Feature 1 of 7
A warm welcome — and just enough context to help
DAN opens with a clean landing screen and asks only two things before getting started: which Regional Center, and optionally, the age of the person with the disability. That's it. No account, no login, no lengthy forms.
No login required
All 21 Regional Centers
Free forever for families
DAN
Navegador de Acceso para Personas con Discapacidad
A free navigation program for families, self-advocates, and circles of support navigating California's Regional Center system.
0–3
4–21
22–56
57+
Prefer not to say
Why we ask about race and ethnicity
These fields are completely optional and anonymous. They help DAN build the case that navigation support is reaching underserved communities — which matters enormously for funding and equity reporting. Nobody is identified.
Picking up where you left off?
If you downloaded or copied your last conversation, paste it below and DAN will pick up where you left off.
No account needed to continue
DAN never stores your session — that's a privacy feature. But if you saved or downloaded your last conversation, paste it back in on the home screen and DAN reads the full context, understands where things stood, and picks up exactly where you stopped. Nothing lost.
Feature 2 of 7
Six real situations families get stuck in
DAN doesn't start with a blank chat box. It offers six specific stuck points — the most common walls families hit in the Regional Center system — so people can find themselves immediately. Or they can describe their situation in their own words.
Which of these situations sounds familiar?
"We're waiting for an answer"
RC said they'd look into it — and then went quiet.
"My SDP year is ending and things aren't in place"
Spending plan not approved, FMS authorization not sent, or RC hasn't started the renewal.
"There's a generic resource for that"
RC points to a community option that doesn't actually work for your person.
"That goal isn't in the IPP"
Service denied because the IPP language doesn't match what was requested.
SDP Spending Plan
RC won't allow flexibility in how the budget is spent.
"That's a preference, not a need"
RC reframes a genuine support need as something you just want.
Not sure which fits? Tell DAN what's happening and we'll figure it out together.
Built from five years of real cases
These six stuck points weren't invented — they were distilled from hundreds of real family situations navigated through Captain's View Advocacy. They're the walls families hit most often, translated into language families actually use.
Feature 3 of 7
DAN navigates step by step — and always ends with a draft
DAN asks one question at a time, using plain language. It doesn't lecture or overload. It listens, clarifies, and then gives the family something they can actually use: a draft email, a call script, or talking points — ready to send or print.
D
I understand — your SDP year is ending and things aren't in place. That's a stressful situation, and you're right to pay attention.
Let's figure out exactly where things stand. What's the main problem right now?
Let's figure out exactly where things stand. What's the main problem right now?
You
The spending plan has been with my RC for six weeks and I haven't heard anything.
D
Six weeks without an update is too long. Under the Lanterman Act and DDS directives, the RC has an obligation to process your spending plan in a reasonable timeframe — and six weeks without communication is not reasonable.
Here's a draft email you can send to your service coordinator today:
Here's a draft email you can send to your service coordinator today:
📄 Draft email — ready to send
Subject: Follow-up: SDP Spending Plan — [Your Name]
Dear [Service Coordinator],
I am writing to follow up on my SDP Spending Plan, which was submitted approximately six weeks ago. I have not received any update on its status, and my program year end date is approaching.
I would appreciate a written update on the status of my plan and an estimated timeline for approval. Please respond by [date 5 business days from today].
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Dear [Service Coordinator],
I am writing to follow up on my SDP Spending Plan, which was submitted approximately six weeks ago. I have not received any update on its status, and my program year end date is approaching.
I would appreciate a written update on the status of my plan and an estimated timeline for approval. Please respond by [date 5 business days from today].
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Always close with a draft
Every DAN session ends with something the family can act on immediately — an email, call script, or talking points. Not general advice. Not "consider reaching out." An actual draft with their situation already written in.
DAN's brain is its knowledge base
DAN draws only from vetted sources: the Lanterman Act, DDS directives, Regional Center purchase of services guidelines, and expert IF advisory input. It doesn't improvise or guess. If it doesn't know, it says so and points you to a human.
Feature 4 of 7
English and Spanish — equity built in from the start
DAN launches in both English and Spanish. One click switches the full interface. Because the families who most need DAN's guidance are often the ones for whom English is a second language — and the navigation gap is even wider for them.
¿Cuál de estas situaciones describe la tuya?
"Estamos esperando una respuesta"
El RC dijo que lo revisaría — y luego no dijo nada más.
"Mi año del SDP está terminando y las cosas no están listas"
El plan de gastos no está aprobado o el RC no ha comenzado la renovación.
"Hay un recurso general para eso"
El RC señala una opción comunitaria que no funciona para tu persona.
"Esa meta no está en el IPP"
Servicio denegado porque el lenguaje del IPP no coincide.
¿No estás seguro/a cuál aplica? Cuéntale a DAN lo que está pasando y lo resolveremos juntos.
More languages coming in Phase 1
Spanish is live now. Phase 1 will add human-quality translations for the additional languages most spoken by Regional Center families across California — prioritized by community need.
Feature 5 of 7
Save your conversation — nothing is stored on our end
DAN doesn't store conversations. That's a privacy feature, not a limitation. Families can copy or download a full transcript of their session at any time — and paste it back in next time to pick up exactly where they left off.
Your DAN conversation — March 16, 2026
DAN
I understand — your SDP year is ending and things aren't in place. Let's figure out exactly where things stand...
You
The spending plan has been with my RC for six weeks and I haven't heard anything.
DAN
Six weeks without an update is too long. Under the Lanterman Act and DDS directives, the RC has an obligation to process your spending plan in a reasonable timeframe...
DAN — Draft email
Subject: Follow-up: SDP Spending Plan — [Your Name]
Dear [Service Coordinator], I am writing to follow up on my SDP Spending Plan, submitted approximately six weeks ago...
Dear [Service Coordinator], I am writing to follow up on my SDP Spending Plan, submitted approximately six weeks ago...
Privacy by design
No account. No login. No conversation stored on DAN's servers. The only record of your session is what you save yourself. This was a deliberate choice — families sharing sensitive information about their loved ones deserve that protection.
Pick up where you left off
Paste a saved transcript back into DAN at the start of a new session and DAN will read it, understand the context, and continue the conversation — no starting over from scratch.
Feature 6 of 7
Every session teaches DAN something new
Families rate every DAN response with a thumbs up or down. At the end of each session they're invited to share more. That feedback goes straight into a structured pipeline — tracked by Regional Center, by stuck point type, and over time. This is how DAN gets better, and how LVACs will eventually see what their community is running into.
How is DAN doing?
This is a pilot. Your feedback helps shape what DAN becomes. At the end of this session you'll have the opportunity to share more — what worked, what didn't, and what you wish DAN had known.
202
Pilot signups
across all 21 RCs
across all 21 RCs
21/21
Regional Centers
represented
represented
90%
of sessions happen outside
RC office hours
RC office hours
90% of DAN sessions happen when no service coordinator is available — evenings, late nights, and weekends. Families are navigating the RC system at 11pm because that's the only quiet moment they have. DAN is there when nothing else is.
Top Regional Centers in the pilot
Based on pilot registration data through March 26, 2026
What families are saying
"This is an incredible product and I am more than impressed. I will definitely be recommending it."
— Former DDS Ombudsperson / IF leader
"I received the support I needed! Very well informed. Thank you."
— Family member, East Bay
"It has been VERY helpful."
— Family member, RCOC
"Excellent"
— Spanish-speaking family member
"The point about IPP goals being too general is exactly right — that is our problem."
— Family member, RC Lanterman
When families use DAN
315 sessions · Pacific Time
Weekday evenings & nights
68%
Weekends (any hour)
22%
Weekday business hours (9–5)
10%
11pm is DAN's single busiest hour. Families navigate the RC system when the day finally goes quiet.
Why families come to DAN
Entry card selected at session start · 64+ tracked sessions
"Other question" = a real situation that doesn't yet match a current topic card — points toward where DAN expands next.
What this means for LVACs
Over time, DAN will show each LVAC which issues their community is hitting most — not anecdotes, but structured data by RC, by issue type, by trend. That's information LVACs have never had before.
Outreach
DAN reaches beyond current SDP families — and brings more people in
Every family that signs up for DAN is asked one question: are they currently in SDP? Families who aren't yet — but want to learn more — automatically receive a plain-language email explaining what SDP is, how to get started, and how DAN can help them on that path. This is how DAN grows the SDP community, not just serves it.
When you sign up for DAN, we ask:
● Sí, estoy inscrito/a en el PDA
● No, pero envíame más información sobre el PDA
○ No estoy seguro/a si el PDA es adecuado para nosotros
○ El PDA no es la opción correcta ahora
Al seleccionar "envíame más información" se activa automáticamente un correo bilingüe — lenguaje sencillo, sin jerga — que explica qué es el PDA, cómo comenzar y cómo DAN puede ayudar. El Centro Regional nunca envía este correo. DAN sí.
DAN Insiders — a community, not just a tool
Families and IFs who want to stay close to DAN's development can opt in at signup as DAN Insiders. They receive advance notice of new features, occasional updates on what DAN is learning, and invitations to community conversations. Their lived experience shapes what DAN becomes.
Early pilot data — SDP enrollment & Insiders opt-in
Fields launched March 24, 2026 · early signal, data growing
100%
of new signups opted into DAN Insiders — every person who saw the option chose to join
50%
are currently enrolled in SDP — DAN is reaching active participants who need navigation support
50%
are not yet in SDP but requested more information — pre-enrollment families DAN is actively growing into the program
What this means for LVACs
✓
DAN isn't only for families already in SDP — it actively reaches the families your LVAC most wants to engage
✓
Every "send me more info" response is a warm lead for SDP adoption — captured, tracked, and followed up automatically
✓
Bilingual outreach built in — Spanish and English together, from day one
You've seen the features
Now try it with a real situation
The pilot is live and free. No login, no download, no setup. Open it on your phone or computer and start with any of the six stuck points — or describe your own situation in your own words.
"Por fin algo que da ayuda concreta."
— Tina Ewing-Wilson, Becaria Howard McBroom, Disability Voices United
Try DAN — it's free and takes 2 minutes
Open on any device. Start with a real stuck point. Leave with something you can act on today.
Open DAN Pilot →
bit.ly/tryDANPilot