enough of them, so this time we're going for numbers. We've grown The Arc's Action E-List a lot in the last year, and I think we can generate enough emails to make a difference. Please don't prove me wrong!



Thank you for your advocacy.



Greg



PS. After you send the email yourself, please forward this Action Alert to everybody you know who might be willing to take a minute to help. Like I said, this time we're going for numbers.





Greg deGiere

Public Policy Director

The Arc of California

1225 Eighth Street, Suite 350

Sacramento, CA 95814

916-552-6619, ext. 16

916-223-7319 (mobile)

916-441-3494 (fax)

www.TheArcCA. org



"Advocacy, respect, and commitment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1950"