Our Lives Cannot Wait: California’s Rehabilitation Waitlist and Blind Community Advocacy

A waitlist can sound like an administrative detail until you are the person waiting to learn how to travel safely, use a screen reader, finish school, or prepare for a job.

Your life keeps moving. Rent comes due. Classes begin. Your vision may change. The support you need matters now.

That is why we brought together California Blind Advocacy: A Fireside Conversation, recorded on September 14, 2026. The full conversation is now available on YouTube.

I co-hosted with Arietta Woods and Sagar Gupta. Our guests were Bryan Bashin, Patricia Leetz, and Chris Fendrick. Together, we discussed California’s Department of Rehabilitation, the Order of Selection waitlist, the history of blind advocacy, and what our community can do next.

The recording runs approximately 55 minutes. English captions are included; they were generated with AI and partially corrected, and errors may remain.

Why this conversation is personal

I have navigated the Department of Rehabilitation over many years and benefited enormously from its services. I also have family members trying to enter the system.

I know what training, technology, and support can make possible. I wanted this conversation to help people understand what is at stake and connect us with people who carry decades of experience working within the system and organizing to change it.

Our panel brought together experiences as service recipients, advocates, a former rehabilitation counselor and supervisor, and an educator who served on the Blind Advisory Committee. Our co-hosts brought their own questions about education, employment, and supporting community members.

There is knowledge here that deserves to be shared across generations.

What Order of Selection means

Order of Selection is the process a vocational rehabilitation agency uses to prioritize services when it cannot serve everyone who is eligible.

As of September 26, 2026, DOR’s published guidance says it continues to accept applications, but newly eligible applicants are placed on a waitlist. It also says services under approved, signed Individualized Plans for Employment continue, and DOR Student Services remain available. When resources become available, priority category and application date determine the order of service.

That distinction matters. People need clear information about their own situation, alongside an honest conversation about the consequences of waiting.

The recording reflects the discussion on September 14. References to upcoming meetings, policy details, and campaign figures should be understood in that context.

Delayed services have public health consequences

Near the end of the conversation, I talk about why this belongs in public health.

If someone cannot get the support they need to cook, travel, attend school, or participate in their community, the effects reach into daily health and well-being. A service delay can affect whether someone gets to an appointment, keeps an opportunity, or spends another day isolated at home.

Those consequences belong in budget discussions and public testimony. We need to hear what waiting does to people’s lives, alongside the number of people on a list.

The panel also raised concerns about the community organizations and specialized knowledge that help make blindness services possible. We discussed accountability, the Blind Advisory Committee, and proposals for a Commission for the Blind. These are questions about who shapes services and whether blind people have meaningful influence over the decisions affecting us.

Make your experience part of the conversation

One of the strongest messages in this discussion was that people should not have to navigate this alone.

Patricia described the importance of putting our own words into advocacy letters. A personal account helps explain what a delayed service means in practice. You can describe the support you need, what you are waiting for, and how that wait affects your life, sharing only what you want to make public.

Here are three ways to begin:

• Watch and share the fireside conversation with your chapter, community group, service provider, or family.
• Use Patricia Leetz’s hearing-request letter campaign to add your voice and ask for legislative attention.
• Connect with blind community members and organizations. Share information, compare experiences, and help people find support while we organize for accountable services.

Community offers knowledge, connection, and practical help. Public agencies still have a responsibility to provide the services people need.

Blind Californians have organized for change before. This conversation is an invitation to learn that history, understand the present, and participate in what comes next.