The regional center is conceived of as a fixed point of reference for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. The regional center achieves its mission primarily through case management services, coordinating community resources such as education, health, welfare, rehabilitation and recreation for individuals with developmental disabilities. Services and supports are provided by the regional center to assist individuals to reach their maximum potential. To the extent that people with disabilities are treated as passive and incapable, that is what they will be. To the extent that people with disabilities are given the opportunity to be full participants in determining the directions of their lives, that is what they will become. The regional center focuses its efforts on the latter. The desire to have personal control over our lives is a value we all share. In California legislation, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act underscores the importance of this commonly held value by stating that individuals (and where appropriate, their parents, legal guardian, or conservator) "...should participate in decisions affecting their own lives, including, but not limited to, where and with whom they live, their relationships with people in their community, the way in which they spend their time, including education, employment, and leisure, and the pursuit of their own personal future, and program planning and implementation." Far Northern Regional Center attempts to provide a structure and service delivery system to assure that this value is realized in the lives of the people we serve. Far Northern Regional Center is responsible for serving residents of the nine counties in Northern California (Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Tehama, Trinity, Shasta and Siskiyou). FNRC also serves individuals from these nine counties who reside in California state developmental centers (formerly called state hospitals). Entry to or discharge from state developmental centers is coordinated through the regional centers.
