The Arc of California

09/05/2025

AB 341, authored by Assembly Member Dr. Joaquin Arambula, will improve dental care for Californians with developmental disabilities. This bill, sponsored by The Arc of California, requires the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to contract with a public California dental school to administer the Oral Health for People with Disabilities Technical Assistance Center Program to improve dental care services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by reducing or eliminating the need for dental treatment using sedation and general anesthesia.

Watch the latest Arc Beacon with Executive Director Jordan Lindsey to learn more about this legislation and how you can get involved to encourage Governor Newsom to pass the bill when it gets to his desk. Dental care is an important issue for the disability community.

To learn more about this legislation, visit https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab341

09/02/2025

We are very proud to partner with the Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center on bringing the "Future is Now" class for Caregivers specific to the Los Angeles Region. If you are a family member or caregiver of a loved one with a developmental disability and would like to start creating a future plan in the event of a transition to a new caregiver, then this is a class you don't want to miss!! You can also learn about local resources in Los Angeles to support your family member in the event you are no longer able to provide care. Sign up now! Class starts next week on September 10th at 4 p.m.. Register at LRC.CaringFutures.org

Lanterman Regional Center, in partnership with The Arc of California through their Caring Futures program, presents The Future Is Now: Designing a Support Plan for Your Family Member with a Disability, a FREE six-week live online class series on Wednesdays, September 10 to October 15 from 4-5:30 p.m.

Highlight of the series include:

- Step-by-step process to help you design a plan for the future care of your family member

- Small and welcoming learning environment for a personalized experience

- Classes taught by trained instructors, ensuring a supportive learning experience

- Developed in collaboration with the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Classes available in both English and Spanish (ASL upon request)

Learn more and register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/v3cdcaw

*** MUST BE AFFILIATED WITH LANTERMAN REGIONAL CENTER TO SIGN UP FOR CLASS SERIES.

08/27/2025

In case you missed it!

Our latest Caring Conversation with Amanda Griffith-Atkins, catch the recording on YouTube.

Last week, Author and Therapist Amanda Griffith-Atkins joined us for our August Caring Conversation. As a licensed marriage and family therapist and mother to a child with a rare genetic condition, Amanda has tremendous insights on raising a disabled child with high-support needs. She wrote a book, How to Handle More Than You Can Handle, to help families and caregivers walk through this particular journey.

Navigating Adulthood with Your Child—and Yourself—in Mind. Parent and therapist, Amanda Griffith-Atkins, shares insights from her book How to Handle More Tha...

08/22/2025

YOUR VOICE POWERS OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS!

Our community is facing real challenges. Now more than ever, we need to hear from YOU!!

The Arc of California’s 2025 Community Impact Survey is just 20 questions / 7 minutes — but your answers will directly guide the advocacy, policies, and programs we fight for in the year ahead.

🗓️ Deadline: August 31, 2025
📍 Open to individuals with disabilities, families, caregivers, service providers, regional center staff, educators, therapists, medical professionals, and advocates.

👉 Take the survey today and make your voice heard:
🔗 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/thearcca

Together, we can build a more inclusive California where every person with a disability can thrive. 💜

08/19/2025

This week, the California Legislature has returned from its summer recess, and the next few weeks will be a sprint to move key bills through committees and, hopefully, to the Governor’s desk. The Arc of California and United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration are sponsoring and supporting several important bills that directly impact people with developmental disabilities, their families, and the professionals who support them. The Arc's Executive Director Jordan Lindsey recorded a brief video summary of some of the key legislation we are tracking along with a summary of their impact.

AB 951 Assemblyman Tri Ta
AB 1220 and AB 341 Dr. Joaquin Arambula
AB 1068 and AB 1069 Dr. Jasmeet Bains
AB 1230 Assemblymember Mia Bonta
SB 363 Scott Wiener

08/15/2025

Are you a parent or caregiver of a family member with a disability? If so, do you have a succession plan in place if someone else in the circle of support needs to take over immediate care of your loved one? If not, don't put it off!
Sign up to take our FREE online six-week course starting Tuesday, August 19th at 10 a.m. and get step-by-step instruction on creating a detailed and comprehensive plan with other caregivers.

It's never too early to be prepared for the future!

Learn more and register now: https://www.caringfutures.org/classes

08/11/2025

Together We Raise Our Voice for Equity! Support Transparency in Service Denials for People with Disabilities — Support AB 1220

I support AB 1220 because we need a Regional Center system that is accountable. For years, families and people with disabilities have faced service denials without follow-up and visible data. This bill will help collect clear data on denials, notices of action, and appeals, ensuring they are recorded in the Individual Program Plan (IPP) and publicly reported by Regional Centers in their annual reports. Transparency is key to correcting inequities. AB 1220 gives us a concrete tool to make that possible.

TAKE ACTION! Urge elected officials to vote YES on AB 1220 by signing an open letter in support of this bill. https://p2a.co/IyHUn7y

08/08/2025

At this moment in time, many people are feeling stressed or worried about the future of their family and their loved one with a disability. If you are a caregiver, the pressure can sometimes feel overwhelming. This is why we created a very special online group class for Caregivers called "Self-Care Matters."

This class was created to give parents and caregivers some tools to help manage your stress and wellbeing. This is a two week class that meets once a week for 1.5 hours.

⏰Class starts Wednesday, August 27th at 6:00 p.m. (PST).
👍Sign up now to hold your place in the class.

Let's be on this journey together. You are not alone!

Register at https://www.caringfutures.org/classes

08/08/2025

The Arc of California Board of Directors has issued a powerful and urgent statement opposing the harmful immigration enforcement tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across California. These aggressive practices—carried out by masked, unidentified agents—are creating fear, instability, and trauma for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the essential workers who support them.

☑️U.S. citizens with disabilities have been wrongfully detained and deported.
☑️Caregivers are being surveilled, detained, and removed, leaving people with disabilities without critical support.
☑️Families are withdrawing from schools and services out of fear—risking health, education, and safety.

This isn’t just a disability rights issue. It’s a human rights emergency.

The Arc of California is calling for bold action—banning ICE from disability-related spaces, ensuring due process, protecting workers, and keeping families together.

🎥Watch short video message from Jordan Lindsey, Executive Director, The Arc of California below.

📜Read the full Board Statement: https://thearcca.org/the-arc-board-releases-statement-strongly-opposing-ice-enforcement-activities/

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08/06/2025

Are you a parent or caregiver of a family member with a disability? If so, do you have a succession plan in place if someone else in the circle of support needs to take over immediate care of your loved one? If not, don't put it off!

Sign up to take our FREE online six-week course starting Tuesday, August 19th at 10 a.m. and get step-by-step instruction on creating a detailed and comprehensive plan with other caregivers.

It's never too early to be prepared for the future!

Learn more and register now: https://www.caringfutures.org/classes

08/05/2025

We are thrilled to have author and therapist Amanda Griffith-Atkins join us for this month's Caring Conversation "Caring Through the Transition: Parenting, Disability, and Mental Health" on Wednesday, August 20th at 10 AM.

Make sure to tune in to hear more insights about her book, and as she offers support for caregivers facing the emotional shifts of parenting a disabled child into adulthood.

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/q4v5y76