Assistive Technology Information

The agency provides family support services for parents of children, from birth to adulthood, who have developmental delays or developmental disabilities in Los Angeles County. Services include assistive technology information, certificates/forms assistance, family support centers/outreach, helplines/warmlines, parent to parent networking, parent support groups, organizational traning services, specialized information and referral, and workshops/symposiums. Services are available for families in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Brentwood, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Topanga Canyon, Venice, West Los Angeles, Westchester. These cities comprise the catchment area; services are not restricted to these areas.

The agency can assist parents to prepare application for Regional Center and gather the appropriate documentation to accompany the application or appeal. The center can also arrange parent to parent networking, either one on one or in a parent support group. The center also operates a telephone warmline/talkline, staffed by parents of developmentally disabled children. They provide support and information.

The agency also provides family training, empowerment, and parent-professional collaborative activities in the area of educational needs for families of children with disabilities, ages 3 to 22 years old. The Family Resouce Center provides support and services to help families navigate the educational system and ensure that every child is receiving a free and appropriate education.

The agency provides specialized information and referral services to families with developmentally delayed children. The agency refers families to agencies and collaboratives that provide early intervention services in the areas of audiological services, family education, infant development programs, medical services, occupational and physical therapy, and psychological services.

In addition, staff can provide assistance in applying for SSI, IHHS, and Medi-Cal assistance for their child.

Home visits can be arranged for services and parent support.

The agency also maintains a lending library stocked with parenting materials such as books, literature and videos which provides information for families with special needs children. It also provides assistive technology information.

Training is also available for parents of Special Education students, who do not qualify for Regional Center services due to the nature of their learning disability.

The agency also presents educational events aimed at preparing families to help their developmentally delayed children to transition from early detection programs to programs provided by the public school system.