Quality Services and Quality Jobs for Supporting Californians with Developmental Disabilities

Carol Zabin

This report examines the current state of affairs in California’s programs serving individuals with developmental disabilities. The author assesses the advantages and drawbacks of the sector’s highly decentralized structure, and compares California alongside other states on various measures. The author explains the flaws of “deinstitutionalized” service provision, as now practiced— including low wages, high turnover, substandard care, and inadequate training infrastructures—and offers long- and short-run proposals to resolve these problems.