Supporting independence

Mark Gordon was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 18 months old. He’d been born three months premature, and his lungs did not fully develop. Difficulties breathing made walking “a really laborious process,” he explained during a recent phone interview.

Gordon, who’s 53, is a client of the Far Northern Regional Center, a nonprofit organization empowered by state legislation to support individuals with developmental disabilities. He embodies that mission—so much so that he also helps other clients.

He used a manual wheelchair until he was 11, when he got his first motorized wheelchair. Far Northern has provided funds to adapt equipment to his specific needs. He moved from Redding to attend Chico State, and he started law school in Sacramento before a medical leave brought him back to Chico, where he completed studies to become a paralegal.

Gordon also worked, teaching independent living skills to others with disabilities. He got promoted to supervisor, and after four years in that capacity, he decided to branch out on his own. In 1998, he formed Proactive Resources, an agency providing assistance to people served by Far Northern.

“Far Northern was generous enough to give me start-up money,” he said.

Originally just himself and two part-timers, his business—now known as Here’s the Deal, headquartered across from the Chico City Plaza at 500 Main St.—has grown to 55 employees.

“I knew that we could do things a little bit differently,” Gordon said. “Knowing what it is to need assisted-living services has given us insight into some of the challenges that clients go through.”

Laura Larson, Far Northern executive director, is thrilled by Gordon’s accomplishments.

“He’s his own success story; I just believed in him,” she said. “He really provides good services. He understands the population he’s serving; they’re his brothers and sisters, and he brings an enormous amount of respect to people … and builds supports around what people want for their lives.”

The same could be said about Far Northern, which serves 7,000 customers in nine counties across Northern California, reaching the Oregon and Nevada borders.

“I put a lot of miles on my car,” said Larson, whose organization has offices in Chico, Redding, Mount Shasta and Lake Almanor.

Statewide, Far Northern is one of 21 regional centers. The system developed in the 1960s, spurred by President John F. Kennedy; the local chapter opened in 1969.

At the time, state hospitals represented the extent of services for people with disabilities. Starting with children, and then expanding to adults, regional centers began offering assistance on an outpatient basis.

“Our mission is to provide services and support throughout a person’s lifetime,” Larson said, “so they can live a productive life as a welcome member of the community.”

Services are free. Funding comes from the state, which stipulates how the services get provided through a series of legislative bills (i.e., the Early Intervention Services Act and the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act). However, regional centers are not part of the state government.

“We’re highly regulated, but there’s enormous room for creativity,” Larson said.

Early interventions are for newborns to children younger than 3. As Dr. Lisa Benaron, Far Northern medical director, explains, children are eligible if they have delays in one or more areas: motor skills, speech/language, cognitive and social.

“This program is designed to be inclusive of all young kids with significant developmental delays,” Benaron said. No formal diagnosis is required.

At age 3, however, children served by a regional center must have a formal diagnosis of epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disability or a particular cognitive impairment. Families may continue to receive the same services, though sometimes from a different therapist.

“Some states have chosen to extend Early Intervention through age 5 to give more time before making big decisions about eligibility in the system,” Benaron said; that’s something she’d support. On the plus side, “the California Regional Center system provides services to all individuals who qualify, while some other states cap the number of people served and stick everyone else on a waiting list—a tragedy, in my mind.”

As the child grows, other services become available. Schools gain the responsibility for meeting educational needs, but regional centers may send professionals, such as therapists, to the home and supply other support. For adults, the regional center has day programs and residential programs, along with vocational training and “College Plus” for FNRC customers pursuing higher education.

Gordon appreciates all he receives. Far Northern pays for in-home support staff to help with physical tasks he’s unable to perform, which has enabled him to live alone in a Chico duplex.

“I’m incredibly dependent on others to help me with my activities,” he said, “but with that support I’m able to be incredibly independent and hopefully productive.”

No doubt about that—“Mark is only limited by his body,” Larson said. “Anybody who wants to whine about how they can’t move forward in the world only needs to look to Mark Gordon.”

Gordon stresses that Far Northern isn’t a cure-all. The agency has financial and practical limits, like any organization, so customers should have realistic expectations and realize that Far Northern tries to use its resources judiciously.

That said: “It seems like we always have to fight and justify why we get what we do. Without the compassion and consistency of the care I’m afforded, I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”