Maybe. Talk about your need for the special equipment or assistive technology you need at your IPP meeting. The regional center might first help you get equipment you need from a generic agency, such as:

• California Children’s Services,
• Medi-Cal,
• private insurance, or
• California Department of Rehabilitation.^[1]Sections 4659(a) and 4648(a)(8).

If you are enrolled in a special education program, the regional center may refer you to your school district for specialized equipment or assistive technology. The school district might provide this if you need the same equipment for your education, and if the school district allows you to take the items home. But, if what you need for your education is different than what you need at home or the community, or if the school district will not let you take it home, the referral to your school district will not fulfill this need.

If there will be a delay, the regional center may pay for the special equipment or assistive technology in the meantime.^[2]In one case, a California Superior Court upheld an administrative hearing decision ordering the regional center to provide educational services during a dispute with the school district. T.S. v. … Continue reading If there is no other generic agency that can pay for it, and a service, equipment, or technology is necessary to carrying out your IPP, the regional center must use its resources to provide it.

Make sure your IPP includes timelines and identifies who will help you get assistive technology or equipment from another agency or program responsible for it.