The California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) contracted with the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence and Mission Analytics Group for an independent evaluation of the Service Access and Equity (SAE) grant program. DDS created SAE grant program in 2016, an annual allocation of $11 million to support projects designed to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from diverse backgrounds to get the same access to services as everyone else. The evaluation focused on California’s regional centers and community-based organizations funded by the SAE grant program in 2018 through 2020.
The
evaluation
found that California leads the nation in passing laws and funding to help make sure people with IDD and their families from diverse backgrounds get the supports and services they need; evaluators also recommend that the SAE grant program should continue. Recommendations include changes to the program to make sure it works better in areas of grant focus, project structure, and grant measures. With this information and the partnership of stakeholders, DDS will continue to identify areas of priorities for reducing disparities, tracking progress, and continue to identify and address areas of improvement.
Read the clear language summary and access the full report on the DDS website here: Service Access & Equity Grant Program - CA Department of Developmental Services : CA Department of Developmental Services