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AB596: A Trojan Horse Bill Diminishes the Right to Counsel

By Thomas F. Coleman Daily Journal – March 3, 2021 A measure relating to appointed legal counsel in probate conservatorships was recently introduced into the California Assembly.  Assembly Bill 596 is authored by Assemblymember Janet Nguyen, a Republican legislator representing parts of Orange County. The bill is sponsored by the California Lawyers Association on behalf of its Trusts and Estates Section.  The CLA represents the business interests of some 7,000 members of that section who practice law in California’s probate courts.  While CLA officials may believe the bill improves existing law, improvement is in the eye of the beholder.  AB596 […]

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Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Spectrum Institute is pleased to participate in Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.  Each March, organizations and individuals throughout the United States engage in a variety of activities to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life, as well as awareness to the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.  Developmental disabilities include cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The history and purpose of this commemoration is explained by the Special Needs Alliance: “In 1987 President Ronald Reagan […]

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Update on the Mental Health Project

February was a very busy month. We added 6 project advisors to the team. We launched a campaign inviting organizations to endorse the Mental Health Project’s statement of legal principles underlying the right of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to have prompt and equal access to the full range of mental health therapies available to people without disabilities. We also started work a series of articles on Consequence of Violating the Right to Therapy. New Advisors to the Mental Health Project The number of projects advisors doubled in February. We are happy to welcome: Daniel B. LeGoff, PhD, LS, […]

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PURSUIT OF JUSTICE – A Quest for Guardianship Reform

Pursuit of Justice is a powerful documentary film that, by telling the stories of injustices to specific individuals, demonstrates the need for systemic reforms in adult guardianship and conservatorship systems in all 50 states.  It calls for state judicial proceedings to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and for the intervention of the U.S. Department of Justice when ADA violations occur. The film is intended to stimulate people with disabilities, seniors, and adults of all ages who care about civil rights, to join a growing network of individuals and organizations that are advocating for guardianship reform. To view the […]

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Our Team Keeps Growing

During the last few months we have witnessed a major influx of volunteers. We now have a team of 37 people supporting the projects and activities of Spectrum Institute. There is a five-member board of trustees governing the organization.  Four volunteers work with the executive director to handle our research, technology, development, and outreach activities.  A website developer is in the process of creating a new website. The Disability and Guardianship Project has two legal advisors who are periodically consulted.  It also has 12 advisors on an Attorney Fee Review Team.  The director of the Mental Health Project has 10 mental health […]

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Outreach to the California State Bar Board of Trustees

Thomas F. Coleman, legal director of Spectrum Institute, will speak during the public comment segment of the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the California State Bar on November 24, 2020. The meeting will be held in Los Angeles. Coleman will encourage the State Bar to take two actions in 2020: (1) support our right-to-counsel bill to ensure that seniors and other people with disabilities have effective representation of counsel in probate conservatorship proceedings; and (2) take pro-active measures to ensure that the State Bar’s complaint system is accessible to people with cognitive and communication disabilities. For a copy […]

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