Media Use Consent and Removal Policy

How bttr collects, uses, stores, and removes photos, videos, audio, and stories. Published for participants, families, service coordinators, community partners, and anyone who wants to know how we protect the people who appear in our materials.

Last updated October 10, 2026Published by bttr Living LLC

Our commitment to choice, privacy, and dignity

A photo or a story can show what good support looks like. It can also expose someone who never wanted to be seen. bttr shares media only when the person in it has freely said yes, and removes it when they ask.

We care about every person who appears in our materials and every person who decides not to. If you see something published by bttr that concerns you, or you want something taken down, please contact us at info@bttrliving.com or (510) 709 5809. You do not need to explain why.

1.About this policy

This is a public information page. It is not a media release form, and reading it does not give bttr permission to use anyone's image or story.

This policy explains bttr's general practices for media. It exists so that all media use is voluntary, informed, and respectful, and so that anyone can see how bttr handles it.

  • Permission to use media is collected separately, in a written media release that names the specific uses a person agrees to.
  • Agreeing to receive services from bttr is not agreeing to media. The two are always separate decisions.
  • Each person's own signed release applies to them. If it differs from this page, the release applies.
  • California law protects a person's name, voice, and likeness, and makes the records of people who receive regional center services confidential. bttr's practices are built on both.

2.What counts as media

Anything that shows, records, or describes a person in a way that could identify them.

  • Photographs
  • Video recordings, including short social media clips
  • Audio recordings and voice
  • Written stories, testimonials, and quotes
  • Artwork, writing, or other work a participant created
  • Screenshots of messages or video calls

Session notes, service records, and photos taken only to document a service or an incident are not media under this policy. Those are confidential records, handled under bttr's privacy practices and never used publicly.

3.When media is collected

Only after consent, and only when the person knows it is happening and why.

With consent, bttr may gather media during services, community events, workshops, interviews, or celebrations. The purpose is to share real stories, show what its programs look like, and train its team.

  • bttr tells the person before a camera or recorder is used, and says what the media is for.
  • A person who has signed a release can still say no on any given day. That answer is respected on the spot.
  • bttr does not collect media during private or sensitive moments, including personal care, medical appointments, and times of distress.
  • bttr does not use hidden cameras or record anyone without their knowledge.

5.Where media may be used

Only in the places the person agreed to. Each one is a separate choice.

  • The bttr website at bttrliving.com
  • bttr social media pages and digital content
  • Printed brochures, flyers, and reports
  • Newsletters and participant welcome materials
  • Presentations to regional centers, community partners, and funders
  • Internal staff training materials

Media is used respectfully and in a way that reflects the person accurately. bttr does not use media in a misleading, exploitative, or demeaning way, and does not use a person's image to suggest they endorse something they did not agree to. Any use beyond what the release covers requires new permission.

6.What bttr does not publish

Certain details stay private no matter what a release says.

bttr does not publish the following alongside media of a participant:

  • Full legal name
  • Diagnosis or disability details
  • Medical or behavioral information
  • Home address or exact location of the home
  • Regional center name tied to the person, or any regional center identification number
  • Financial, benefits, or legal information

A first name or a chosen name is used only with the person's permission. A person may choose to share more of their own story in their own words, and bttr will talk with them about what that means before anything is published.

7.How media is handled

People can see content before it is shared, and bttr does not alter anyone's image in a misleading way.

  • Preview. A person can ask to review any photo, video, quote, or story about them before it is shared publicly, and can ask for changes or say no.
  • Editing. bttr may crop, trim, adjust color and sound, add captions, and combine media with other content. It does not edit media in a way that changes what a person said or did.
  • Artificial intelligence. bttr does not use a participant's image or voice to create synthetic or AI generated likenesses, and does not submit participant media to train AI models.
  • Captions and context. Stories and captions are written with respect and person first values, and avoid language that invites pity.
  • Sharing with others. bttr does not sell media or license it to advertisers. Media is shared with outside parties only for a use the release covers.

8.Storage and security

Media is stored securely and seen only by the bttr personnel who need it.

  • Media and signed releases are stored in secure, access controlled cloud systems, with access limited to approved bttr personnel.
  • Media collected on a staff device for bttr is transferred to bttr storage and deleted from the device.
  • Unused media is not kept indefinitely. bttr reviews stored media periodically and deletes what is no longer needed or no longer covered by a current release.
  • Signed releases and removal requests are kept as records, as the law requires.
  • No system is perfectly secure. If media is exposed in a way the law requires bttr to report, bttr notifies the people affected promptly.

9.Requesting removal

Anyone can ask bttr to take down media they appear in, at any time, for any reason.

  1. Send the request. Email info@bttrliving.com or call (510) 709 5809 with your name, a description of the media, and where you saw it. A participant's support professional or a trusted person can send the request for them.
  2. bttr confirms. bttr confirms the request within five business days.
  3. bttr removes it. The content is removed from the platforms bttr manages within thirty days of confirmation, and usually sooner. Urgent safety concerns are handled first.
  4. bttr reports back. bttr lets the person know what was removed and whether anything could not be.

There is no fee, no form required, and no need to give a reason. A removal request never affects services.

10.Declining or withdrawing consent

A no at the start means no media. A change of mind later stops all future use.

  • When a person declines media consent, bttr does not collect or share media involving them.
  • When a person withdraws consent they gave earlier, bttr stops collecting and using their media going forward as soon as it receives the request.
  • Content already published is taken down through the removal process in section 9.
  • Consent can be narrowed as well as withdrawn. For example, a person can keep a printed brochure photo and decline social media.
  • bttr reviews media preferences with participants about once a year and when circumstances change, such as a participant turning 18 or a change in legal decision maker.

11.Limits to know about

We are direct about what removal can and cannot do, so that consent is truly informed.

Copies made by others
Once content is public, other people can save, screenshot, or repost it. bttr removes everything it directly manages but cannot control or recall copies held by third parties.
Printed materials
bttr stops distributing printed items it still holds. Brochures and flyers already handed out cannot be collected.
Search engines and archives
Search results and web archives may show removed content for a period of time. That timing is controlled by those services, not by bttr.
Social media platforms
Content posted to social media is also subject to each platform's own terms and privacy practices, which bttr does not control.
Media taken by others
bttr is not responsible for photos or recordings made by other attendees, news media, venues, or partner organizations at public or community events.
Records bttr must keep
bttr may keep a record of the release and the removal request, and any material it is legally required to retain. Retained items are not used publicly.

These limits do not reduce anyone's rights. Nothing on this page asks a person to give up a right the law does not allow them to waive. If removal matters urgently to you, tell us and we will treat it that way.

12.Events, staff, and others

The same respect applies at events, on staff phones, and to people who are not participants.

  • Events. When bttr plans to photograph or record at an event it hosts, it says so in advance or posts a notice. Anyone can ask not to be included, and bttr will avoid or remove images of them.
  • Group images. Before publishing a group photo or video, bttr checks that each identifiable participant has a release on file, or removes or obscures those who do not.
  • Staff conduct. Support professionals and other bttr staff may not post photos, videos, or stories about participants on personal accounts, and may not keep participant media on personal devices.
  • Families and participants. People are free to take and share their own photos. bttr asks that the privacy of other participants and of staff be respected, and that staff not be recorded without their knowledge.
  • Community members and partners. People outside bttr who appear in its media have the same right to decline and to request removal.
  • Employees. Media of bttr employees is covered by separate employment policies.

13.Ownership and payment

Stated openly, so there are no surprises later.

  • No payment. Taking part in bttr media is unpaid. bttr does not offer money, extra services, or any other benefit in exchange for media consent, so that the choice stays free of pressure.
  • Ownership of materials. Photos, videos, and other materials that bttr creates belong to bttr. A release gives bttr permission to use a person's image, voice, or story in the ways the release lists. It does not transfer the person's rights in their own name or likeness.
  • A participant's own work. Artwork, writing, and other work a participant creates remain theirs. bttr shares them only with permission and with credit in the way the person prefers.
  • Copies. A person can ask for a copy of published media they appear in.

14.Concerns and complaints

If media was used in a way that feels wrong, please tell us. We want to know, and it will not be held against anyone.

This includes anything published by bttr, anything posted by a bttr staff member, and any moment when someone felt pressured to be photographed or recorded. bttr aims to acknowledge every concern within one business day, look into it promptly, and respond in writing. bttr does not retaliate against anyone for raising a concern.

Contacting bttr first is encouraged but never required. Participants can also speak with their regional center service coordinator, contact the Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy at 1 800 390 7032 in Northern California or 1 866 833 6712 in Southern California, or contact the DDS Ombudsperson at (877) 658 9731.

15.Language and accessibility

Everyone has the right to understand this policy before making a choice about media.

  • This page is available in English and Spanish, and bttr arranges interpretation for other languages, including American Sign Language, on request
  • bttr can explain the media release with pictures and examples, read it aloud, or provide it in large print
  • People can use their own communication device, supporter, or interpreter when deciding
  • bttr adds captions to its videos and descriptive text to its images where it can, and welcomes requests to improve access

17.Contact

For questions, removal requests, or changes to media preferences. Anyone is welcome to reach out.

bttr Living LLC

Email
info@bttrliving.com
Phone
(510) 709 5809
7 days a week, 9am to 9pm PT
Office
39899 Balentine Drive, Suite 200
Newark, CA 94560
Website
bttrliving.com

To request removal, include

Who
Your name and how to reach you
What
A short description of the photo, video, or story
Where
The page, post, or printed item where you saw it
Timing
Confirmed within five business days

We protect your choice, your privacy, and your voice. If something ever feels wrong, please reach out. We are here.