With the assistance of individuals with developmental disabilities, family members, regional centers, services providers, professionals, and other interested individuals the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) identified common desired outcomes for individual life quality. The outcomes represent things that people traditionally identified as being important in their everyday lives. Based upon these individual outcomes, the DDS developed a way to help people look at their lives and identify opportunities to improve their life quality. It is a process called Looking at Life Quality and its intent is to:

• help individuals with developmental disabilities identify and communicate information about their life quality.
• result in an improvement in life quality.
• provide information for use in the Individual Program Plan (IPP) process.
• gather information for use by regional centers for the enhancement of services and supports, and the improvement of the system as a whole.

Who will be visited and how often?

Those who will be visited include children and adults living in licensed community care facilities, licensed health care facilities; licensed foster family homes; foster family agencies (FFA), foster home agencies (FHA), supported living arrangements; or independent living arrangements.

As of July 1, 1998, area boards across the state of California are responsible for completing Life Quality Assessments no less than once every three (3) years.

Who are the visitors?

Visitors may include people with developmental disabilities, family members, professionals, students, and other interested persons. Prior to participating in any visits, visitors receive training on the individual life quality outcomes, how to gather information and complete a written summary. Visitors are also required to attend training on an on-going basis.

How is the information gathered and what happens with it?

Information about Life Quality will be gathered through a casual, friendly conversation with the individual, and may include others who know and care about him or her; and through participation with or observation of the individual in his or her daily activities. The person completing the assessment will develop a written summary of the information from the conversation(s). This includes information about things that are going well in someone's life and things that need some follow-up. The information gathered is confidential. It will be shared with the individual and, as appropriate, parent, guardian or conservator, regional center and others as chosen by the individual or his/her legal representative. The visit will be scheduled prior to the IPP meeting. That means the information can be used in the review of the IPP to support someone in achieving greater personal satisfaction with his or her life quality.

To learn more about becoming a contracted Visitor, click here. For more information regarding the LQA Project please send email to ab10lqa@scdd.ca.gov or contact Ruby Villanueva, Project Director at 818-548-3009.

Developmental Disabilities Board Area 10
411 N. Central Avenue, Suite #620
Glendale, CA 91203-2020
(818) 543-4631
e-mail: ab10lqa@scdd.ca.gov