The USC UCEDD Parent/Consumer Webinar series aims to educate individuals with developmental disabilities and their families on policy issues affecting their lives, supported by a grant from AIDD. Led by Susan Kanegawa and featuring speaker Evelyn Abouhassan, the webinar outlines the legislative process, emphasizing how to identify problems, engage legislators, and advocate for change, using California's SB 555 as a case study. The session encourages community involvement in transforming ideas into law and offers resources for further advocacy.

1. 1
Welcome to the USC UCEDD
Parent/Consumer Webinar Series
funded by grant #90DD0695 from
the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD)
Administration on Community Living
March 18, 2016

2. 2
Your Moderator
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Susan Kanegawa
USC UCEDD Family Support Coordinator
skanegawa@chla.usc.edu
www.uscucedd.org
The USC University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles (USC UCEDD) is one of 68 UCEDDs funded to promote systemic change, advocacy, and
capacity building in states on behalf of individuals with, or at risk for, developmental, behavioral
and/or special health care needs and their families.
The USC UCEDD Webinar series is designed to educate the community about current policy issues
which impact the lives of people we serve and their families. Our primary audience is individuals
with special needs and their families. At this time, our webinars are in English only. We are
exploring methods to make this series available in other languages in the future.

3. 3
Structure and Logistics
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4. 4
Poll:
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•4
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Evelyn Abouhassan, Esq.
Senior Legislative Advocate for Disability Rights California
March 18, 2016
How Ideas Are Made
into Law
and How to Get Involved

6. 6
About Evelyn Abouhassan
Evelyn is the Senior Legislative Advocate for Disability
Rights California (DRC). She manages the legislative
and public policy work at DRC.
The primary focus of her work includes budget issues
and policy areas that impact individuals with
developmental disabilities, employment, and
discrimination issues.
Disability Rights California is the agency established under federal law to protect and
advocate for individuals with disabilities. Their staff directly represents thousands of
Californians each year and helps tens of thousands more by working for systemic
change.

7. Legislative Advocacy
Tips
Overview: How Ideas are Made into
Law and How to Get Involved
Presented By: Evelyn Abouhassan
Senior Legislative Advocate
Disability Rights California

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Transforming Ideas into Law
What are the key pieces to the puzzle?
- Discovering a Problem and Seeking a Solution
- Developing the Bill Idea
- “Shopping” for the Author
- Dealing with the Opposition or Potential
Opposition
- Getting Involved: The Committee Process
- Getting the Bill Signed into Law

9. 9
Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
What was the problem?
- Some people who receive services from
the regional centers (RCs) do not speak
English or are limited in speaking or
understanding English.

10. 10
Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
SB 555 (Correa, 2013) makes sure non-
English or limited English speaking
consumers and their families have equal
information about RC services.

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Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
Solved the problem by changing the law:
- Made sure consumers and family members got
information about RC services in a language
they understood
- Initial intake and assessment for RC services:
required in language normally or preferred by
consumer or parent, legal guardian,
conservator, or authorized representative

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Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
Individual Program Plan (IPP):
- RC must communicate with consumer, or family
where appropriate, in native language during
the planning and development of the IPP and at
the IPP meeting itself
- RC may avoid doing so only if the Department
of Developmental Services (DDS) determines it
is a hardship

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Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
If you normally speak or prefer Vietnamese, the
RC must communicate with you in Vietnamese in
planning and developing your IPP and during your
IPP meeting.
The RC center can do this using a RC employee
who speaks your language or an interpreter and
providing you materials in your native language.

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Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
RCs have to provide a copy of IPP in your
native language, or where appropriate, your
family, legal guardian, conservator, or
authorized representative, or both, unless
DDS has determined it would be a hardship
for the RC to do it.

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Discovering a Problem and
Seeking a Legislative Solution
RCs must put down what your native
language is in the IPP. For example, if you
speak or prefer Korean, the RC has to write
down that Korean is your native language in
the IPP.

16. 16
“Shopping” for the Author
What does it mean to “shop for an
author”?
- Meet with legislators to find one who will take
the idea and help to change the law
- Explain the importance of the issue and the bill
to legislators that have an interest in the topic

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“Shopping” for the Author
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
- Met individually with staffers of legislators that
had an interest in developmental disabilities
issues
- Explained the problem and proposed solution

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“Shopping” for the Author
SB 555 (Correa)
- Lou Correa, a Spanish speaking legislator from
Southern California, agreed to author the bill.

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The Committee Process
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
Bills get referred to committees based on several
factors.
Topic: Involved RC issues so it was referred to the human
services committees in the Senate and Assembly
Cost: Tagged with cost to the state so it was referred to
the appropriations committees in the Senate and the
Assembly

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Dealing with the Opposition or
Potential Opposition
- The key is to try to reach areas of common
ground with the opposition before a committee
hearing.
- There are always compromising and non-
compromising points.
- Meet with legislative committee staff and the
governor’s office to discuss the bill and address
issues that may be raised by potential
opposition.

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The Committee Process
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
Getting the bill out of committees:
How you get involved in this process
- Testimony about the need by consumers, family
members, lobbyists
- Letters by people like you and lobbyists as to
why the bill, if passed, would be good or bad
policy
- Meeting with legislators and their staff on bills
(most times you will meet with staff)

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The Committee Process
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
Testify before a committee: You usually can testify
in each committee the bill is heard.
- State your name and the organization that you
represent or indicate that you are a citizen and state
where you live.
- Legislators will be interested to hear what you have to
say and usually do not ask too many questions of
individual citizens.
- Keep your testimony short and to the point.

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The Committee Process
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
- Even if you can’t testify, you can send letters to the
committee. (Links to sample letters at the end of the
presentation.)
- Send letters to members of EACH committee the bill will
be heard in 1 week BEFORE the hearing the bill is
heard.
- Keep your letters to committee members short and to
the point.

24. 24
The Committee Process
SB 555 (Correa, 2013)
Meet with legislators if you can!
- Schedule a meeting with legislators on a committee (or
your legislator).
- Communicate your support or concerns about the bill.
Keep your message short and to the point.
- Work with other groups, like Disability Rights California,
to talk to the committee members BEFORE the bill is
heard.

25. 25
Getting the Bill Signed into Law
Communicating with the Governor
- The governor has 12 days to sign,
approve without signing, or veto (reject)
a bill.
- A letter or phone call to the governor's
office is appropriate to state your position
on the bill.

26. 26
Getting the Bill Signed into Law
Urge other grassroots organizations to
support the bill and write letters or call the
governor’s office urging he sign it.

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Useful Links
Finding your legislator:
http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Writing your legislator:
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/F04001.htm
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/F04002.htm
Letters on bills Disability Rights California cares about:
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/legislature/Legislation/201
6/index.htm

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Transformation Complete
You have now transformed your idea into
law.
You got involved in the process!
Let’s do it again and again!

29. 29
Poll:
Do you now have a better understanding of how
to advocate and how bills become law?

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