The California Disability Services Association (CDSA) is a trade association serving the needs of non-profit and for-profit organizations that provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Our members improve life and opportunity for people with disabilities, providing housing, transportation, meals, training, and employment opportunities. The goal of CDSA is help member organizations operate efficiently and provide the best possible services to their clients, with appropriate funding and regulatory support.
Our Services
- Lobbying – CDSA tracks and reports on the state budget, bills, and regulations. In addition, we develop new legislation to support membership organizations and disability services. We provide policy statements and counter-proposals in easy to understand language that you can share with families and local legislators. We also provide training on how to communicate your concerns to legislators and facilitate an annual day at the Capitol.
- Training – CDSA provides workshops and seminars at locations throughout the state addressing programs, best practices, management, how-to, state regulations, and board governance.
- Communications – CDSA keeps you informed through a monthly e-mail newsletter, legislative updates, and alerts. There’s a listserv where members respond with advice and insights to any request for information or sample materials. And CDSA maintains a website with detailed information on current issues and programs.
- Meetings – At local caucus meetings, you have an opportunity to explore issues in depth and share your concerns. CDSA holds a fall annual meeting focused on training, two winter meetings (North and South) to update you on current issues, and a spring legislative affairs conference. The information is up-to-date and important, but networking with peers draws many to these meetings.
- Employment Contract Procurement – CDSA helps members secure contract with state, city, and county agencies. These are “set-aside” contract opportunities for persons with disabilities under the WIC codes. We identify opportunities and provide advice through the entire procurement process.
- Business Support – CDSA provides a discount on state fund worker’s compensation insurance and offers the expertise of a broker to address other insurance needs. We share innovative business practices and creative ways to overcome funding limitations.
There are many useful ideas and tools available through CDSA: innovative programs for persons with disabilities, creative cost-cutting measures, sample letters of protest for unanticipated rate cuts, and others that you won’t learn about anywhere else. There is a power in numbers. In our world, individual human services organizations have little influence and get little attention. Being part of a state association gives your agency a chance to become part of a larger voice – and to direct its focus.