A Publication of Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center

Lanterman Launches Toy Loan Program, Playgroups and Parent Workshops

Our nation is experiencing a time of extreme financial burden, and sadly, the purchase of toys has become unaffordable for many families. The Los Angeles Times reported in May 2009 that there had been a 30 percent increase in usage among existing toy loan programs throughout Los Angeles County in one year. “We have had a toy loan program as a goal for a long time, and this seemed like the perfect time to reach out to our community,” says Koch-Young Resource Center Director Rose Chacana.

So this fall, Lanterman’s Resource Center opened for circulation a brand new section of their already well established library collection. This section featured neither books nor videos, but developmental toys. Busy Resource Center staff spent the summer researching, ordering, cataloging and sorting close to 150 toys that are now available to be checked out for two weeks at a time.

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

An Important Message from Board President Larry DeBoer About the State Budget and Lanterman’s Finances

Dear Clients, Families and Service Providers,

As you may be aware the state of California was without a budget for more than three months of the fiscal year that began July 1, 2010. While we have continued to pay providers and staff throughout this period, it has been extremely challenging.

Regional centers are entirely dependent upon funding from the State in order to provide direct services and services purchased through our network of community service providers. While we have had a fully executed contract with the Department of Developmental Services since the start of the fiscal year, we received only a fraction of our funding through an interim emergency fund and some federal funds. This was not nearly enough to meet all of our financial commitments. So we borrowed funds from our bank through a line of credit to honor our monthly financial commitments both to our service providers for services to clients and families, and for regional center direct services provided by regional center staff. 

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

The Rededication of the Koch-Young Resource Center Celebrated Parent-Professional Partnerships

Earlier this year, Lanterman Regional Center celebrated nearly 20 years of parent-professional partnerships by rededicating the Koch-Young Resource Center which has been a resource for people with developmental disabilities, families with children who have special needs, professionals and community members, offering ongoing learning opportunities, leading edge information on all areas of developmental disabilities and assistive technology, and support.

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

Speech, Language and the Art of Origami

By the time Josephine Ko’s younger son was 2 years old, he still had no speech, and she’d tried everything – speech therapy, coloring and drawing books, watching videos together – and she was running out of ideas.

It was around this time that she’d also begun volunteering at her older son’s elementary school helping out during origami class and was regularly practicing her origami at home to build her skills. She noticed that her younger son was interested in the colorful origami paper, and Ko started making him origami animals – butterflies, elephants, pigs, and whatever else he liked – but she insisted that he speak the name of the origami shape that he wanted her to make. Ko says, “I would say to my son, ‘If you say it, I will make it,’ and I would show him a shape in a book, and when he would say the name, I would make it for him.”

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

Help Make the State Capitol Christmas Tree Sparkle a Little Brighter This Year

For more than 20 years, the Department of Developmental Services has been asked to participate with the official State Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and each year, it selects one of the 21 Regional Centers to nominate one of their clients to participate in the early December ceremony with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver by placing on the tree one of the hundreds of ornaments handmade by persons with developmental disabilities throughout the State.

This year, Lanterman was selected for this honor and is sending one of our school-age clients, so let’s get into the holiday spirit a little early and help make ornaments for the State Capitol Tree, so it sparkles just a little brighter this year. The Department is hoping to collect over 1,500 ornaments to adorn the State Capitol Tree.

To be included on the tree, all ornaments must be received at Department headquarters by Wednesday, November 17, 2010.

View suggested guidelines for ornaments and download the packing slip that must be submitted when shipping the ornaments to DDS.

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

View suggested guidelines for ornaments and download the packing slip that must be submitted when shipping the ornaments to DDS.

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Physician and Parent Anila Guruji’s Medical Knowledge and Personal Experiences Bring a Unique Skill Set to the Lanterman Board of Directors

Lanterman Parent and Physician Anila Guruji also joined Lanterman’s Board of Directors this summer and is looking forward to the opportunity to give back to the community that she and her family have been part of for over 23 years.

She shares, “As a mother of a young adult with autism, I have played an active role in navigating and advocating on behalf of my son, and in finding the appropriate services and support for him since he was first diagnosed. I look forward to sharing these experiences with the board so that the family perspective and the challenges that families face are considered by the board when they make decisions about the direction of the Regional Center’s policies, services and support.”

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

Attorney Dina Richman’s Background in Healthcare Law Brings Valuable Insight to Lanterman's Board

Dina Richman, an attorney with Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP, joined Lanterman’s board of directors this summer.

A 2007 graduate from UCLA School of Law, Richman concentrates her practice at the Los Angeles firm in the healthcare field and is well-versed in a wide variety of healthcare issues.

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

Let Us Know What You Think About Our New Format for “Viewpoint”

As part of our efforts to be innovative and try new approaches to delivering information related to the Lanterman community, we’re testing out a new format for our “Viewpoint” newsletter. As you may know, about a year ago, we made the switch from a printed newsletter to a newsletter designed to be distributed online, but in a printable PDF format. This new format takes it a step further – the content is now available as a navigable Web page with links to stories that are displayed in Web page format.

While the entire newsletter no longer can be printed at one time, each of the individual stories will continue to be printable. In addition, this new format will allow us to distribute our newsletters more regularly, ensuring that happenings in the community are shared with readers in a more timely fashion. Also, while the newsletter will include feature articles, such as success stories, profiles, and stories about Lanterman events, time critical information including trainings, and upcoming Lanterman and community events will continue to be distributed via our Lanterman E-bulletins.

So, please let us know what you think about this new format for “Viewpoint” by e-mailing your feedback to our newsletter editor, Vinita Anand, at vanand@lanterman.org.

Read More at the Lanterman.org Website »

vanand@lanterman.org.

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