DAN

Disability Access Network

Data-driven profiles for all 21 California Regional Centers. Built to support LVAC funding decisions, SAE grantee partnerships, and statewide outreach.

540,868
Consumers Statewide
$12.8B
Total POS Spending
$23,605
Avg Per Capita
67.0%
Utilization Rate
Statewide Per-Capita Spending by Ethnicity
White$39,590
Black$33,2930.84x
Asian$23,3120.59x
Hispanic$16,1240.41x
Every non-White group receives significantly less per capita than White consumers. Hispanic consumers — the largest group at 237,345 people — receive the least.
In-Person Survey — Consumer Voice (FY 2022-23, 8,830 adults)
80%
Understood their IPP meeting
67%
Helped make their own IPP
59%
Know their rights if RC disagrees
86%
CM knows what’s important to them
91%
IPP includes things important to them
71%
Get to do things they like in community
Adult Family Survey — Family Voice (FY 2023-24, 14,131 families)
55%
Say CM always listens to family’s choices
75%
Always get info in preferred language
36%
Always get respite when needed
DAN exists because too many families don’t know their rights, don’t understand their IPP, and have no one explaining what’s possible.
Source: DDS NCI Surveys · IPS FY 2022-23 (8,830 adults) · AFS FY 2023-24 (14,131 families)
Little Hoover Commission Hearing — January 2026
Full-day state oversight review of California’s developmental services system. Families, advocates, and state officials testified on systemic barriers.
8,200
of 500,000 in SDP
~$1B
Unspent by RCs (LA Times)
7.5%
Annual system growth
$21.1B
Projected budget (up $2.4B)
Family Testimony
“I am still being told that aside from 10 hours a week of personal assistant services, my needs cannot be met. That is about one and a half hours a day to access education, employment, and community life. No one should qualify for services and then wait six years to receive them.”
An RCOC self-advocate — non-speaking adult with autism, RC client since age 2
“I have had to become the case manager, the trainer, the investigator, and the advocate, all while continuing to be my son’s unpaid direct support staff.”
An RCOC parent
“What happens to consumers who don’t have someone who can do this? That’s what keeps me up at night.”
An RCOC parent
“SDP is the exit ramp off a road that kept families stuck. The Self-Determination Program is the first time many of us, families of color, have received any services or have been shown services that should have been available to us for years.”
A parent and disability advocate
“When my son was young, the regional center wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on him on services that never worked and we never wanted. But they were the only services we were offered. So we took them. And it was such a waste of time.”
Judy Mark — President, Disability Voices United
SDP Barriers
“The service coordinator says, ‘Oh, it’s not for you. Oh, it’s too hard. It’s too complicated. I don’t think you can handle it.’ I firmly believe there is ableism and racism involved — particularly for Latino families who are Spanish-speaking.”
Judy Mark — President, Disability Voices United
“The system should be required to tell all 500,000 people in the system that they have this opportunity. We had a bill that required exactly that. It passed with no registered opposition. The governor vetoed it.”
Judy Mark — on SB 1218 (Menjivar), vetoed 2024
“The regional centers themselves are the main barrier to a person with a disability advancing. The same service coordinators offer services in the traditional system, telling them: You know what? I’ll offer you everything you want, but don’t go to self-determination.”
A mother of two children with autism — Inland Counties RC (translated)
“I requested the purchase of an iPad with its communication application for my son. The regional center denied it. For $1,200 that is in my son’s budget. My son is not verbal. It’s super exhausting to be fighting.”
A mother of a 16-year-old in SDP (translated)
“Accessing services should not feel like a constant struggle, nor like a privilege reserved for those who know how to navigate the system. It should be a clear, humane process, truly centered on the person.”
A Spanish-speaking parent (translated)
The “Cultural Preference” Myth
ARCA’s Claim
The Association of Regional Center Agencies testified that Hispanic families receive less in services because they “prefer service delivery from people within their families or their social networks” and choose to keep family members at home rather than use out-of-home placements. They characterized this disparity as “culturally responsive” service delivery.
Community Response
“I really felt offended by the comment that said the disparities are being dressed up as preferences, as cultural preferences. That is really adding insult to injury.”
A community member — public comment
“What they said about Hispanics not being interested in services for our children — we ARE interested, we need information about these services. We need coordinators to tell us what is available.”
A Spanish-speaking parent — public comment (translated)
The disparity shows up most starkly in Hispanic data because the system spends less on people who live at home — shifting the burden of care onto families instead of providing services where the person actually lives. A person’s needs don’t change because they live with family. You shouldn’t have to move out of your home to receive the services you’re entitled to.
Chair Nava on the Navigation Gap
“You’ve got particularly lower income families who are not going to have a bachelor’s degree, are not going to be engaged with advocacy groups. And in all likelihood, if they’re low income, you could very well have each parent working two jobs and trying to navigate what you have described as a particularly cumbersome system.”
Chair Pedro Nava — Little Hoover Commission

This is why DAN exists.

Chair Nava described the exact gap DAN fills: families without resources trying to navigate a system that wasn’t built to be navigated. DAN is free, bilingual, available 24/7 — and every session ends with something the family can act on. No bachelor’s degree required.

Source: Little Hoover Commission, January 22, 2026 — Implementation Review: California’s Developmental Services System
Master Plan for Developmental Services (MPDS)
March 2026 Report to the Legislature — 167 recommendations across 6 themes
Centered in Equity
35% Hispanic/Latino reach. Fully bilingual EN/ES. Free and statewide — access doesn’t depend on geography or income.
People Making Their Own Life Choices
Every session ends with something actionable — a draft email, talking points, or a clear next step. Tools for decision-making, not decisions made for them.
Getting Services They Need and Choose
Instant navigation guidance for denials, stalled requests, and IPP preparation. No waitlist, no appointment, no cost barrier.
Accountability and Transparency
Draws only from the Lanterman Act, DDS directives, and RC policy. Helps families understand the system that serves them.
Data Guiding the Future
Captures session outcomes, demographics, and draft delivery data — the kind of family-facing usage data the system doesn’t currently have.
DDS is building LOIS (Life Outcomes Improvement System) to modernize case management from the inside. DAN is the front door — helping families navigate the system today while the state builds for tomorrow.
Source: MPDS March 2026 Report to the Legislature — Annual reports required through 2036.
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