Self-Determination
Individuals who are participants in the Self-Determination Program have a variety of service options within our agency. All services provided reflect our philosophy of supporting individuals to have the most positive control over the lives they choose to lead for themselves.
Services available
- Initial Person-Centered Planning
- Independent Facilitation (this may also include Initial Person-Centered Planning)
- Direct support for the goals outlined in your Person-Centered Plan and Individual Program Plan
Join our Waiting List
We are now accepting new clients for Self-Determination. If you would like to join our waiting list or request more information, please follow the below link to complete a short form.
Initial Person-Centered Planning
We will support you to develop a plan that identifies what’s important to you, what’s important for you, and your hopes and dreams for the future. Support to create this plan includes time spent getting to know you and support to identify your “circle of support,” or the team you’ve chosen to support you with your plan. These are the people who care about you and know you best. We will support you to coordinate with your team and in the facilitation of your person-centered plan meeting(s). Following those meetings, we will take the information from your planning meeting and turn it into a written plan for you to submit to the Regional Center. This plan will be crafted in a way that’s best and most accessible for you and will clearly outline your goals, those who will help you achieve those goals, and specific timelines.
If you were selected as part of the SDP lottery, your Initial Person-Centered Plan is funded through your Regional Center, up to $2,500. We are therefore able to provide up to 25 hours of planning services based on our rate of $100/hour. The majority of plans take 15-25 hours, depending on complexity, but individuals have the option of using private pay if they’ve exhausted Regional Center funding and would like more than 25 hours of support.
As part of your plan facilitation, we may also support you to understand your individual budget, identify and advocate for unmet needs, interview and hire a Financial Management Service (FMS), and develop your spending plan etc. This is based on the level of support you want and need and the number of hours you have available following the development of your written plan (25 hour cap). Keep in mind that Self-Determination is an individualized process so no planning process will look the same! Some steps may require more time than others depending on the individual.
Independent Facilitation
Once you’ve completed your Person-Centered Plan, certified your budget, and created your spending plan, your Regional Center will sign off and you’ll officially be a participant in Self-Determination! At this time, you have the option to select an Independent Facilitator (IF) who can support you with understanding and navigating the Self-Determination Program and carrying out the goals you set in your Person-Centered Plan. You may hire a paid Independent Facilitator (service we offer), use your Regional Center Service Coordinator, or have a friend or family member serve in that role. Keep in mind that there are training requirements for IF’s and rules about who can be paid in that role.
If you choose to hire one of our Independent Facilitators, we are able to support you with the recruiting, hiring, and training of your staff. We can also support you when negotiating contracts with potential vendors. We will support you to identify and access resources in your community that will help you to reach your goals. As your IF, we will also support you to review your monthly spending to ensure that you stay within your budget and support you to update your Person-Centered Plan, as needed (at least once per year). Ultimately, our goal as your IF is to support you to take the most positive control of the life you envision for yourself.
We offer several Independent Facilitation Packages to meet your needs. We’ve put together these options as a way for you to budget for your Independent Facilitator in your Spending Plan. Please note that the cost of Independent Facilitation Services is $100/hour and will be paid for out of your Individual Budget. If you live outside of the greater Sacramento region and would like in-person support, there may also be an additional mileage/travel reimbursement. IF services may be provided virtually or in-person based on your individual needs and preferences.
Direct Support to achieve your goals
We are now offering direct services and supports to help you reach the goals in your Person-Centered Plan and Individual Program Plan. These services are available for those receiving Independent Facilitation Services outside of our agency. These supports may include but are not limited to
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Discovery and Customized Employment Development and Support
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Community and Civic Involvement
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Self-Advocacy
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Post-Secondary Education Support
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Micro-Enterprise Development and Support
Services will be 100% individualized and based on your needs and preferences. Rates vary based on the type of support that you’re requesting. Please inquire directly with the type of support you’re looking for and we will provide you with our current hourly rates.
Example planning timeline
- Initial Meet and Greet, ~1 hour
- You will meet with a member of our team to discuss the services that we offer. We will also ask you some basic questions about your life and your goals in the Self Determination Program. This will help us determine which Independent Facilitator on our team would be best suited to support you with your plan (i.e. skills, personality, area of expertise). From there, we’ll introduce you to that Independent Facilitator and you can decide if you’d like to hire them to support you with your plan.
- Discovery and Pre-planning, 2-4 hours
- Your Independent Facilitator will spend time with you to learn more about who you are, what’s important to you, and what support we can offer you in the development of your plan. It will also give you the chance to get to know your Independent Facilitator! This is a fun process and can include grabbing coffee together, walking around your local park, going to a community event together etc. We’ll support you to identify your circle of support (the people you want to support you with your plan and your transition into Self-Determination) and we’ll help you to plan for your initial team gathering (i.e. coordinating date, location, how you want to run your meeting, topics etc.).
- Initial Team Gathering ~2-8 hours (this can take place in one day or over multiple days)
- You and your circle of support will get together and start gathering information about all the wonderful things about you! As a team, we’ll be celebrating your successes, outlining how you want to be supported, and talking about what’s working and not working for you in life. We’ll also delve into the goals that you have for yourself moving forward and talk about who you would like to support you. This is an incredibly powerful experience for those who participate and the information gathered will be the foundation of your Person-Centered Plan.
- Plan Creation ~2-4 hours
- Following this meeting, your Independent Facilitator will compile all of the information from your team gathering and put it into a plan. This plan will be one that is accessible to you (i.e. visual, auditory, written etc.). Based on your preference, you can be involved in the recording/writing process or you can request that your IF just share the initial draft with you for review. Once the initial plan is compiled, you will have the opportunity to review it and make any changes. Following that, we’ll support you to share your plan with your circle of support for any additional feedback.
- Resource Development and (this can take place during your team gathering, during the plan creation phase, and can continue on through spending plan development)
- Based on the goals you have developed, there may be a need for you to find additional supports or services. Your IF is able to support you with researching, identifying, and accessing those resources.
- Selecting your FMS and Model, ~1-2 hours
- You will select your Financial Management Service (FMS) and model. We are able to support you to learn about the options available to you and can facilitate the process of selecting an FMS and model that will help you meet your goals.
- Understanding, Advocating for, and Certifying your Individual Budget, ~2-4 hours
- Your Regional Center Service Coordinator will provide you with your Individual Budget (last 12 months of Regional Center spending on your supports and services). We will support you to understand your budget and identify and advocate for any unmet needs that will help fund your supports and services in Self-Determination.
- Spending Plan Development, ~3 hours
- We will support you to create your spending plan after your Individual Budget has been certified (approved) by the Regional Center. Your spending plan details how the money in your individual budget will be spent.
- Your FMS is also involved in this process and can help with planning for unforeseen costs
- Hire your service providers and/or employees ~2-8 hours
- Working with your FMS and Independent Facilitator, you will need to negotiate a contract and hire any service providers and/or employees.
- Regional Center Final Approval, ~1 hour
- Once you’ve completed the above steps, the Regional Center will sign off on the process and write a new Self-Determination Program Individual Program Plan.
Independent Facilitation Packages
Responsibility Package
At 2 hours of support per month, this package is best for those who are confident in managing their services and supports and need less day-to-day assistance from their Independent Facilitator.
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Monthly meeting to review your spending (i.e. accounting statement from your FMS), services and supports, and your overall goals. Make an action plan for the next month and provide any additional IF support/services that you’re needing.
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Email/text/phone correspondence throughout the month
Support Package
Our mid-range option includes 5 hours of Independent Facilitation Services per month. This is a great option for those folks who overall feel confident managing their services and supports but perhaps want a little extra support when new challenges or opportunities arise.
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Monthly meeting to review your spending (i.e. accounting statement from your FMS), services and supports, and your overall goals. Make an action plan for the next month and provide any additional IF support/services that you’re needing.
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Weekly check-in/support for IF services
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Email/text/phone correspondence
Confirmation Package
Our most in-depth package, receive 10 hours per month of Independent Facilitation Services. We recommend this package for individuals participating in the sole-employer or co-employer model as your Independent Facilitator can play a pivotal role in supporting you to manage your employees. This package is also recommended for individuals going through any sort of a transition as your IF can support you with identifying and obtaining the resources you need to be successful.
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Monthly meeting to review your spending (i.e. accounting statement from your FMS), services and supports, and your overall goals. Make an action plan for the next month and provide any additional IF support/services that you’re needing.
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Bi-weekly check-ins/support for IF services
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Email/text/phone correspondence
Freedom Package
Not seeing a plan that works for you? Build your own customized monthly package.
All of these packages will allow for flexibility and will be billed in 15 minute increments. If you do not use all of your monthly hours for IF services, we are happy to work with you in moving those hours to a different month. Additionally, if you need more hours of support per month we will work with you to make that happen. Our intention of offering monthly packages, is to make it as easy for you as possible to budget for IF services.