Overview

Mission Statement
North Los Angeles County Regional Center provides lifelong partnerships and planning to persons with developmental disabilities by promoting their civil and personal rights, providing comprehensive information, advocating in cooperation with consumers, promoting and providing quality services, and supporting full participation of consumers and families in all aspects of community life.

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History of North Los Angeles County Regional Center

Some of the significant milestones during our more than 30 years of service:

March 1974 NLACRC files articles of incorporation as a nonprofit corporation

April 1974 Dennis Amundson is selected as NLACRC’s first Executive Director

November 1974 Grand opening ceremony and NLACRC building dedication

January 1975 Santa Clarita Valley office opens

April 1975 Pacoima/San Fernando satellite office opens

July 1975 The first NLACRC library is dedicated in memory of Dolores Berkowitz, the first NLACRC Chief Counselor. The board proposes a two-year demonstration project to develop six-bed residential homes. NLACRC participates with six other L.A.County Regional Centers in developing a proposal to establish a comprehensive system of in-home and out-of-home respite care programs.

June 1976 Dr. Thompson Kelly becomes NLACRC Executive Director

July 1977 NLACRC now has five service units. Adult, Children’s and State Hospital placement units in the main offices, Pacoima Satellite office, and the Santa Clarita, Antelope Valley offices.

November 1981 Open House at NLACRC’s new Panorama City main office

November 1985 James L. Shorter becomes Executive Director

Spring 1987 NLACRC and parent group La Nueva Esperanza hold the First Festival Educacional

September 1989 William C. Donovan becomes Executive Director

June 1990 NLACRC implements the Alternative Residential Model

FY 1991-92 NLACRC begins participating in the Community Supported
Living Arrangements Projects

April 1992 NLACRC holds its first Legislative Breakfast

January 1994 Earthquake causes major damage to NLACRC main office,
Program site and homes of NLACRC consumers, families
and staff. Staff work out of mobile structures in parking lot.

May 1996 NLACRC moves its main office to Van Nuys

April 1997 NLACRC/LAUSD sponsor first annual joint School to
Career Fair

February 1998 George Stevens becomes Executive Director

1999 NLACRC celebrates its 25th anniversary

2000 In a time of unprecedented state and federal budget surplus, the regional center system is in crisis. While the late 1990s saw an increase in regional center funding for specified purposes, the cuts imposed on regional centers in the early 1990s were never restored. Regional centers are overwhelmed with unfunded mandates, rising expectations of consumers and their families, and the inability to retain an adequate number of employees.

2001 California again finds itself in financial hard times. The deregulation of utility companies creates an energy crisis requiring the state to spend millions of dollars a day to keep power flowing throughout the state. The dot-com industry fizzles, drastically reducing the state’s tax receipts. Now, California must cut billions of dollars from the budget which is particularly meaningful for regional centers hoping for budget increases.

Assembly member Dion Aroner introduces the most significant piece of legislation relating to the developmental disability service system since the passage of the Lanterman Act. AB 896 unifies the developmental services delivery system and provides a blueprint for future community development and enhancement, ensuring that all persons with developmental disabilities are served for the long term.

2002 In light of the State’s fiscal crisis, regional centers are mandated by the State legislature to reduce their purchase of services (POS) budgets, and develop an expenditure plan to address these reductions.

2003 NLACRC develops an expenditure plan for the fiscal year 2003-2004. Governor Gray Davis is recalled and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is voted into office. Governor Schwarzenegger and his Department of Finance propose several budget cuts that would seriously impact services and supports for people with developmental disabilities, including suspension of the Lanterman Act. After several large protests and a letter and fax writing campaign, he rescinds this decision.

If you would like to learn about the history of the developmental disabilities services system, please visit the Association of Regional Centers (ARCA) Web site.

Visit the Site>> www.arcanet.org

What is a Developmental Disability?
A developmental disability is a disability that originates before an individual attains age 18 years, continues, or can be expected to continue, indefinitely, and constitutes a substantial disability for that individual.

This term shall include mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. This term shall also include disabling conditions found to be closely related to mental retardation or to require treatment similar to that required for individuals with mental retardation, but shall not include other handicapping conditions that are solely physical in nature.

A “substantial disability” means the existence of significant functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity, as determined by a regional center, and as appropriate to the age of the person:

1) Self-care
2) Receptive and expressive language
3) Learning
4) Mobility
5) Self-direction
6) Capacity for independent living
7) Economic self-sufficiency

From Lanterman Act, Sec 4512 (a) and Sec 4512 (l)

Autistic Disorder
People with autistic disorder usually have significant language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorder also have intellectual disability. Autistic disorder is present before the age of 3 and lasts throughout a person's life, although symptoms may improve over time.

From www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html


Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and to maintain balance and posture. It is due to a non-progressive brain abnormality, which means that it does not get worse over time, though the exact symptoms can change over a person’s lifetime. People with cerebral palsy have damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle tone. Muscle tone is the amount of resistance to movement in a muscle. It is what lets you keep your body in a certain posture or position.

From www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/cp2.htm


Epilepsy
Epilepsy, sometimes referred to as seizure disorder, is a general term that refers to a tendency to have recurrent seizures. There are many kinds of seizures, but all involve abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes an involuntary change in body movement of function, sensation, awareness, or behavior.

Symptoms can vary from a momentary disruption of the senses, to short periods of unconsciousness or staring spells, to convulsions.

Epilepsy can be caused by many different conditions that affect a person’s brain. Often no definite cause can be found. Epilepsy cannot be transmitted from person to person.

From
www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/basics/faqs.htm

Mental Retardation (Intellectual Disability)
Intellectual disability is characterized both by a significantly below-average score on a test of mental ability or intelligence and by limitations in the ability to function in areas of daily life, such as communication, self-care, and getting along in social situations and school activities. Intellectual disability is sometimes referred to as cognitive disability or mental retardation.

Children with intellectual disability can and do learn new skills, but they develop more slowly than children with average intelligence and adaptive skills. There are different degrees of intellectual disability, ranging from mild to profound. A person’s level of intellectual disability can be defined by their intelligence quotient (IQ), or by the types and amount of support they need.

From www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddmr.htm