A Bit About Us

Working Towards a Better Tomorrow

GAWA Services provides Independent Facilitation and other related and some non-related support services.

Yvonne - Founder
Yvonne worked in the medical field for over a decade and social support services nearly twice that.  She grew in an immigrant home with a sister with Down Syndrome. In college, she managed a transitional shelter for foster youth transitioning into adulthood. After, she was hired by CalOptima to handle some of their MediCal caseloads when hospice companies began seeking her intercultural expertise, demonstrable excellence, and intensity of compassion that allowed her to help ease the dying experiences of hundreds throughout Southern California.

Since her own childrens' diagnosis with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities, she has navigated the complex bureaucracies of the various supports available to DDS clients. When she heard about the Self-Determination Program, she was quickly pulled to help develop pilot program trainings and has quickly become a recognized expert on the SDP process.

Yvonne has worked under the direction of Sunni of the Guidelights group, Christina author of first approved state IF plan, and Chris of IF Network - we recommend them for their regional areas.

Yvonne obtained her Bachelors at Chapman University in Cultural Anthropology. She currently lives in Garden Grove with her husband and two sons, 4 guinea pigs, and 300+ plants.