Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act
Californian legislation, introduced in 1969, that sets forth the rights of people with developmental disabilities and the structure of the system for planning, coordinating, and delivering services and supports to them. This act is noteworthy because, unlike similar statutes in most U.S. states, it has been interpreted judicially as establishing an entitlement to services. In 1990, a class action suit (William Coffelt v. California Department of Developmental Services) criticized and challenged California’s implementation of Lanterman; the settlement agreement in 1994 (the Coffelt decision) ordered a reduction in the use of institutional settings and movement of institutional residents to community settings, along with specific changes to processes for individual planning of services and supports. The reduction in institutionalization mandated by the Coffelt decision stalled, however, and in 2001 another suit was filed challenging its implementation.
The case (Capitol People First v. California Department of Developmental Services) was settled in 2009, with the Department of Developmental Services agreeing to develop, support, fund sufficiently, and publicize the existence of services to help people move from institutions to community settings.