[NFBC-Info] Fwd: Urgent Request for Joint Legislative Oversight Interim Hearing Regarding Severe Operational Breakdowns at the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)

Wed Sep 2 20:47:20 UTC 2026

It is most helpful if the letters come from people who live in their districts.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBC-Info <nfbc-info-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Chela Robles via NFBC-Info
Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 12:23 PM
To: NFB of California List <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Chela Robles <cdrobles693 at gmail.com>
Subject: [NFBC-Info] Fwd: Urgent Request for Joint Legislative Oversight Interim Hearing Regarding Severe Operational Breakdowns at the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)

This is what I wrote to them
Sincerely,
Chela Robles — Certified Literary Braille Transcriber
Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chela Robles <cdrobles693 at gmail.com>
Date: September 2, 2026 at 9:49:10 AM PDT
To: assemblymember.lee at assembly.ca.gov
Cc: senator.arreguin at senate.ca.gov
Subject: Urgent Request for Joint Legislative Oversight Interim Hearing Regarding Severe Operational Breakdowns at the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Dear Chair Lee and Chair Arreguin,
I am writing to urge you to immediately convene an urgent joint legislative oversight interim hearing of the Assembly and Senate Human Services Committees regarding severe, ongoing operational breakdowns within the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR).
Current policy changes targeting services for blind, low-vision, and DeafBlind Californians threaten our safety, economic independence, and fundamental civil rights. Without swift legislative intervention, these institutional failures will dismantle an essential service ecosystem, pushing capable, hard-working Californians onto public assistance and inflicting permanent damage on our community.
We request an interim oversight hearing to address five critical areas of immediate concern:
Order of Selection and Physical Safety Hazards: The implementation of an Order of Selection denies services to new applicants who are blind, creating indefinite delays even for individuals actively attempting to retain employment. Crucially, the freeze on Orientation and Mobility (O&M) instruction creates direct physical safety hazards for individuals navigating their communities and workplaces. This denial of basic services will ultimately force individuals onto public assistance, driving up long-term state costs.
Backlogs for Active IPE Clients: Clients with active Individualized Plans for Employment (IPEs) are experiencing unconscionable delays in receiving adaptive technology and essential training, severely hindering their education and employment progression.
Imminent Collapse of Community Provider Infrastructure: Community-based organizations serving blind, low-vision, and DeafBlind individuals face chronic state payment delays. Coupled with the Order of Selection preventing new referrals from reaching these agencies, California’s specialized service infrastructure faces permanent financial collapse.
Shift Away from Specialized Vendors to Commodity Retailers: DOR is increasingly attempting to bypass experienced, specialized assistive technology vendors in favor of low-cost general retailers like Amazon. Assistive technology is not a commodity in a box; it requires specialized assessment, setup, customized training, and ongoing support. The specialized vendor ecosystem took decades to build and, once destroyed, cannot easily be replaced.
Cuts to the Older Individuals Who Are Blind (OIB) Program: Reduced funding for the OIB program deprives seniors of crucial daily living skills, leading directly to premature and costly institutionalization.
A Personal Perspective: The Vital Impact of DOR Services
These policy breakdowns are not abstract statistics—they directly dictate whether blind Californians can work, contribute, and live independently. I speak from deeply personal experience as someone whose life was transformed by DOR services.
In October 2017, I was offered a position as a Braille Transcriber for the Eastside Union High School District at Santa Teresa High School on Snell Avenue in San Jose, set to start in November. I had less than a month to prepare. I immediately turned to DOR, and my counselor was instrumental in getting me job-ready. DOR provided the necessary on-the-job training for specialized access technology and funded an Orientation & Mobility (O&M) instructor who worked with me for two weeks to master a grueling daily commute, along with helping me map out from point A to point C back to point B then point A on the campus during the typical work day. 
Every Monday through Friday, my day began at 4:00 AM. At 5:00 AM, I took an Uber from my home in Concord to the County Connection bus stop in Walnut Creek, caught the 92X bus to the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) Pleasanton station, boarded the Number 3 train to Diridon Station in downtown San Jose, and finally took a 9.5-mile Lyft ride to Santa Teresa High School. After working a six-hour shift, I reversed the entire route, but instead of taking the Number 3 train, I took the Number 4 train, often not returning home until 7:00 PM.
DOR services gave me the training, tools, and confidence to make that 12-hour daily journey. That experience proved my independence, restored my mother’s faith in humanity through the supportive connections I built along the route, and established my place in the workforce and in society in general and it felt amazing and empowering!
When the March 2020 pandemic lockdowns hit, district budget cuts ultimately rendered my position obsolete. Rather than give up, I embarked on a new journey to further my qualifications. In 2024, I completed the rigorous National Library of Congress course to become a Certified Literary Braille Transcriber. Since October 2024, I have actively volunteered my skills as a transcriber for the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library.
Now, as I seek to transition back into paid employment, I desperately need DOR services for job placement and to update expensive hardware and software access technology. Like many blind Americans, I currently rely on Social Security Income  Blindness benefits, which are simply not enough to live on. I want to work. I want to contribute, pay taxes, and lead a productive, independent life. But to do so, I require the specialized assistive technology upgrades and job retention services that DOR is mandated to provide.
Conclusion and Call to Action
We have already seen what happens when essential public systems are gutted—the long-term damage done to Special Education departments across our state will take years to rebuild. We cannot allow the California Department of Rehabilitation to suffer the same fate.
Blind and disabled Californians are hard-working individuals who ask only for an equal opportunity to work alongside our non-disabled peers, earn a living, and contribute to our society. Dismantling DOR destroys our livelihoods and erects insurmountable barriers to independence.
On behalf of the blind, low-vision, and DeafBlind communities across California, I implore you to take decisive action. Please schedule a joint legislative oversight interim hearing on the Department of Rehabilitation before irreversible harm is done to our community and state infrastructure.
Thank you for your leadership, time, and urgent attention to this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Chela Robles — Certified Literary Braille Transcriber Concord, CA, USA
Sent from my iPhone
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