What is Self-Determination?
Self-Determination is a voluntary service delivery system offered to most individuals served by the California Regional Center system as of July 2021.
Self-Determination offers greater flexibility and choice in service delivery, leaning on five core principles:
FREEDOM
In general, Self-Determination is about flexibility in service provision. Freedom specifically means the freedom for people with disabilities to exercise the same rights as all people, to make choices and decisions and to be part of the community, as anyone would be, disability or no disability. The freedom to decide who they want to spend time with, who they want to provide them paid and unpaid supports, who they want to live with, what they want to do during the day. This is the freedom to not necessarily go to the same day program as everyone else who lives in their home, or to not have to go to only programs that are vendored with the Regional Center. However, it’s freedom; a person might want to do that, and if they do, that freedom isn’t necessarily being taken away.