The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act (AB 846), also known as the Lanterman Act, is a California law that was initially proposed by Assembly member Frank D. Lanterman in 1973 and passed in 1977 and gives people with developmental disabilities the right to services and supports that enable them to live a more independent and normal life.

In October of 2013, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed SB 468 (Emmerson) into law to create the Self-Determination Program (SDP) as another option for clients and families to receive services. As authorized in Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 4685.8, “the Self-Determination Program is a voluntary delivery system consisting of a mix of services and supports, selected and directed by a participant through person-centered planning, in order to meet the objectives in his or her Individual Program Plan. Self-determination services and supports are designed to assist the participant to achieve personally defined outcomes in community settings that promote inclusion.”

SDP provides individuals and their families with more freedom, control, and responsibility in choosing services and supports to help them meet objectives in their Individual Program Plan. During the 3-year implementation period of the SDP, the program only was available to 2,500 individuals.  Starting July 1, 2021, the SDP now is available to all eligible individuals receiving services from a regional center.