As an approved vendor to the California Regional Center, IF Ambassadors is here to help maximize and navigate the Self-Determination Program offered by the Regional Centers as an alternative to their traditional services.
The Self-Determination Program offers the flexibility to design a life that best reflects the needs of the individual client, and IF Ambassadors is here to help navigate the system to best find the programs that meet an individual client’s needs and requirements.
IF Ambassadors is here help choose and design the best Determination Program for each individual client to provide the flexibility and create the best path to achieve the personal goals for individual independence.
We speak English, German and Farsi.
5 Principles of Self-Determination
IF Ambassadors are here to help you achieve this and guide you in the Self Determination Program.
Freedom
Gives the participant the right to plan their own life and make their own decisions
Authority
Participants have control over a budget for services
Support
Participants pick supports and people to help them live, work, and play
Responsibility
Make decisions in their life and have a valued role in the community
Confirmation
Participants are the decision makers about their life
Personal Statement
After a successful career in the entertainment industry, where I founded and sold multiple companies, I chose to retire following the discovery that my son has a developmental disability. I dedicated myself fully to supporting, educating, and advocating for him.
When I learned that the Lanterman Act extended the Self-Determination Program for individuals with developmental disabilities, my son and I became among the first participants at the Westside Regional Center.
At that time, there was no access to an Independent Facilitator, so I assumed that role myself. I immersed myself in the system, learned the regulations, built provider networks, negotiated services, and structured a plan designed to maximize my son’s independence, community integration, and ability to pursue his dreams.
Through persistence, strategic planning, and a deep understanding of the system, I successfully navigated the complexities of Self-Determination and helped create a sustainable, person-centered support structure.
Today, I am committed to helping other individuals and families successfully enter and thrive in the Self-Determination Program. I combine entrepreneurial strategy, practical system knowledge, and lived experience as a parent to guide families toward greater independence, choice, and opportunity.
-Wolfgang Odenthal
